Vision 1: simple
version - describes the facilities and
infrastructure
There is a wide
range of information available to attract people to the site,
including leaflets and a web site. Signs at the car park and on
local roads make it easy lo find.
The carpark has
disabled bays, toilet facilities, sealing ami shelti ' I areas and
secure spaces for bikes. The Ystwyth Trail, following the route of
the old
railway line, makes
it possible for people to reach the site by bike or on foot from
the nearby villages of Tregaron and Pontrhydfendigaid. Buses can
stop at the reserve car park, allowing people to make use of local
bus services. An information panel introduces visitors to the
reserve and helps them to plan their visit. There are there
are clear descriptions of the options available, where seating and
shelter can be found and particularly for people using wheelchairs,
an indication of the distance between turning and passing
places.
From the car park,
visitors can follow the old railway line, a broad, smooth Iracl
that runs the entire length of the reserve and gives good views out
over the bog. Alternatively, they can use the boardwalk to
gain access to the bog itself. Thie is a circular route of 1.5km
which provides a good, level surface that is accessible to
wheelchair users. There are seats and information panels at
intervals the route. An observation shelter, looking directly over
pools which may be used by breeding and wintering birds, gives
distant views out over the floodplain of the River Teifl. For
visitors wishing to see more of the reserve, the riverside walk,
which is not suitable for disabled visitors, can be accessed from
the boardwalk. This covers a distance of about 7 km and follows the
banks of the river for part of its length before returning to the
railway track.
Vision 2:
describes the facilities, infrastructure and the experience that
visitors can expect to enjoy at the site.
There is a wide
variety of information available to attract people to Cors Caron,
including leaflets and a website. The car park at the reserve is
clearly signposted and easily accessible from the main road, and
gives an immediate feeling of being welcoming and well cared for.
There are disabled bays, toilet facilities, seating and shelter as
well as picnic areas and secure spaces for bikes. As an alternative
to travelling by car, the Ystwyth Trail, following the peaceful
route of the old railway line, gives an ideal opportunity to reach
the site by bike or on foot from the nearby villages of Tregaron
and Pontrhydfendigaid. Buses can stop at the reserve car park,
allowing people to make use oflocal bus services. Information
panels provide a perfect introduction to people unfamiliar with the
reserve and help them to plan their visit. People using wheelchairs
and less-agile walkers will discover that the main routes are
accessible to them, and that the boardwalk provides a good, secure
surface with plenty of space lo manoeuvre. There are clear
descriptions of the options available, where seating and shelter
can be found, and, particularly for people using wheelchairs, an
indication of the distance between turning and passing
places.
The old railway line
provides a broad, level track that runs the entire length of the
reserve. It is a partially iree-lined trail (hat gives superb views
over the reserve, but perhaps (he (rue highlight of any visit is to
follow the boardwalk out onto the bog itself. The reserve is
spectacular at any time of the year, but its appeal is
unsurpassable in early summer. As visitors leave the car park on a
smooth pathway the sound of birdsong drifting from the trees draws
them immediately into their new surroundings, The sun sifts through
the translucent green of the new leaves, while butterflies flit
through the dappled light. After a short distance, the boardwalk
peels away from the track and, as the shelter of the trees is left
behind, the view opens up to reveal the full sweep and grandeur of
the site. The bog lies in a vast bowl rimmed with hills, and the
landscape stretching out appears untamed and exciting compared to
the gentle greenness of the surrounding trees and
fields.
A pool butts up
against the side of the path, and the sunlight catches the
iridescence of dragonflies' wings as they dart and meander above
the water, occasionally resting on the boardwalk at the feet of
passers-by. Overhead, birds soar through a sky that appears endless
above such an open landscape. Occasionally, it may be possible to
glimpse the spectacular sight of a hobby plunging down to snatch a
dragonfly. Staring skyward may also bring the reward of seeing the
magnificent, fork-tailed silhouette of a red kite. Though they may
be seen frequently now in mid-Wales these once-endangered birds
remain a powerful emblem of these special places that were their
only stronghold. With so much to see it would be easy to miss the
subtler sights and sounds: the piping of redshank or the softly
melodic, bubbling call of the curlew.
As visitors travel
further out onto the bog, the tussocky landscape is scattered with
small pools: sharp and glinting fragments of reflected sky. By this
point people will have realised that they have found their way into
the sort of terrain that would normally be inaccessible. This is a
rare experience for anyone, but for someone with restricted
mobility, who may feel excluded from truly wild places, it offers
an almost unimaginable freedom. Ahead is the observation shelter, a
building of such soft, natural colours and flowing curves that it
appears to have grown from the landscape. This, together with the
regular seating along the boardwalk, gives confidence to anyone who
may be wary of embarking on a walk into a nature reserve. Along the
route, beautifully carved information panels highlight some of the
details of the surrounding landscape and its wildlife. Inside the
shelter, a wall of windows looks out across a pool and then on over
the flood plain of the Afon Teifi. The stunningly open outlook
contrasts with the feeling of protected seclusion inside the
building.
As they follow the
boardwalk beyond the shelter visitors begin to get a sense of the
extraordinary structure of a raised bog as they see the land ahead
of them rising up in a smooth dome. Here the hummocky lawns of
sphagnum mosses spread like a densely textured tapestry. The
colours threaded through it range from vibrant green to
jewel-bright, ruby red. Spikes of bog asphodel splash it with
yellow while the bog rosemary brings a subtler wash of pink. Silky
puffballs of cotton grass appear to float above the surface making
striking white highlights. In this peaceful atmosphere visitors are
more aware of the snatches of birdsong scattered all around.
Perhaps the most uplifting of all is the soaring song of the
skylark as it trickles back down to earth with a ringing
purity.
After 1.5 km the
curve of the boardwalk brings people almost back to their starting
point, and for a moment it may seem strange to have returned so
easily to the 'real world' after a journey that has taken them into
such a different place. The more adventurous may want to extend
their visit to take in the riverside walk. This leads off the main
boardwalk down to the Afon Teifi and covers a distance of about 7
km, allowing people to experience a little more of the sense of
remoteness. They can follow the meandering river banks accompanied
by birds, such as sedge warblers, grasshopper warblers and reed
bunting, while across the river the faintly rippling reeds slice
the sunlight into sparkling ribbons.
In winter the
reserve presents a different face. With the rest of the countryside
dull and drained of colour, it fills the dish between the hills
like a pool of red spilled across the landscape. While many places
have been churned to mud by winter rains, the boardwalk continues
to provide a secure surface for anyone who wants to venture out.
Visitors may hear the quiet whistling of teal from the scattered
pools or see a hen harrier gliding overhead. Herons, with broad,
blunt wings, imprint their distinctive silhouettes onto the sky.
Occasional flocks of birds, perhaps lapwing or fieldfare, twist and
wallow, sketching stippled patterns in the air. For those with the
patience to wait, there is a fleeting moment of brilliance just
before dusk. In the light of the setting sun the bog flames
golden-red before the sudden cold of winter twilight sends visitors
heading back to the car park.
