About
Troserch Woods are part of an ancient woodland, on either side of the Morlais river north of Llangennech. The main entrance is from a small carpark (SN546043) about two miles from the village, up the Troserch Road towards Llannon. In 2006, about 80 acres of woodland were bought for the community, dedicated to wildlife conservation and public enjoyment.
In the 1960s, much of the old broadleaved woodland had been felled and replanted with conifers by the Forestry Commission. Now the Troserch Woodlands Society, the local association formed to reclaim the wood, has begun treplacing conifer plantations by native trees. Nearly ten acres were felled and replanted over the winter 2008-9. This also opened up a network of new paths on the east of the river, linking to rights of way on the west..
The Troserch Woods are home to a variety of wildlife from badgers and foxes to buzzards and bats. Rarer appearances include otter, goshawks, Greater Horseshoe bats in old mine workings and salmon or sea trout in the river.
The natural history is also human history: for centuries, timber has been felled and coppiced, the ground quarried for stone and mined for coal, the river dammed and channelled for mills. Some of the openings, outlines and ruins can be seen from the paths.
The elected committee of the Troserch Woodland Society doubles as a not-for-profit company, Troserch Woodlands (Property) Ltd. Although the woods are intended to be open to all, some lines have had to be drawn: motor vehicles and motorbikes are barred from footpaths, though not from a public byway that skirts the wood. Horse-riders and cyclists are asked to give way and consideration to walkers.
When you’ve seen the pictures, come and visit the real thing!
A bridge in the woods, submitted by Alan