Machynlleth Travel Guide

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The Cors Dyfi Reserve is the home of the Dyfi Osprey Project. From April to August you can visit here and be in with a very good chance of seeing an Osprey or two. The Osprey is Wales' rarest bird, there are only two pair in the whole of the Country.

The Ospreys project is run from a Visitor Centre in the car park of the Cors Dyfi reserve. It is run by friendly volunteers who will tell you all there is to know about Ospreys and when you are likely to see them. You can see live footage of these fantastic birds of prey on large plasma screens in the centre which beams back live video and sound from the nest. There is also a camera set up on the birdfeeders at the back of the centre which show live footage of the more common birds - right up close they look really exotic!!

A short walk from the visitor centre, down the boardwalk will take you to the Osprey hide which is a hide set up on stilts, positioned especially for looking out for Ospreys. There is a scope set up so you can have a look at the nest site close up & there are information boards on the walls of the hide giving details of latest sitings. I went there in late August & missed the Ospreys by a week :-(( (They migrate to Africa late August early September).

Apart from the Osprey project, this nature reserve has a wealth of habitats - open water, swamp, bog, wet woodland, scrub and gorse, all supporting their own mix of flora and fauna. There are fantastic boardwalks near the entrance of the reserve if you want to take a short stroll or you can venture further afield if you're feeling energetic. If you go on a sunny day, make sure you keep an eye out for the Common lizard - I saw loads, they like to sunbathe on the edge of the boardwalk but are very shy and run off quickly if you don't approach quietly!

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Ynys-hir Nature Reserve lies just off the main road between Aberystwyth and Machynlleth. It covers 427 hectares (1,056 acres), and provides a wide range of habitats which attract flora and fauna galore;

In spring, the woods are carpeted with bluebells and wood anemones. Speckled wood and green-veined butterflies are common here, and you can see holly blue butterflies in most years, especially in Cae'r Berllan Wood. The oak woodlands have a rich community of breeding birds in spring, including buzzards, pied-flycatchers, wood warblers, redstarts and lesser-spotted woodpeckers.

There are many freshwater pools and streams where you can see dragonflies and damselflies hunting over the open water any time between May and the end of October. Feeding cormorants, goldeneyes and red-breasted mergansers can be seen from the Domen Las Hide.

Ynys-Hir is situated right on the Dyfi Estury which provides excellent Saltmarsh habitats which are very important for wild-fowl in winter. In spring and autumn, up to 1,000 curlews and many other waders use the estuary on their migration.

The reserve also has a small reedbed in Covert Du supports breeding reed, sedge and grasshopper warblers.

Facts and Figures:

* Parts of the oakwood date from the 17th Century.
* About 100 pairs of pied flycatchers nest in special boxes in the woodland.
* Thirteen species of dragonfly, 26 species of butterfly and 300 species of moth have been recorded here.
* The reserve is open all year round from 9 am to 9 pm or sunset, whichever is earlier.

Entrance to the Reserve is free to RSPB members £3 per adult for non-members. You can pick up a map of the Reserve at the Visitor Centre which shows all of the walking trails, the different types of habitat and where the bird hides are situated.

This is a fantastic place to go for some serious birding or just to get away from the madding crowd.

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Dyfi Furnace was originally constructed around 1755 for smelting iron ore, with fuel obtained from local woods and stord upstairs in the building. At this time, the waterwheel would have powered a huge pair of bellows which supplied compressed air vital for the blast furnace's operation.

Sadly, the furnace only lasted for about 50 years before being abandoned. Some years later it was turned into a sawmill and a new waterwheel was installed to drive the machinery. This later waterwheel is the one that has been restored and is viewable today.

Dyfii Furnace is surrounded by glorious woodlands and right next door to the site is a lovely little waterfall where the River Einon cascades down the mountainside.

There is no admission fee charged for entry to this site which means you can wander around at leisure, but you cannot go inside the building.

There is free Car parking on the opposite side of the road.

This is known by the locals as 'the wind and sh#t farm', but is really well worth a visit. It includes wonderful displays of sustainable energy, sustainable building, composting (making and using of), farming, gardening, etc There is plenty for kids, large and small, to do, and it's all set in beautiful countryside.