As temporary visitor experience manager at RSPB Lake Vyrnwy, I thought this week I’d write about some of the many iconic features of the reserve. Like a lot of people, before coming here I thought it would be just a man-made reservoir and not much else – how wrong I was! Vyrnwy has so much more to offer, and that’s without the variety of habitat, and the abundance of birds and other wildlife to be found here.

Most visitors approach Lake Vyrnwy the same way as I do every morning, by driving straight across the impressive dam wall itself. Built between 1881 and 1888 by Liverpool Corporation to improve the city’s water supply, the dam flooded the original Llanwddyn village, necessitating the relocation of the families that had lived and farmed in the valley for generations. It was the first stone built dam of its kind in the whole world and a pioneer for others that followed. The lake holds 13,000 million gallons of water when it is full, is 80 feet deep at the deepest point and, with a circumference of almost 12 miles, it can be seen from space on a clear day!

Alongside the river running below the dam, there is a sculpture park containing wooden carved works that have been created by artists from countries as far flung as Australia and Russia, as well as those nearer home in Wales and England. The weird and wonderful pieces reflect inspiration not only gleaned from the magical atmosphere of Vyrnwy itself but from the rich and diverse cultures of other countries too.

Wooden carvings are to be found at other points around the lake as well, like the giant picnic tables, the dolphins that at high water look like they are leaping right out of the lake, and the famous and eerily realistic Giant Hand. This was carved from the remains of what was the tallest tree in Britain, a Douglas fir that grew to be higher than Nelson’s column, before it was felled in a storm.

One of the most iconic images of Lake Vyrwny, and my personal favourite, is the Gothic straining tower, where the water has its first filtration through mesh sieves to remove any debris when the water starts its journey to England. The filtered water then travels along pipes on the bed of the lake to the start of the Liverpool pipeline, a tunnel under the hotel quarter of a mile away. At night, when the 48 metre tall tower with its conical spire is all lit up and the moon is spilling silver over the water, it is a really beautiful sight and for me completes the magical experience that is Lake Vyrnwy.

Kate Sullivan, Visitor Experience Manager

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