Overview

Access (Transport)

By car; it couldn’t be simpler, the reserve is right next to junction 18 of the main A55.

By rail; Llandudno Junction station is less than a mile away. A map to the reserve is on posters at the station.

By bus; the nearest bus stop is the number 27 at Tesco, just over the roundabout from the reserve.

Parking & Toilet Provision
There is a large car park at the reserve with 8 blue badge spaces. There is a spacious accessible toilet in the Coffee Shop only a short walk from the car park . There are ladies and gents toilets on the outside of the Coffee Shop.

Opening Hours

The shop and visitor centre is open every day (except Christmas Day) from 9.30 am-5 pm. The coffee shop is open from 10 am-4.30pm

Admission Charges

Members: free.

Non-members: adults £3, concessions £2, children £1.50. Family ticket £6.50.

Access

Description of Habitat & Facilities

There is a visitor centre which also contains a shop, where you buy all sorts of wildlife related items, books, birdfood etc. You can pick up a map of the reserve here and there are always staff and volunteers on hand to answer questions and give advice.

There 3 hides on the reserve which are all accessible + The Lookout, a straw bale building opened in 2013 which opened in 2013. It often hosts art & photo exhibitions and gives the same fabulous scenic views as the coffee shop.

There is a lot of different habitats packed into a fairly small area, including a reedbed, a wide estuary, shallow lagoons with islands for breeding birds, small woodland areas which, further away from the visitor centre become more bushy, scrubby areas

Trails

The majority of the trails have been well upgraded over the last couple of years. They are a quite firm and very easy for wheelchair users to push along. There is a boardwalk which was rebuild in recent years and is very easy to move on. The paths do get a little rougher as you get towards the Conwy estuary but are still manageable for an active wheelchair user.

Hides

Number of Hides 3

Description of Hides [By name or number]

Tal-y-Fan is the first hide you come to after leaving the Coffee Shop. It gives views of the mountain the hide is named after and the magnificent Conwy Castle. The hide is in two halves, the right hand side has newly lowered windows, giving a wonderful view.The wall connecting the two halves of the hide has viewing slots at different heights.The left side of the hide has fairly high windows. On leaving this hide you arrive at:

Carneddau hide, again named after the mountains you can see from here. Either side of the hide has viewing screens with holes again at different heights. The hide itself has 4 low windows for birding the lagoon and its islands.

Continuing along the path by the Conwy estuary you come to the BenarthHide named after the woodland across the river. It is up a slope which unfortunately can’t be altered as it is part of the essential flood defence. As with all this reserve’s hides it has easy, level entry and good viewing

Other

Target Species Depending on Time of Year

Grey Heron, Little Egret, Mute Swan, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Moorhen, Coot, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Robin, Chaffinch, Bullfinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Dunnock, Pied Wagtail, Blackbird, Starling, Buzzard, Kestrel, Sand Martin, House Martin, Swift, Swallow, Wren, Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Cormorant, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Snipe, Black-tailed Godwit, Common Sandpiper, Teal, Gadwall, Goldeneye, Wigeon, Red-breasted Merganser, Kingfisher.

Rarities have included: Garganey, Scaup, Jack Snipe, Green Sandpiper and Grey Phalarope.

Nearby Sites

Contributor:

Phil Gatley

Contributors Email:

Phillip.Gatley@sky.com

Date Last Updated 9th October 2014

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