Wales

Cwm Tydu to Cwm Soden butterfly walk

Close-up of a common blue butterfly perched on a flower stalk at Coombe Hill — Common blue butterfly | © National Trust Images/Hugh Mothersole

This circular route takes you along cliffs from the little bay of Cwm Tydu to Cwm Soden, one of the few sites for the pearl-bordered fritillary butterfly in Wales. The walk offers opportunities to spot a variety of other wildlife such as the forester moth, Welsh chafer on the maritime grassland slopes, and the giant lacewing along the shady stream.

Near to

Llanerchaeron

Start point

Car park behind beach at Cwm Tydu, grid ref: SN356575

Trail information

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Difficulty*

Accessibility**

Full trail

DistanceMiles: 3 (km: 4.8)

Duration4 hours

Dog friendly***

*Route mainly on gentle slopes but with a couple of steeper sections. For further details, please see Terrain section.
**This trail is not considered suitable for wheelchairs or those with limited mobility. For further details, please see section marked Access.
***Dogs are welcome, on lead as sheep and ponies present. For further details, please see section marked Facilities.

Total stages: 6
Total stages: 6
Start point
Car park behind beach at Cwm Tydu, grid ref: SN356575
Stage 1
Facing seaward at Cwm Tydu, bear right and take the footpath up the cliffs, via the kissing gate. The first bit is the most steep but soon becomes more gentle. The path then zig-zags up the steep slope before veering seaward. Follow this main coastal footpath.
Wildlife
Wall brown butterflies can be seen here during May and August, and small pearl-bordered fritillary in May and early June in the more inland sections (especially close to the road). Look out for the Welsh mountain ponies that live here, creating good conditions for chough. You may spot several conspicuous beetle species on the sandy paths – the dumpy dor beetle, bloody-nosed beetle or the rare violet oil beetle – so try not to squash them. The female of the latter species has abdomen swollen with eggs in the spring, so will be looking to nest.
Stage 2
Go through the second kissing gate and continue to follow the coastal footpath, past the remains of a clifftop Iron Age hillfort, along, and then down to the mouth of Afon Soden at Cwm Silio.
Stage 3
Explore the stony storm beach, which seals sometimes use, then cross the wooden footbridge over the stream. Initially bear left, to explore the maritime grassland on the cliffs, with abundant thrift, birdsfoot trefoil and kidney vetch. Then head inland, past the fingerpost, along the main footpath that runs along the lower slope – the bracken stands here are managed specifically for fritillary butterflies. Next, descend into the small pocket of meadowland appearing on your right.
Butterflies
This is the main area for dark-green, pearl and small pearl-bordered fritillaries, especially over the more inland bracken areas. Also look out for green hairstreak on the gorse and dingy skipper, common blue, gatekeeper and marbled white in the meadow, while silver-washed fritillaries visit the flowers here. You may also spot speckled yellow, brown silver-line, fairy longhorn, cinnabar and the rare white spotted sable moth flying by day.
Stage 4
Walk over the bridge. You then have two options. Option one is to follow the path straight on and turn right after the second bridge. Option two is to turn left, signed Nanternis, and follow the path into another flowery meadow, at the end of which bear right into a third meadow. Follow the path down through this third meadow, into a fourth small meadow. It will return you to the second bridge.
Stage 5
Turn right after the second bridge and head up the wooded lane, again following Cwm Tydu signs to a field gate. Go through the gate and keep to the hedge on the seaward side, where you will walk up the hill through a wildflower meadow. In the top right-hand corner you will reach a kissing gate leading onto a short dirt track – turn right at the end of this into the surfaced lane. You will come to Pen Y Graig house – go through the kissing gate to your right next to the farmhouse, and you will be back on the cliff top above Cwm Silio.
Stage 6
After the farmhouse gate, bear immediately left, following the footpath over a minor plank bridge along and down towards the Castell Bach settlement. You'll now know where you are – just bear left back along the coastal footpath to Cwm Tydu.
Wildlife and wildflowers
You are now back in chough country. Look out for small elephant hawkmoths resting by day under gorse, and see spring squill and thrift in abundance in the short turf in April and early May. Later, you will see bugle, eyebrights and trailing tormentil and then field madder, delicate harebell and purple flowering heather in late summer Also keep an eye out for cetaceans, especially porpoises and dolphins, in the sea.
End point
Car park behind beach at Cwm Tydu, grid ref: SN356575
Trail map
Cwm Tydu to Cwm Soden butterfly walk map | © Crown copyright and database rights 2013 Ordnance Survey
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Place

Llanerchaeron

An elegant Georgian villa, designed by architect John Nash in 1790, complete with a walled garden, farmyard lake and wild parkland. Remarkably unaltered for over 200 years.