Cors Ddyga

Following the latest clear instructions from the Government for us all to remain at home, we are closing our reserves to visitors until further notice. Please see our COVID19 updates page to stay up to date with developments at RSPB.

Address: Tai'r Gors, Pentre Berw, Gaerwen LL60 6LB

Grid ref: SH463725

See our updates page for the latest coronavirus information.

The lakes, ponds and ditches that make up Cors Ddyga are some of the most important in the UK and host more than 30 scarce wetland plants. Bitterns, marsh harriers, wetland warblers and wildfowl live in the reedbeds, while the grassland supports one of the largest colonies of lapwing in Wales.

Plan your visit

Open at all times.

Free entrance to RSPB members: Yes

Adults: Free

Children: Free

Facilities

No visitor centre
Car park off-site
Toilets off-site
Accessible toilets off-site
No Refreshments
Nature trails
Shop off-site

Accessibility

How to get here

By train

The nearest station is Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, which is four miles from the reserve. Bangor station is nine miles away. There are various buses that get to Pentre Berw, which is 600m from the reserve visitor trail entrance.

By bus

Nearest bus stops are on the A5 in Pentre Berw. From the stop, walk down the hill and turn into Lon Coliar, after 100m turn right and continue for 500m to the start of the RSPB visitor trail.

By bike

The Lôn Las Cefni and a side-route from Gaerwen pass through the reserve.

By road

From the A5 heading west: Travel through the villages of Gaerwen and Pentre Berw and continue to the other side. The reserve entrance is located on the left hand side directly before the national speed limit signs.

Sat nav POI file: If you have a satellite navigation system that can accept POI files, please see our POI page for a download link and instructions.

Get directions from Google Maps

RSPB reserves on Google Earth

Coaches are not advised.

9 degrees, Cloudy

Contact Cors Ddyga

Tai'r Gors, Pentre Berw, Gaerwen LL60 6LB
01248 421100

What will you see?

Our star species

Lapwing

Also known as the peewit after its call, look for these wading bids displaying over the grassland in spring.

Shoveler

Keep an eye on the pools for this dabbling duck with a huge spatula-like bill.

Skylark

The grassland echoes to the skylark's sweet song during spring.

Bittern

Look for these cryptically-plumaged herons in winter.

Marsh harrier

See the UK's largest harrier floating over through the sky with its wings in a distinctive V-shape.

Nature spectacles

In spring, there are breeding lapwings, bubbling curlews and singing skylarks in the grassland. On the marshes look for wetland flowers, singing reed buntings and breeding wildfowl. In summer, check the skies for patrolling marsh harriers and buzzards. The first autumn migrant waders, such as black-tailed godwits, should appear and dragonflies and other insects hum in flower-rich grassland.

In autumn, have a look for roosting starlings, plus swallows and martins. Flocks of winter wildfowl start to build up. Check for signs of otters by spotting their spraint. In winter, birds of prey abound - look for marsh and hen harriers, plus merlins, and peregrines. There are big winter wildfowl flocks.

Breeding lapwings, bubbling curlews and singing skylarks in the grassland. On the marshes look for singing reed buntings and breeding wildfowl.

Check the skies for marsh harriers and buzzards. The first autumn migrant waders should appear and dragonflies and other insects hum in the grassland.

Have a look for roosting starlings, plus swallows and martins. Flocks of winter wildfowl start to build up. Check for signs of otters by spotting their spraint.

Birds of prey can be seen easily, look for marsh and hen harriers, plus merlins, and peregrines. There are also big winter wildfowl flocks.

About Cors Ddyga

Habitat

RSPB Cors Ddyga lies within one of the largest lowland wetlands in Wales. The lakes, ponds and ditches are some of the most important in the UK and host more than 30 scarce wetland plants.

The grassland also supports one of Wales' few lapwing colonies and resounds to the song of skylarks.

The Cors Ddyga Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is one of just three in Wales designated for the richness of its aquatic invertebrates, such as dragonflies and water beetles. The reedbeds are home to otters, water voles and wetland birds - it is one of the few places in Wales to see marsh harriers. In spring they echo to the buzz of warblers newly arrived from Africa alongside spectacular displays of wetland flowers.

Conservation

Wetlands were once dynamic places, with wildlife adapting to the blocking and flooding of wild rivers. Wildlife and plants became pioneers, colonising and then moving on as the landscape changed. Today, floodplains are needed for farmland, much of the wildness has been tamed. We use machinery to scrape new bare mud, clean ditches and lakes, and make room for reedbeds, in a way which once happened naturally.

Site information

Cors Ddyga is one of the best places for wildlife in the UK, and is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Activities and events

Activities for children and families

The visitor trail is a great place for families to explore, especially in the spring and summer.

Leisure activities

To celebrate the reserve's rich wildlife, local sculptor, Duncan Kitson, has carved a wooden bittern sculpture on the reserve, which includes the words of the well-known Welsh folk song Deryn y Bwn o'r Banna.

This, along with new interpretation boards and a 1.25-mile walk which has been built through the wetlands, provides a perfect retreat and a good reason to stop and have a breather – especially if you've arrived at the reserve after cycling along the Lôn Las Cefni cycle route. Cors Ddyga is also home to the Victorian Berw Colliery, the most visible remains of coal mining on Anglesey and now a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

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