Isle of Anglesey County Council

The Dingle/Nant y Pandy Local Nature reserve is a 10 hectare (25 acre) wooded valley, rich in wildlife and history.

Work to replace boardwalk starting 12 November

Isle of Anglesey County Council has secured funding to replace the existing wooden boardwalk with a new structure.

The replacement boardwalk will be made from sustainably sourced recycled plastic ensuring considerably greater longevity than the timber that was used and enjoyed by so many over the last 20 years.

Unfortunately, this does mean that sections of the boardwalk will need to be closed to the public during the construction period. The first of these closures is scheduled for Tuesday, 12 November.

This will provide time for tree safety management works and final survey work, before starting to remove the existing boardwalk.

We appreciate this will inconvenience many who regularly enjoy a walk on the site, but installing the new 1,000 metre boardwalk will take time. Works are scheduled to be completed by April 2025.

Things to be aware of

• The section of boardwalk leading from the St Cyngar’s Church car park will be closed during the removal of the existing boardwalk.
• The section of boardwalk from Station Car Park to Llyn Pwmp and up to the B5109 (Cildwrn Road) will remain open during the initial phase of this project.
• The site can still be accessed via the Lôn Las Cefni cycle route which remains open, and Coed Smyrna area will also remain accessible from the cycle route.
• Maps outlining the plans and alternative routes will be published on our website and social media channels; together with regular updates as the construction of the new boardwalk progresses.
• The ongoing works to install the new boardwalk will not affect the weekly Park Run event which is held in the Dingle Local Nature Reserve.

The project will be delivered thanks to funding provided by the UK government’s Shared Prosperity Fund, Welsh Government and Isle of Anglesey County Council.

Original page information

The Dingle/Nant y Pandy Local Nature reserve is a 10 hectare (25 acre) wooded valley, rich in wildlife and history.

It has been enhanced through community involvement, working in partnership, and by grant aid. These enhancements include a wooden boardwalk that winds its way along the Cefni, which allows access to all to many parts of the reserve, three new bridges, sculptures, sculpted benches and picnic tables.

The sculptures include a huge dragonfly, giant seed pods and split oak timbers revealing the poem Nant y Pandy, by local poet Rolant o Fôn.

Parts of the woodland are dominated by sessile oak, ash and wild cherry, with a spectacular show of blue bells in spring. Other parts are mostly sycamore and the occasional ash tree with an abundance of ferns and mosses and woodland flowers, such as wood anemones. Coed Plas (behind Saint Cyngar’s Church) was planted with sweet chestnut, beech and Scots pine, and has a carpet of wild daffodils in spring.

Frogs and newts live in the wetter areas, and adders and lizards in the drier woodland. There are many butterfly species, such as gatekeeper and the speckled wood, as well as moths. There are also dragonflies and damselflies, hoverflies, bees and wasps, beetles, slugs and snails, spiders, woodlice, and many other small creatures.

Birds are easy to see throughout the year; blue tits and great tits nest in the woods and moorhen in the water; wrens and grey wagtails are common small birds seen along the boardwalk; and larger birds, ravens, buzzards and herons fly overhead. A glimpse of a kingfisher may be seen as a flash of electric blue, or a dipper may be bobbing along the river. The tawny owl can be heard, and often seen, in the woodland at night.

Fish like the trout, roach and perch may be seen in Llyn Pwmp, and sea trout are occasional visitors, as are eels.

Mammals are much more elusive. The only sign of the fox may be the drift of its scent across a path. Bank vole and wood mice leave nibbled hazel nuts to show their presence. Eight of the sixteen species of bat found in Britain can be seen here at dusk.