2012 is drawing to a close, and my thoughts start to turn towards planning 2013 and the places on my “hit list” to visit in the coming twelve months. I am conscious that my blogs are South Wales-centric, and I intend to get north next year to see some of the wonderful RSPB Reserves in mid and North Wales. So with that in mind, I asked a friend of mine, Phil Gatley, whom I met at this year’s Bird Fair in Rutland to write a guest blog on RSPB Conwy. I think you will agree that he does a fairly good job of selling the reserve! I hope you enjoy his guest blog, and I am grateful for the time he took putting this together.
Anthony Walton
“As a volunteer guide at RSPB Conwy I'm very keen to let people know what a fantastic amount of wildlife you can see in one place. Plus, as a wheelchair user I really want to show disabled people how easy it is to get around and enjoy a wonderful day, getting close to nature.
Just turn off the A55 at Jct18, drive through the car park and you're in. There are 3 blue badge parking places on hard standing right next to the visitor centre. Then there is a gentle ramp and a flat entrance to the centre. The door is quite light and there are often Meet and Greet people who will open it. There is a notice board and log books with plenty of info about what wildlife is being seen and of course feel free to ask. The centre is well stocked all sorts of birdy items and really easy to get around with plenty of room. The counter is low so you never have that nightmare of having to reach up, or speaking to someone you can’t see.
When you leave the centre it’s only a few metres to the lovely coffee shop. The view across the Conwy River to the mountains beyond is stunningly beautiful. There is always a good range of food and drink available, with the emphasis being on local produce and fair-trade goods. Always plenty of veggie choices too, though I always seem to go for a bacon butty! Plenty of birds can usually be viewed from here, sometimes rabbits and stoats scamper past too. A board by the window tells you what has been seen from there that day. The large accessible toilet is located in the coffee shop; other ladies and gents toilets are on the outside of this building.
When you leave the coffee shop, there are 3 paths to choose from. Left will take you past a wildlife garden, with beautiful flowers to attract insects, a stack of wood called Tiny Town which shows how insects can easily be given a home. There are also bird feeders with blue tits, goldfinches etc. and sometimes a cheeky squirrel. The middle path from the coffee takes you past a dipping pond which is really popular with families. The path to the right takes you down a little, onto a boardwalk. Along here, to the right, is a screen which gives lovely views across a lagoon. There is a low viewing slot so everyone can enjoy the view. The paths to the first two hides are easy to walk or push along, flat and recently improved so no pot-holes. The hides are both easily entered and the views are magnificent from either. The first, named Tal-y-Fan after the mountain in front of it has recently had the window lowered in the right hand section, allowing fantastic views of the birds, mountains and Conwy Castle. The second hide look out across a lovely lagoon which is terrific for wading birds. Behind the lagoon and across the Conwy River you can see the Carneddau range of mountains which give this hide its name.
After this hide the paths become a little rougher but are still easily managed by a strong wheelchair user or one with a pusher. You follow alongside a stream leading to the Conwy estuary. You can see back across the lagoon from the slots of a screen and a little further is Benarth hide named after the woods across the river. The hide and screen are up a fairly steep bank which unfortunately is unavoidable as the bank is actually the flood defence. If you do go in the hide there are low windows to once again enjoy the birds.
If you want you can just retrace the route back to the centre but if you carry on please note you'll be at the end of the very busy car park and the slope up from here is very steep and stony. The whole route is nearly 2 miles but there are lots of benches to sit, enjoy the birds, lovely views and hopefully on your visit, some good Welsh weather. There are also plenty of information points which give you a great insight to what’s around and how things change with the seasons.
If you've been to other RSPB reserves then you'll find Conwy as good as any. If you're looking for a great day out in superb scenery, which gets you close to nature whilst still being safe and accessible, then RSPB Conwy is just ideal."
Phil Gatley
© All Images - RSPB