Mawddach Valley - Arthog Bog

Address: 5 St Marys Terrace, Arthog LL39 1BQ (parking at Morfa Mawddach train station)

Grid ref: SH630138

Arthog Bog in the pretty Mawddach Valley might be a small wetland reserve, but it's crammed full of wildlife and a wonderful place to see beautiful and rare flowers, grass snakes, butterflies, dragonflies and all manner of birds, including flocks of siskins and long-tailed tits.

Plan your visit

Open at all times.

Free entrance to RSPB members: Yes

Adults: Free, but you can help us continue our work here by becoming a member.

Children: Free, but you can help us continue our work here by becoming a member.

Facilities

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

Accessibility

How to get here

By train

The nearest station is Morfa Mawddach, 100 metres from the reserve entrance which is on the access road to the station.

By bus

The nearest stop is at Arthog (Glasfryn Terrace) on the Dolgellau to Twywn (28) route. The stop is 400 metres from the reserve entrance.

By bike

The reserve is adjacent to the Mawddach cycle trail and can be accessed from it 200 metres east of Morfa Mawddach station.

By road

Take the A493 from Dolgellau to Fairbourne. Between the villages of Arthog and Friog take the turn for Morfa Mawddach train station. Parking is available at the station. The main reserve entrance is on the road 100 m before the car park.

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

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Contact Mawddach Valley - Arthog Bog

5 St Marys Terrace, Arthog LL39 1BQ (parking at Morfa Mawddach train station)
mawddach@rspb.org.uk
01654 700222

What will you see?

Our star species

Cuckoo

Listen for the iconic echoing call of the cuckoo from late April as the adults arrive from their long trek from Africa.

Grasshopper warbler

This elusive warbler returns from Africa in April and May.

Lesser redpoll

Winter is the time to see lesser redpolls here.

Reed bunting

Spring is the time to see male reed buntings at their best at Arthog Bog.

Siskin

Like lesser redpolls, they're seed eaters which like to perch on tiny twigs to feed.

Nature spectacles

A quiet walk looking carefully in the ponds, or alongside the track may reward with a lucky glimpse of a grass snake. These beautiful creatures are not poisonous and hunt for frogs in the wet areas.

This is the best time of year to see summer migrants like willow and sedge warblers, whitethroats and cuckoos. Listen in the early mornings and evenings for the distinctive 'reeling' song of the grasshopper warbler as it gives its distinctive song from dense undergrowth.

The bog flowers are at their best and a diversity of fen and mire plants make a colourful show including march cinquefoil, greater spearwort and wavy st johns wort. The pale leaves of the bog myrtle bushes are distinctive, as is its sweetly pungent smell.

In the trees around the edge of the reserve, you may spot redwings and fieldfares from October onwards. Reed buntings are present in the reed-filled ditches and on the edges of the path, flocks of linnets and goldfinches feed on seeds.

The alders and birches around the edge of the bog are home to flocks of siskins and lesser redpolls, their chattering calls draw attention to them as they feed in the tree tops. The bog itself appears quiet, but woodcocks shelter in the wooded edges of the bog, and water rails may be heard calling from areas of reed.

About Mawddach Valley - Arthog Bog

Habitat

Fen and mire - a small slice of mire with an array of flowering plants associated with this habitat. The bog turns yellow in spring with mire flowers including iris and spearwort, as well as the rare and special wavy St John's wort and 'Touch-me-not' balsam at the mire and woodland boundary.

Wet woodland with alder and willow flank the mire and bog and is home to willow warblers and bullfinches.

Conservation

The bog and mire has been under threat by encroachment of trees and scrub. Whilst the wet woodland itself is an important habitat at the bog fringe, a balance needs to be struck between maintaining the woodland and ensuring the bog's future.

Trees and other woody vegetation dry the bog out and damage the peat, preventing the vegetation normally associated with this wetland from thriving. We have been slowly removing the trees and scrub from the bog to restore the right conditions. The bog acts a sponge, slowing water movement down, retaining water and allowing the right plants to grow.

Site information

Mawddach Valley - Arthog Bog is one of the best places for wildlife in the UK, and is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

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