Woodlands

Beech trees provide a large supply of beech nuts used for food by winter flocks of Chaffinches and Bramblings. The many ant hills suggest that this area was once pasture and the ants are the favorite food of the Green Woodpecker.   Other birds nesting in the woodlands include Pied Flycatcher and Redstart.
 

Further up the hillside is an old tramline (locally called a Dramline).  It used to take coal from the levels that bored straight into the hillside. The mining spoil is colonised by mosses and liverworts.   Nature is reclaiming an old coal tip with lichens, mosses, heather, grasses and in the wetter areas Alder trees.  The Alder cones form a valuable food supply for Siskins, Redpolls and Tits.

Wet Flushes

These are ideal for plants like Marsh Thistle, a wide variety of mosses, lichens and ferns.  The Greater Tussock Sedge grows each year from the decayed remains of previous year's growth which has formed into a huge mound.    The Mountain Fern is one of the most common and Bearded Lichens are starting to reappear.

Read Kelvin Jones's description of:
Silent Valley, the Story So Far

Silent Valley Invertebrate Survey 2008

Directions to Silent Valley Local Nature Reserve

The Reserve is at the top of Cendl Terrace in Cwm. (Look out for brown Nature Reserve signs).

From the south: After Crumlin take the 1st exit at the Aberbeeg roundabout. On the A4046 keep heading north onto the new Cwm bypass (2nd exit on the new Cwm roundabout) until you come to the 40mph limit. Take 1st right. * Follow the road past a car sales place on your left, past the church, also on the left, and then the Bailey's Arms pub, set back from the road behind a stone wall, again on the left. Take next left onto Cendl Terrace and continue to the top until you come to the end of the row of houses. The reserve turning is on the right opposite the final house.

From the north: From Ebbw Vale in the 40mph zone on the A4046 heading south, take the 2nd exit at the Festival Shopping Centre roundabout. Pass through the 30mph zone of Waunlwyd and start onto the 40mph limit of the new bypass. Take the 1st left AFTER the 40mph signs. Continue as from * above.

Grid Reference: SO 187 062.

Access:

There are well-maintained footpaths throughout the reserve.  The paths are steep and can be muddy.  There are steps in places.

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