RSPB Cors Ddyga nature reserve on the Isle if Anglesey lies within one of the largest lowland wetlands in Wales. The lakes, ponds and ditches are some of the most important in the UK and host more than 30 scarce wetland plants.
The grassland also supports one of Wales' few lapwing colonies and resounds to the song of skylarks.
The Cors Ddyga Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is one of just three in Wales designated for the richness of its aquatic invertebrates, such as dragonflies and water beetles. The reedbeds are home to otters, water voles and wetland birds - it is one of the few places in Wales to see marsh harriers. In spring they echo to the buzz of warblers newly arrived from Africa alongside spectacular displays of wetland flowers.
To celebrate the reserve's rich wildlife, local sculptor, Duncan Kitson, has carved a wooden bittern sculpture on the reserve, which includes the words of the well-known Welsh folk song Deryn y Bwn o'r Banna.
This, along with new interpretation boards and a 1.25-mile walk which has been built through the wetlands, provides a perfect retreat and a good reason to stop and have a breather – especially if you've arrived at the reserve after cycling along the Lôn Las Cefni cycle route. Cors Ddyga is also home to the Victorian Berw Colliery, the most visible remains of coal mining on Anglesey and now a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
