CYNGOR CEFN GWLAD CYMRU
COUNTRYSIDE COUNCIL FOR WALES SITE OF SPECIAL SCIENTIFIC INTEREST CITATION
NEATH PORT TALBOT
GWRHYD MEADOWS
Date of Notification:
1990
National Grid Reference:
SN 735 078
O.S. Maps:
1:50,000 Sheet number: 160
1:25,000 Sheet number: 60/70
Site Area:
63.2 ha
Description:
An extensive series of meadows and wet pastures situated on the south-east facing slopes of
Cefn Gwrhyd some 4 km north of Pontardawe. Lying at an altitude of 110 - 250 metres, the
site drains towards the Cwm Du River (a minor tributary of the Tawe) and is the largest area
of traditionally managed enclosed grassland within the former county of West Glamorgan
and the old Llanelli Borough. Following the losses caused by agricultural improvement,
industrial development and afforestation, such sizeable tracts of grassland are now extremely
uncommon within Wales as a whole.
A wide range of grassland and wetland communities occur within the forty one enclosures
that make up the complete site. These include dry hay meadows, acid grasslands, rushy
pastures with purple moor grass, as well as both base-poor and base-enriched wetlands. Small
stands of wet heath occur in several fields along with occasional patches of bracken and
broadleaved scrub. More extensive tracts of oak woodland occur towards the centre of the
site and these are augmented by the numerous hedgerow trees that still remain on the upper
slopes. Several small watercourses drain towards the adjacent river and provide additional
habitat for birds and invertebrates.
Notable plant species recorded from Gwrhyd Meadows include whorled caraway
Carum
verticillatum, meadow thistle
Cirsium dissectum, petty whin
Genista anglica, dyer's
greenweed
Genista tinctoria, saw-wort
Serratula tinctoria, ivy-leaved bellflower
Wahlengbergia hederacea common butterwort
Pinguicula vulgaris, great burnet
Sanguisorba
officinalis, autumn lady's-tresses
Spiranthes spiralis, marsh valerian
Valeriana dioica and
royal fern
Osmunda regalis. The first five of the species listed occur in some considerable
quantity across the site.
Amongst the birds recorded from Gwrhyd Meadows are the redstart, tree pipit, willow
warbler, nuthatch, redpoll, siskin, meadow pipit, green woodpecker, cuckoo and buzzard.
Small pearl-bordered fritillary butterflies
Boloria selene are frequently found on the lower
slopes in the southern part of the site. The dragonflies recorded from the area include the
keeled skimmer
Orthetrum coerulescens, the broad-bodied chaser
Libellula depressa and the
golden-ringed dragonfly
Cordulegaster boltonii.