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SSSIs
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Protected areas
A number of protected areas are in, or close to Senni Valley. They include
one 'Special Area of Conservation' (SAC), five 'Sites of Special Scientific Interest' (SSSI) and one
'National Nature
Reserve'. Some of these are on private land and may only be visited with
permission from the landowner.
Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
The Usk River and its tributaries that include the Senni River are a
designated 'Special
Area of Conservation', notified to the Government by the Joint Nature
Conservation Committee (JNCC). Its importance is partly because "The
River Usk is an important site for otters Lutra lutra in Wales.
They are believed to be using most parts of the main river, from Newport
upstream, and in recent years signs of otters have increased. In 1991 an
expansion upstream of known otter ranges was recorded on several tributaries,
including the Honddu, Senni and Crai. The upper Usk may have acted as a ‘refuge’
during the decline of the 1950s, and had subsequently acted as a ‘source’
population for recolonisation of south-east Wales.
Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
The Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) is responsible for the five
Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in the Senni Valley and
neighbouring areas. The Area Office of CCW phone 01597-824661 can provide
further information and details of these and other
protected sites in Wales as
summarized below:
1
Coed Mawr - Blaen-Car SSSI, which is on private land and a permit is
required from the Warden in the CCW Area Office phone 01597-824661, to visit it.
National Grid reference: SN930285. Total Area: 13.2 ha
The site comprises a fine example of damp semi-natural woodland with adjacent
areas of unimproved hay meadow and wet pasture, lying alongside Nant Car,
south-east of Sennybridge.
Coed Mawr contains two distinct types of woodland. The wetter ground supports a
canopy of alder Alnus glutinosa with much grey willow
Salix cinerea and hazel Corylus avellana. The ground flora is
characterised by an abundance of opposite-leaved golden-saxifrage
Chrysosplenium oppositifolium, meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria,
creeping soft-grass Holcusm mollis and creeping buttercup
Ranunculus repens, with marsh-marigold Caltha palustris and
yellow iris Iris Pseudacorus being locally prominent. The drier
ground supports a canopy of sessile oak Quercus petraea, including
many large mature to over-mature specimens supporting a rich lichen
flora. The understorey here consists of hazel coppice and holly
Ilex aquifolium. The ground flora is fairly grassy, but herbs such as
bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta, wood-sorrel Oxalis
acetosella and greater stitchwort Stellaria holostea are
abundant throughout. Wood anemone Anemone nemorosa and pignut
Conopodium majus are locally frequent. A clearing within the wood is
largely dominated by purple moor-grass Molinia caerulea, but also
contains banks of drier grassland dominated by common bent Agrostis
capillaris and fescues Festuca spp., with a variety of herbs,
including common knapweed Centaurea nigra, bitter-vetch
Lathyrus montanus, great burnet Sanguisorba officinalis,
saw-wort Serratula tinctoria, betony Stachys officinalis
and devil's-bit scabious Succisa pratensis. An area of hay meadow
lies immediately to the east of the wood. This mostly well-drained area is
dominated by a mixture of grasses which includes common bent,
fescues and sweet vernal-grass Anthoxanthum odoratum. Frequent
associates are common knapweed, common bird's-foot-trefoil
Lotus corniculatus, tormentil Potentilla erecta, great
burnet and devil's-bit scabious. An old hedge-line runs across the
centre of the area. This is bordered by a strip of damp grassland dominated by
sharp-flowered rush Juncus acutiflorus, with abundant purple
moor-grass, meadowsweet and tufted hair-grass Deschampsia
cespitosa, and also frequent sneezewort Achillea ptarmica and
marsh willowherb Epilobium palustre. Meadow thistle
Cirsium dissectum occurs locally in this area. The remainder of the site
comprises an area of damp species-rich pasture to the east of Blaen-car farm.
The wetter ground supports a community dominated by meadowsweet with
frequent Yorkshire-fog Holcus lanatus, wild angelica
Angelica sylvestris, marsh thistle Cirsium palustre, wood
horsetail Equisetum sylvaticum, sharp-flowered rush,
creeping buttercup and common valerian Valeriana officinalis.
Elsewhere purple moor-grass becomes dominant, although the species listed
above remain prominent, along with creeping bent Agrostis stolonifera,
common marsh-bedstraw Galium palustre, compact rush
Juncus conglomeratus and common sorrel Rumex acetosa. Other
associates include marsh-marigold, greater bird's-foot-trefoil
Lotus uliginosus, ragged-robin Lychnis flos-cuculi and
marsh valerian Valerian dioica. Small areas of drier grassland occur
within this field. These support a wide variety of species, including common
bent, fescues, sweet vernal-grass, Yorkshire-fog,
common knapweed, dyer's greenweed Genista tinctoria,
creeping willow Salix repens, great burnet, saw-wort,
betony, devil's-bit scabious and wood bitter-vetch Vicia
orobus.This large area of herb-rich grassland lying in close proximity to a
fine woodland presents a rare juxtaposition of habitats known elsewhere to
support notable invertebrate populations. These still await study at this
site.
2
Penllwyn-yr-Hendy SSSI, which is on private land and a permit is
required from the Warden in the CCW Area Office phone 01597-824661, to visit it. Here are some
photos.
National grid reference: SN 929227. Site area: 2.7 hectares
At least seven different types of grassland and fen communities are present in
this small site, grading into each other and into scrub woodland, to produce one
of the most diverse grassland sites in Brecknock.
The site is divided into two by a fence. The southern field supports extensive
areas of the now scarce small-sedge mire, dominated by carnation sedge
Carex panicea, tawny sedge C. hostiana and purple
moor-grass Molinia caerulea. Characteristic associates include
dioecious sedge Carex dioica, star sedge C. echinata,
round-leaved sundew Drosera rotundifolia, bulbous rush
Juncus bulbosus, common butterwort Pinguicula vulgaris and
marsh arrowgrass Triglochin palustris. A variant of this community
dominated by fewflowered spike-rush Eleocharis quinqueflora and
common cottongrass Eriophorum angustifolium occupies some of the
wetter hollows, whilst other channels and soakaways support species such as
bogbean Menyanthes trifoliata, bog pondweed Potamogeton
polygonifolius, water horsetail Equisetum fluviatile and
marsh lousewort Pedicularis palustris. Drier hummocks support a
community dominated by purple moor-grass, carnation sedge,
sheep’s fescue Festuca ovina and bents Agrostis spp.,
with frequent heather Calluna vulgaris, deergrass
Trichophorum cespitosum, petty whin Genista anglica and
tormentil Potentilla erecta. Around the fringes of the small-sedge
mire there are stands of taller vegetation dominated by sharp-flowered rush
Juncus acutiflorus and purple moor-grass. Associated species here
include common marsh-bedstraw Galium palustre, greater
bird's-foot-trefoil Lotus uliginosus, wild angelica
Angelica sylvestris, marsh thistle Cirsium palustre, common
sedge Carex nigra, marsh violet Viola palustris and
marsh speedwell Veronica scutellata. These stands grade into a
community dominated by soft rush Juncus effusus along the eastern
edge of the field. The western side of the field is much wetter and comprises
patches of alder Alnus glutinosa interspersed with tall-fen
vegetation. Lesser pond-sedge Carex acutiformis, sharpflowered
rush and meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria are prominent here
with a wide range of associates, including water horsetail, bogbean,
common sedge, fen bedstraw Galium uliginosum,
marsh-marigold Caltha palustris, water mint Mentha aquatica,
common valerian Valeriana officinalis, creeping-Jenny
Lysimachia nummularia and marsh cinquefoil Potentilla palustris.
3
Cae Gwernllertai, which is on private land and a permit is required from
the Warden in the CCW Area Office phone 01597-824661, to visit it.
National Grid reference: SN943244. Total Area: 1.6 ha
The site comprises a small area of unimproved damp pasture in Cwm Brynych, south
of Sennybridge. The field supports an unusual variety of plant species and
communities for its size.
The site is bounded to the north and west by a small brook with associated areas
of alder Alnus glutinosa woodland and soft rush Juncus
effusus dominated marsh. Elsewhere the driest ground supports a sward
dominated by mat-grass Nardus stricta, purple moor-grass
Molinia caerulea and sheep's fescue Festuca ovina, with
abundant tormentil Potentilla erecta and carnation sedge
Carex panicea. Heath-grass Danthonia decumbens occurs
throughout, with heather Calluna vulgaris and deergrass
Trichophorum cespitosum locally prominent. Heath spotted-orchid
Dactylorhiza maculata, petty whin Genista anglica and
sawwort Serratula tinctoria occur within this community. There are
unusually extensive areas of flush dominated by small sedges Carex spp.
and purple moor-grass, with accompanying species such as bog pimpernel
Anagallis Tenella, quaking-grass Briza media, meadow
thistle Cirsium dissectum, bulbous rush Juncus bulbosus
and devil's-bit scabious Succisa pratensis. An area of marshy
ground in the centre of the field is dominated by sharp-flowered rush
Juncus acutiflorus; associates here include water horsetail
Equisetum fluviatile, common marsh-bedstraw Galium palustre,
ragged-robin Lychnis flos-cuculi, lesser spearwort
Ranunculus flammula, marsh valerian Valeriana dioica and eight
species of sedge.
4
Illtyd Pools, on Mynydd Illtyd, Common Land. Open access, but keep to
marked paths.
National grid reference: SN 965256 and SN 959264. Site area: 93 hectares
This collection of pools and peat-filled hollows on the summit ridge of Mynydd
Illtyd is of great botanical and entomological interest. Some of the pools, fed
by lime-rich water, support a number of rare calcicolous plant species,
including the rare fen-sedge Cladium mariscus and slender sedge
Carex lasiocarpa, here at their only known Brecknock locality. Other
pools are more acidic, with floating mats of vegetation at their edges. Peat has
formed in some hollows producing hummock and hollow mires with well developed
hummocks of bog mosses Sphagnum spp. and lichens
Cladonia impexa predominating. A number of uncommon aquatic insects
have been recorded in the pools and streams, whilst the hummocks of the mires
support an unusual spider fauna. In autumn and winter the site is of
ornithological interest, being frequented by waders and other
waterfowl.
49 hectares are managed as a nature reserve by the Brecknock Naturalists’ Trust
by agreement with the commoners and the Lord of the Manor. The reserve is known
as The Traeth, Mynydd Illtyd.
5
Heol Senni Quarry SSSI, which is on private land and is hazardous from
falling rock. A permit should be obtained from the Warden in the CCW Area
Office phone 01597-824661, to visit it.
National grid reference: SN 914222. Site area: 3.4 hectares
See the extended
description on this web.
National Nature Reserve
Craig Cerrig Gleisiad & Fan Frynych, open access but keep to
marked paths. There are dangerous cliff faces.
The drive along the A470 between Brecon and Merthyr Tydfil gives you a fleeting
glimpse of the high cliffs of Craig Cerrig Gleisiad which tower darkly on the
slopes above the road. The reserve extends for a considerable distance over this
upland, taking in moors and bogs, the crags of Craig Cwm Du and the summit of
Fan Frynych.
The rusty coloured rocks of the reserve are Old Red Sandstone: these were formed
following the mountain building episode in North Wales, as silty sand was
deposited in shallow seas over a period of 50 million years.
The present day landscape, with its steep rocky backwall and slopes of loose
scree rising dramatically above the bumpy land surface at the bottom of the cwm,
was shaped by successive Ice Ages and by huge landslips. In Cwm Du you can also
see remains of old terraces created by a river of meltwater, as it flowed in
different positions, constantly adjusting to changes in the landscape after the
last Ice Age.
The rocks are not only a fascinating geological feature, but also an important
wildlife habitat. Old Red Sandstone can sometimes contain plenty of lime, as is
the case at Craig Cerrig Gleisiad. Here, on the rocky ledges and in the
crevices, beyond the reach of the grazing sheep, a rich collection of alpine
plants can be found – such as roseroot, purple saxifrage, mossy
saxifrage,
globeflower and serrated wintergreen. Many of these are at, or near their
southernmost limit of distribution in Britain on this reserve.
More than 500 plants have been recorded on the reserve. The variety of habitats, including bog, moor, grassland, pools and streams, woods and rocks makes this
reserve a rich site for wildlife.
On the moorland which covers most of the reserve, patches of heather and
bilberry are mixed with extensive areas of typical upland grassland, where
flowers such as tormentil, heath bedstraw, milkwort and
eyebright provide
splashes of colour in summer. Along streams and in places where water trickles
through the soil, the variety of plants can be much richer. A few patches of
peat bog support a wonderful mix of different sedges, rushes and bog mosses
along with flowers such as cross leaved heath, cotton grass, bog asphodel and
sundew. Rowan, silver birch and hawthorn are scattered across the slopes and
additional trees have been planted in places to add to the variety of habitats
on the reserve.
You may well see some of the 16 species of butterfly on a visit during the
summer, including some of the more uncommon species such as green hairstreak,
whose caterpillars feed on bilberry in upland areas.
A spring or early summer visit will certainly provide sightings of some of the
typical upland birds found on the reserve. 80 species of birds have been
recorded here : wheatear, meadow pipit and skylark are a common sight on the
grassy, sheep grazed slopes whilst dippers and grey wagtails are frequently seen
darting back and forth along the boulder strewn streams. On the steeper rocky
slopes, keep an eye open for the uncommon ring ouzel and for ravens and
peregrine falcons which haunt the highest crags. Merlins are fond of the habitat
around the edges of the reserve where woodland fringes open moorland and the
common sandpiper sometimes visits the open water pools of the reserve.
Updated by
Webmaster
26 January 2006 05:09
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