Coed Meyric Moel

A tranquil site of ancient woodland and meadow in bustling Cwmbran.

Location

Penylan Way

Cwmbran

Gwent

OS Map Reference

ST271941

Know before you go

Size

1 hectare

Entry fee

Parking information

Roadside parking only in Tramway Close.

Grazing animals

Walking trails

Footpaths lead across the meadow and into the woodland.

Access

The meadow is accessible from a tarmac path in the north-west corner and from the ‘The Incline’ cycle/footpath in the north-east corner. Once inside the reserve, the paths are on flat, but uneven ground. There is one flight of steps.

Dogs

Dogs permitted

When to visit

Opening times

Open at all times

Best time to visit

All year

About the reserve

Escape into the tranquil meadow and ancient woodland of this small urban reserve. Wander through the meadow in summer to enjoy the colourful display of wildflowers and smell the fragrant meadowsweet. The abundance of flowers here attracts a host of nectar-feeding insects, including common blue and small skipper butterflies.

This pocket of ancient woodland is a remnant of the woodland that would have covered the countryside before Cwmbran was built. Gwent Wildlife Trust manages only a small portion of the larger, council-managed, woodland but its oak, beech and ash trees are home to nuthatches, treecreepers and visiting siskins and blackcaps. Shade-loving flowers, like wood anemone and yellow pimpernel, carpet the floor through spring and summer.

What we do here
We keep the courser plant species in the meadow in check with an annual hay cut, allowing the more delicate grasses and flowers to survive and thrive.

Directions
By car
Travelling south on the A4051 from Cwmbran town centre, take the final exit at the roundabout, signposted ‘St Dials/Greenmeadow/Fairwater'. At the next roundabout, take second exit on to Henllys Way (signposted 'St Dials/Greenmeadow/Fairwater'). Continuing along Henllys Way, take the 1^st exit at the mini roundabout and the 2^nd exit at the next onto Fairwater Way. Go straight across the next roundabout onto Henllys Way and then take the second left at the brow of the hill (opposite the school grounds) onto Tramway Close where you can park on the roadside. The reserve is a short walk from here, passing across ‘The Incline path.’

By bike/on foot
Coed Meyric Moel can be accessed directly off ‘The Incline’ bicycle and footpath. This path follows the route of the old tramway which led from Henllys Colliery all the way down to the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal.

Near the reserve
Stroll along the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal as it runs south through Cwmbran and visit the Fourteen Locks Canal Centre near the famous Cefn Flight of locks. The hills of the South Wales coalfield rise behind Cwmbran and are rich in archaeology, from the remains of recent coal mining and iron scouring to the ruins of the Celtic chapel of Llanderfal and the Iron Age hill fort of Twmbarlwm.