Brynna Woods and Llanharan Marsh

Hazel dormouse

Terry Whittaker/2020VISION

Brynna Woods and Llanharan Marsh

Brynna woods comprises of 38ha of secondary, and some ancient, semi-natural woodland, scrub, marshy grassland, dry grassland and ruderal habitats.

Location

Leave the M4 at J35, take A473 towards Pencoed, go through the next three roundabouts taking the second exits, this will take you on to Brynna Road.

Follow this road for approx 1 mile and turn right into woodlands, the site will be signposted from there.
A static map of Brynna Woods and Llanharan Marsh

Know before you go

Size
38 hectares

Walking trails

The two circular walks will take you through woodland and meadows, the woodland is a mix of ash, oak, willow and hazel and there is a fantastic display of bluebells in spring.

Access

Two circular walks around woodland, some paths can get muddy, wear appropriate footwear and suitable clothing. There is one stile on the longer walk. Refreshments are available locally.

Dogs

On a lead

When to visit

Opening times

Open access reserve.

Best time to visit

Spring and Summer

About the reserve

The watercourse of Ewenni Fach runs through the area from east to west, and several smaller streams also run through the site from north to south, feeding down into the Ewenni Fach. The main line of the Great Western Railway forms the southern boundary of the site, and a disused railway line forms the northern boundary.

There are a number of public footpaths and bridleways on site, also two circular walks taking in the lovely mix of countryside.

The site is a haven for wildlife, notably the dormouse, populations have declined significantly as a result of changes in woodland management and over grazing of woodland leading to loss of food sources and fragmentation of habitats with gaps of 100m leading to colonies being prone to genetic isolation and extinction. Dormice, therefore are afforded strict legal protection through UK and European law. The dormouse is listed on schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Coal mining in the Llanharan South area is recorded back to the 1870s. There is still evidence of this in Brynna Wood with shafts and mine adits still standing to this day.

These are excellent habitats for bats, The Llanharan area is of known significance for bats, with the nationally rare and declining lesser horseshoe bat and barbastelle bat both having been recorded in the area recently.

We have been lucky enough to work with film maker Robin Davies Rollinson to produce this lovely film about the reserve and the local community who have been so involved with its care and management over the last few years. This reserve has been created in partnership with the local Community Council and the local people of Llanharan and Brynna.

Brynna site map