Читать книгу The Ceredigion and Snowdonia Coast Paths. The Wales Coast Path from Porthmadog to St Dogmaels онлайн

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Large tracts of the extensive dunes, especially along the Snowdonia coast, are National Nature Reserves, owing to their rich wildlife (including orchids) and their butterflies, other insects and birds such as the shelduck and curlew.

The fragrant, bell-shaped flowers of bladder campion

The path crosses several areas of saltmarsh and runs beside estuarine flats such as those of Traeth Bach, the Mawddach and Dyfi – good food sources for waders and winter migrants such as redshank, wigeon and oystercatcher. In the Traeth Bach area look out all year round for the red-breasted merganser, and in winter for peregrine falcons, whooper swans and water pipits. Osprey have been breeding in the area for several years and you may be lucky enough to spot one diving for fish. The grasshopper warbler and common whitethroat can sometimes be heard around the Mawddach Estuary, and offshore from the Dyfi Estuary in winter you may spot red-throated divers, long-tailed ducks and the common scoter.

The various areas of woodland (found, for instance, in the coastal cwms and dingles) are locally important for wildlife, while much of the more extensive Maentwrog oakwood above the Afon Dwyryd has been designated as a Special Area of Conservation, supporting hundreds of species of mosses, liverworts and lichens, rare bats, and birds such as the pied flycatcher, redstart and wood warbler.