Allt Rhongyr © Grace Hunt
12 Nature Reserves to Visit this Winter
12 Days Wild is our festive nature challenge, encouraging you to do one wild thing a day from the 25th December to the 5th January each year. In those quiet days between Christmas and New Year, winter wildlife is waiting to be explored! We’ve selected the best nature reserves to visit in South and West Wales to help you connect with wildlife this winter.
Our nature reserves are refuges for wildlife. Please remember to keep your dogs on leads and take litter home with you when visiting any of our nature reserves.
Read our Dogs on Reserve Rules
All our reserves are free to enter (excluding islands). We welcome donations to help us to protect these wild spaces and the wildlife that lives there.
Allt Rhongyr © Grace Hunt
Allt Rhongyr - visit for mountain views
Located in Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park, this reserve offers stunning views over the peaks of the Black Mountain and Cribarth, especially on a crisp winter's day when they are topped with frost or snow. Look out for lichen, impressive ancient trees, and peregrines flying high over the reserve. You may also spot winter migrants such as fieldfare, redwing and redpoll feasting on the remaining berries.
Parking: It's best to park at Craig Y Nos Castle when it is icy. From there, follow the bridleway exiting the back of the country park, turning right to pass under the cliffs of Craig y Rhiwarth Nature Reserve. The bridleway brings you out onto the Penwyllt road. Re-enter the reserve at the main gate by the bungalow.
Carmel © Grace Hunt
Carmel - visit for culture
Carmel, located in Carmarthenshire, is a great reserve for a winter walk. With a mosaic of habitats, it provides a refuge for a variety of species. Look and listen out for tits, buzzards and woodpeckers. Keep an eye out for wooden sculptures - you can scan the QR codes to learn more about the wildlife on the reserve. The site also has a fascinating cultural heritage, with two large quarries and several old lime kilns still visible on site.
Parking: Visitors can park in the dedicated layby on the east side of the A-road, indicated by the brown tourist ‘nature reserve’ sign.
Castle Woods © Grace Hunt
Castle Woods - visit for ancient trees
Set within The National Trust’s Dinefwr Estate, Castle Wood is a great place to admire ancient trees and epiphytes. Castle Woods is comprised of two areas of ancient semi-natural woodland with plenty of beautiful Oak, Ash and Beech trees. December is a great time to appreciate the shape and size of these mighty trees as well as the ferns, lichen and mosses that grow on them. Dinefwr Castle offers beautiful views across the valley and is a good place to spot wildfowl on the waterways and floodplains below.
Parking: Visitors can park next to the fire station off the A40 and walk down Dinefwr Park Drive. You can also park in Dinefwr car park which costs £5.00 and is free for National Trust members.
Goodwick Moor © Grace Hunt
Goodwick Moor - visit for wetland wildlife
Goodwick Moor, located outside Fishguard, has recently re-opened showcasing a new boardwalk and wildlife pond. The reserve supports a variety of birdlife over winter including, Snipe, Siskins Cetti’s Warbler and Bittern. If you are lucky you may spot an Otter or Water Vole. It a great place to look and listen out for wildlife.
Parking: Visitors can park at Goodwick Bridge Car Park. Access is along a track beside the Seaview Hotel, and you enter the reserve via a footbridge.
Llangloffan Fen © Grace Hunt
Llangloffan Fen - visit for peace and quiet
This small, secluded spot is part of one of the largest remaining floodplains in Wales. The reserve has a circular footpath with a boardwalk leading to a bird hide overlooking one of the reserve’s many areas of open water. It's a great place to see hunting Barn Owls and Hen Harriers.
Parking: There is a small car park with parking for no more than 8 vehicles, access by gate from Castlemorris to Mathry road B4331.
Melincwrt Waterfalls © Grace Hunt
Melincwrt - visit for wonderful waterfalls
This spectacular eighty feet high waterfall is certainly worth a visit this winter. Follow the path* along the river and keep an eye out for for Dippers and Grey Wagtails while you walk to the base of the waterfall. Take time to appreciate the variety of fabulous ferns and vivid mosses that grow in humid conditions on the reserve.
Parking: Neath Port Talbot Council provide a car park on the west side of the road, opposite the reserve entrance.
*Be aware that trees may have fallen across the path in recent storms.
Pengelli Forest © Grace Hunt
Pengelli Forest - visit for ferns and fungi
This tranquil Celtic rainforest in North Pembrokeshire is a great place to visit all year round. Despite most trees being bare, Pengelli is still of colour even in winter. There are plenty of ferns, mosses and lichen covering tree trunks, branches and forest floor. There a variety of trails to explore the reserve, find fungi and admire the canopy.
Parking: There is limited roadside parking is available at the entrance of the reserve.
Pwll y Wrach - Leighton Collins/AdobeStock
Pwll-y-Wrach - visit for the witch's pool
Pwll-y-Wrach, meaning the witch's pool in Welsh, has a beautiful river and waterfall. On a cold winter's day, this waterfall freezes and puts on stunning icy display.
Parking: There is very limited parking on site. Please consider walking from the free car park in Talgarth.
A murmuration of starlings © Guy Edwardes/2020VISION
Teifi Marshes - visit for starling murmurations
The stunning Teifi Marshes is one of the best wetland sites in Wales. In winter, the reserve attracts large numbers of wildfowl, including Teal and Wigeon, as well as Water Rail, Snipe, Curlew and Lapwing. If you are lucky you may get to see thousands of Starlings performing a glorious murmuration over the marshes before descending to roost. There are also regular sightings of Kingfisher, Otters and Red Deer. It's one of the best places to experience winter wildlife in Wales!
The Glasshouse Cafe in The Welsh Wildlife Centre is the perfect place to get a hot drink and sweet treat after a day of wildlife watching. The Centre and Cafe will re-open on Wednesday 3rd December 2024.
Parking: There is a free car park for members and residents living in the SA43 and SA37 postcode areas. Please bring proof of residency and fill in a short application form (otherwise parking is £4 for all day). There is disabled parking next to The Welsh Wildlife Centre.
© Terry Whittaker/2020VISION
Parc Slip - visit for highland cattle
Parc Slip is home to a variety of different habitat types supporting over 1000 species. The hides are a great place to spot herons, swans and ducks. Look out for our two highland cows, who play an important role in managing the reserve.
Parking: There is a free car park.
© Zsuzsanna Bird
Llyn Eiddwen - for birdwatching
This lake in Ceredigion is important locally for wintering wildfowl. Look out for Coot, Mallard, Pochard, Teal, Wigeon and Whooper Swan which winter in central Ceredigion. Black-throated Diver and Green-winged Teal have visited the lake in recent years.
Parking: There is roadside parking just north of cattle grid, on minor road to Trefenter.
Brynna Woods © Tim Jones
Brynna Woods - visit for sculptures
The two circular walks will take you through woodland and meadows. Look out fantasic wooden sculptures on the trail.
Danny Green/2020VISION