Welcome
Coed Y Werin
(loosely translated as the woods of the common people) is an area of
forestry owned and managed by the Caerphilly Woodlands Trust (CWT) on behalf of
the people of Caerphilly - who know the area by its old name of 'the clay
pits'.
The site has
been given the important status of site of specific scientific interest
because it reveals over 350 million years of geological history, a sort of
'storyboard'. You will be able to see coal seams that were famously
mined in the Rhondda, Taff and Rhymney valleys. The coal was taken
all over the world from the ports of Cardiff and Barry. You may be
able to find fossils that were trapped in the layers of coal, mudstone and
ironstone, formed when tropical swamps covered the area in prehistoric
times.
Wildlife
Coed Y Werin is full of wildlife, including
endangered dormice.
There are bats that can be seen in the late evening, and amphibians such
as frogs and newts.
The area is a birdwatchers paradise, with buzzards,
woodpeckers, herons, crossbills, kingfishers, owls and many others in abundance.
Location
Coed Y Werin
lies within the forested area at the Wernddu end of Cefn Carnau Lane and
is found by walking along the route of the old dramway, a rail track built
to take clay and coal out of the site.
From Caerphilly
town centre take Van Road, travelling past the Goodrich Hotel and
Caerphilly Business Park. Turn right into Cefn Carnau Lane at
Wernddu, cross the railway bridge and the entrance to Coed Y Werin is on
your right as Cern Carnau Lane bends sharp left.
From Cardiff
take the mountain road towards Caerphilly. Pass the Travellers Rest
Inn and Ridgeway Golf Range then turn right into Cefn Carnau Lane.
After 1 mile approx, the entrance to Coed Y Werin is on the left as Cefn
Carnau Lane bends sharp right.
