IOLO OPENS THE GILFACH NATURE TRAIL

The Radnorshire Wildlife Trust’s lovely Gilfach Farm nature reserve is one of Powys’s top wildlife sites. Now adults and children alike can enjoy a visit to the reserve even more, thanks to new interpretation boards along the Gilfach nature trail.

The enhanced trail was officially opened by the well-known TV wildlife presenter Iolo Williams, watched by over fifty Trust supporters.

Instead of the usual ribbon, the new information point at the start of the trail was swathed for the opening ceremony in a garland of ivy, honeysuckle and lichens – which Iolo refused to cut because it looked so lovely!

Grants to pay for the trail improvements came from the Community Tourism Capital Grants Scheme (an EU funded scheme administered by Powys County Council) and Environment Wales. A legacy from a Wildlife Trust supporter, the late Mr Derek Banthorpe, made it possible to use sustainably sourced Welsh oak for the information point.

The new interpretation boards are illustrated with paintings by Powys artist Lizzie Harper. They describe wildlife highlights along the route, such as flower rich meadows where green woodpeckers forage in ant hills and waterfalls which salmon leap in late autumn.

After the opening ceremony, Iolo led a leisurely walk along the trail. This starts out along the old track of the former Mid Wales railway and then drops down to follow the fast-flowing Marteg river.

Where the trail meets the lane that runs up to the old farmyard, a bird hide overlooks the river. Here Iolo paused to admire a box beautifully decorated with natural finds which will house records of wildlife sightings made by visitors to the hide.

The box was made by students from Celf o Gwmpas, the Powys charity which provides high quality arts experiences for adults with learning disabilities. It was part of the ‘Log Book Project’ in which students worked with the Wildlife Trust’s People and Wildlife Officer Suzie Fraser, and similar boxes will be placed in hides on other Radnorshire Wildlife Trust reserves.

For those wishing to walk the Gilfach nature trail for themselves, the start is at the Marteg Bridge car park, on the A470 about two miles north of Rhayader travelling towards Aberystwyth. The trail is fairly level apart from the last stretch up the lane to the Nature Discovery Centre. Here you can get refreshments at weekends and bank holidays and on weekdays during school holidays up until the end of September. To complete the trail and see the rest of the new interpretation boards, follow the lane back to the bird hide and then uphill to join the St Harmon road, where a left turn takes you back to the car park.

Iolo admires the new information point (photo Joan Payne).

Sisters Lucy Owen aged 2 and Charlotte Owen aged 7 show Iolo a Dor beetle (photo Emma Davies).

Iolo steps out across the old railway bridge, accompanied (left to right) by Radnorshire Wildlife Trust members Paul Derrick, Linda Derrick and Edmund Hayward (photo Liz Fleming-Williams).

Sally Ralph shows Iolo the box that she helped to make (photo Liz Fleming-Williams).