Visitor centre – phone for opening times and event details: watch for butterflies, otters and leaping salmon, explore habitats rich in rare and fascinating wildlife, guided wildlife walks and talks.
See more here.
Wildlife
Gilfach Nature Reserve
family-friendly
parking-at-start-point
parking-on-site
pets-welcome
rainy-day-activity
suitable-for-walking
wheelchair-accessible
Signposted off the A470 about 3 miles north of Rhayader
Route Map: Gilfach Nature Reserve.pdf
Tel: 01597 823298
Email: info@rwt.org.uk
Gilfach is a traditional Radnorshire hill farm that has remained unimproved since the 1960's. Radnorshire Wildlife Trust purchased the farm back in 1988 and with fantastic support from volunteers, spent the next few years renovating the longhouse and barn; restoring the ancient field boundaries and developing a management plan that puts wildlife at its heart.
The farm is registered as an organic holding and is entered in the Tir Gofal agri-environment scheme and the Better Woodlands for Wales scheme. A local farmer works in partnership with us to manage the land for conservation, grazing it using traditional breeds like Welsh black cows and local Welsh mountain-cross sheep. Currently there are some black, horned sheep that look more like goats! These are a black Welsh Mountain/Hebridean cross.
The freehold of this 410 acre (166 ha) reserve was purchased in 1988 with very generous donations from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, Countryside Commission, World Wide Fund for Nature, Oakdale Trust, W.A. Cadbury Charitable Trust and many other charitable trusts and individuals.
Riverside Wildlife Walk
family-friendly
parking-at-start-point
parking-on-site
pets-welcome
suitable-for-walking
A circular walk from the Rugby Club car park at the end of Water Lane off Bridge Street. The walk follows the river bank with picnic benches along the way and returns via the town centre clock, a distance of 1 mile / 1.5 kilometres that takes about an hour to enjoy.
Route Name: Riverside Wildlife Walk
Length of Route: 1
Walking Difficulty: Easy
Start Location: Rhayader Rugby Club
Route Map: Riverside Wildlife Walk Rhayader.pdf
Route Map: Riverside Wildlife Walk Rhayader Welsh.pdf
Rhayader has a wonderful variety of wild plants and animals living among its building, parks and gardens. The fast flowing, boulder strewn river Wye passes right through the town forming a very important natural corridor along which wildlife travels, enriching the town for the enjoyment of everyone. This walk is part of a series of three walks to help you explore the variety and beauty of the wildlife on our doorstep.
Cambrian Safaris
family-friendly
parking-at-start-point
pets-welcome
rainy-day-activity
wheelchair-accessible
Tanfelin
Llanafan
Aberystwyth
Ceredigion
SY23 4BD
Our aim is to show off the best of the area and enable visitors to discover more for themselves, to make them want to come again
Entry Cost: Variable
Contact: Richard Smith
Tel: 01974261425
Cambrian Safaris provides tours into the Cambrian Mountains in a Land Rover Discovery.
Gigrin Farm Kite Centre
family-friendly
parking-at-start-point
parking-on-site
rainy-day-activity
Gigrin Farm, South Street, Rhayader, Powys, LD6 5BL
We are famous for our Red Kite feeding and 100s of red kites descend on the centre every day. We warmly invite you to enjoy this breathtaking experience which takes place daily. We have hides close to the action, and specialist photographic hides for those with larger lenses. We are a 200 acre family-run working farm, set in the heart of Mid Wales, overlooking both the Wye and Elan valleys.
Everyone is welcome. We cater for families, specialist photographers, film-makers, schools trips and coaches.
Opening Times: Feeding 2pm (clocks back) & 3pm (clocks forward)
Entry Cost: £5 Adults, £4 OAPs, £3 Children under 13 (extra charges for specialist hides)
Contact: Chris Powell
Tel: 01597 810243
Email: chris@gigrin.co.uk
Wild Red Kites are fed at Gigrin Farm every day of the year. With breathtaking feats of aerial piracy red kites compete with buzzards and ravens for choice pickings. Feeding takes place at 2pm (last weekend in October onwards)
Feeding will be at 3pm ( from the last weekend in March.
Well, no-one tells the kites that the clocks change twice a year!
The crows are first to turn up in trees around the feeding area and make it quite a noisy affair with the calls of jackdaws and carrion crows and the deep ‘cronking’ of ravens. Buzzards and red kites circle overhead; buzzards are far more vocal than kites, their powerful ‘mewing’ carrying a long way. As soon as the meat has been put out the crow family start emerging from the surrounding trees. As the first crows land amongst the meat the kites go on the offensive. Kites watch and wait their chance to furl their wings and dive in, skimming the ground to snatch a scrap before rising suddenly to escape the beaks of the angry crows.
Distance from town centre: 1
Wildlife Centre of Wales
family-friendly
parking-at-start-point
parking-on-site
pets-welcome
rainy-day-activity
suitable-for-cycling
suitable-for-moutain-biking
suitable-for-walking
wheelchair-accessible
Rhayader and surrounding areas are important habitats and home to a variety of wildlife, flora and fauna.
With so many differnet places to experience nature as it should be, we've complied a pack of local wildlife sites for you here.
Route Map: Rhayader Wildlife Map.pdf
Download the map of the sites to help you plan your wildlife adventures.