Gwydir Forest
Gwydir Forest, also spelled Gwydyr, is located in Conwy county borough and the Snowdonia National Park in Wales.
In 1778, referring to Carreg-y-Gwalch, just above Gwydir Uchaf, Thomas Pennant was told that "the noblest oaks in all Wales grew on this rock within living memory."
The First World War had highlighted a shortage in wood production, and left the area with little natural woodland.
The majority of the forest is conifer (Sitka spruce, Douglas fir, Japanese larch, Norway spruce and Scots pine), relatively suited to the area's poor, shallow soils, but recent years have seen the increased planting of native broadleaf species such as Welsh Oak, beech and ash.
This popularity has further increased in recent years after the construction of the Marin Trail (named after the mountain bike manufacturer), a competition-standard mountain bike route, which is approximately 28 kilometres (17 mi) long with 860 metres (2,820 ft) of climbing in all.
The principal mines were those of: These lie in the central part of the forest around the area known as Nant Bwlch-yr-haearn.
[4] The first four of the mines listed above have been linked by the "Miners Trail", a circular route marked with information boards.
Mention has already been made of the numerous lakes in the forest, and indeed in this central area they were all, almost without exception, created or enlarged to provide reservoirs for the mine workings.
In most cases water was run from these via leats, which turned water-wheels to power machinery on site.
On acquisition of the land by the then Forestry Commission, efforts were made to make former mine workings safe, and before increased public access further extensive works were carried out by the National Park Authority, with funding from the Welsh Development Agency and support from the Conservation Council (now the Countryside Council for Wales, the Welsh Mines Society, and Gwynedd Archaeological Trust.
Principal species found on the Gwydir mine sites are pennycress and forked spleenwort.
The capping of the mine shafts for safety reasons has resulted in an ideal environment for bats, and the designation of a Special Area of Conservation (SAC).
