Rhos Goch National Nature Reserve

The 45 hectare Rhos Goch reserve lies close to the English border a few miles north-east of Hay-on-Wye and near the hamlet of Rhosgoch. This reserve is an unusual mosaic of lowland wetland habitats set in a wide valley bottom, providing a home for an exceptional variety of specialised plants and animals. 

The habitat mosaic includes a raised mire towards the north-east end of the site, surrounded by wet woodland. Within the swamp, fed by water from the raised mire and surrounding land, is a combination of open fen and alluvial forest, the latter primarily willow scrub.These are all important habitats - lowland wetlands and raised bogs in particular are now a rare feature of the countryside, most having been drained and converted to intensive agricultural use. This site is one of the largest surviving examples in this part of Wales 

 

Wildlife highlights: Birds regularly seen or heard include snipe, lapwing and curlew; some restricted to winter-feeding flocks. A summer visitor is the water rail, occasionally heard but rarely seen.

 

Location: To reach Rhosgoch take the B4594 road that links the A470 near Erwood to the A44 near Kington.
The reserve entrance is 200m down a rough track that leaves the metalled road beside the Rhosgoch Holiday Park on the eastern side of the hamlet.