Outdoors at Cwmcroiddur
Cwmcroiddur has twenty-two acres of land. A good eighteen acres of this is the woodland opposite. There's a meadow (this was the orchard when Cwmcroiddur was a working farm); a large garden with lawns, shrubs and a variety of trees; there's a small birch wood and last but not least, our vegetable garden.
The access track to us passes through land that used to belong to Cwmcroiddur, but was transferred to our next-door neighbours over twenty years ago.
Our Woodland
This was a Forestry Commission plantation. It's in the shape of a triangle and it stretches from below the level of the buildings (150m above sea level) right up the hillside (280m above sea level). It was planted in the mid 1950's when it was felt important to grow as many trees as possible to replace those cut down in the Second World War. The outer strip of the triangle is Larch, with the interior of the plantation mainly Norway Spruce, with an area of Lodgepole Pine. The Lodgepole Pine didn't thrive in the wet conditions, but the Larch and Norway Spruce have grown to full height. The access to the plantation was poor, so thinning was neglected and so many of the trees have grown up crowded and skinny. Our plan is to correct this by removing dead and damaged trees and allow the healthy trees to grow their trunks to a proper diameter. This will make the woodland a lighter, more pleasant place for a walk.
Since we arrived at Cwmcroiddur, we have had an access track built from the buildings across the stream and up into the woodland. Mike, who looks after the woodland, has made a sign-posted circular walk, and we are in the process of putting in more paths so that visitors can get some fresh air even if they only have a spare hour.
Walking from Cwmcroiddur
It's easy to walk from Cwmcroiddur right up onto the mountains behind us. Mynydd Mallaen is a massive area of high land, with steep valleys on its sides. It has many historical features, including standing stones, a massive Bronze Age mound and an ancient circular shelter, large enough for a shepherd and his sheep to sit out a storm. In the spring you can hear up to half a dozen skylarks at one time – an increasingly unusual experience in Britain. There are bilberries, rare flowers and many other things to see.
All of Mynydd Mallaen is common land and there is unrestricted access. The whole area is used for sheep grazing, so please follow the Country Code and close all gates that you open.
If you need local maps, you can borrow them from us.