Swansea Vale Nature Reserve

The 6 hectare reserve is located just west of the main route 43 cycleway and connected via the extensive network of traffic free cycleways that traverse the adjacent business park. One of the few remaining areas of wetland habitat in the region. Wetlands are being lost to development and through lack of management and are amongst the most threatened natural habitats in the UK. Swansea Vale is home to a large variety of plants and animals, from orchids to otters and many are a priority for conservation. Swansea Vale is a highly diverse site with a mosaic of habitats ranging from swamp to marshy grassland, scrub, semi-improved and unimproved neutral grassland, You may spot lizards, frogs, and newts. It should be noted that although the reserve is 6 hectares in total, it is not entirely traversable. Most of the reserve is partially flooded, marshy land covered by reeds, grasses and sedges. The only way to enter the reserve is on a boardwalk that commences at the sign and snakes along the perimeter of the reserve, with the occasional branch that leads to small viewing platforms. Even though this boardwalk is the only path in and out of the reserve, it still provides numerous sights of beautiful plant life such as the wildflowers sprouting from the marsh grasses. The area is abuzz with life, with bees and dragonflies weaving through the marshy land. While Swansea Vale Nature Reserve itself is not extensive enough to occupy more than maybe an hour or two of your time at most, the surrounding ponds, cycle paths and riverside walks means that a visit to this reserve can easily be linked in with the numerous green spaces within this entire area