Beyond the valley
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- Опубліковано 6 жов 2024
- ‘Beyond the valley’ is a journey of discovery into the natural history of the vast open spaces and woodlands that surround the old mining villages of the Aber Valley. Areas that were once dominated by industry are now rich in biodiversity and are home to some amazing scenery and wildlife.
The journey begins at the Aber Valley cycle track. To some, it is just a cycle track. Older generations may remember the cycle track as the former Senghenydd to Caerphilly trainline. However, what many people don’t realise is that 300 - 360 million years ago, during the Carboniferous era, the area was submerged in warm, shallow tropical waters. Now however, surrounding the track are mixed woodlands that are home to a huge variety of birds and wildlife. During winter, some close encounters are had with some of the woodland birds that call the Aber valley their home!
To the east of the valley lies another area once dominated by industry- Llanbradach quarry, that has now been reclaimed by nature and has been designated as a site of special scientific interest. The woodlands surrounding the quarry at Llanbradach is an incredibly diverse area and are an amazing habitat for a huge variety of birds. It is here where I meet with author of ‘Birds of the Caerphilly basin’, Neville Davies to discover what makes this unique habitat a such a haven for wildlife. During spring, watch how the pond at the quarry comes alive with hundreds of young amphibians!
The last stop in the film is Mynydd Iglwysilan, home of an ancient deer park that once belonged to the owners of Caerphilly castle in the 13th century. Since then, the land has seen a number of changes, from its connection to the Llanbradach colliery to now being predominantly agricultural land. However, the vast open common land is now popular with a huge variety of birds and favoured by a number of raptors, including the common buzzard and more recently, Red kites. Join me as I walk you through some incredible scenery in search of some of the amazing wildlife that can be found here!
Fossil image Copyright S.Yandle/Wales online (2018)
Great video
Thank you!
Very enjoyable. Really nicely filmed.
Thank you!
This was a pleasure to watch - thanks to CCBC for pointing me to it - I’m grateful to have seen.
Thank you!
Amazing well done great insight to the area.
Fantastic! Da iawn Adam! I have lived in Abertridwr for 17 years and have explored the places you have shown here. Too old now to repeat my walks - I can still enjoy the places I love thanks to your film. Diolch yn fawr
Thanks very much! Glad you enjoyed it
I'm moving to Caerphilly in July and after watching this video, I feel very excited about all there is to explore!
Thank you.
Di
Glad you enjoyed. There’s loads of green spaces to explore so it’s perfect for the outdoorsy people! Good luck with the move!
Love these films, but its all stop an go, very annoying not being able to watch on full screen.
Hi Graham, thanks for the feedback. Not sure why you are having issues though as there are no settings that should stop you from being able to view on full screen. Possibly an issue with your device?