Cwmllydrew Meadows

What’s there?

Made up of three hay meadows and a small oak woodland. The Ant Meadow is home to over 300 Yellow Meadow Ant anthills. Green woodpeckers can be seen feeding here. Both the Common Blue and the Small Pearl Bordered butterfly can be seen from early summer.

In the Fen and Pond Meadows Marsh Marigolds bloom in spring, Common Spotted Orchids and Devil's Bit Scabious bloom in summer. Grass Snakes, Toads and newts live around the pond. If you are lucky you may see a Barn Owl hunting in the evening for voles and mice. Pied Flycatchers nest in the woodland.

Why it’s special

Cwmllywdrew Meadows is a Local Nature Reserve. It is protected because wet meadows like these are rapidly disappearing. The sheep and cattle, from local farms, that graze the meadows are part of the traditional management that help the wildflowers to flourish.

How to get there:

Grid Reference: SO 112036.
Cwmllydrew Meadows are situated in Parc Cwm Darran, Deri.

By bus: Service 1 - Merthyr Tydfil to Bargoed,
Service 4 - Bargoed to Tredegar. The bus stops outside the park. The reserve is signposted off the entrance road.

By car: Parc Cwm Darran is 3 miles north of Bargoed mid way between Deri and Fochriw. Follow the brown tourist signs off the A469 north of Bargoed.