The Clyne Valley Country Park is an area of parkland in Britain, at

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

in south

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. It lies on either side of the valley of the

Clyne River The Clyne River ( cy, Afon Clun) is a river in Swansea, south Wales. It has a total length of , and flows through the Clyne Valley Country Park for much of its length. Course The river rises from a series of springs on the northern fringe of F ...

and comprises an area of over of land running from the sea at

Blackpill Blackpill (or Black Pill) is a suburban area of Swansea, Wales, beside Swansea Bay, about southwest of the city centre. Description Blackpill falls into the Mayals ward. The area is centred on a seafront building on Mumbles road, which onc ...

, Swansea, inland to

Gowerton Gowerton ( cy, Tregŵyr) is a large village and Community (Wales), community, about 4 miles north west of Swansea city centre, Wales. Gowerton is often known as the gateway to the Gower Peninsula. Gowerton's original name was Ffosfelin. The villa ...

. It is an area of once splendid woodland with enormous

beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...

ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

and

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

trees mainly on the Mumbles side of the Clyne River, and, on the Swansea side, woods and mainly scrub land that has naturally regenerated a reclaimed refuse tip. The valley forms an important link in the ecological corridor that runs from the

Brecon Beacons The Brecon Beacons ( cy, Bannau Brycheiniog, ) are a mountain range in South Wales. In a narrow sense, the name refers to the range of Old Red Sandstone peaks which lie to the south of Brecon. Sometimes referred to as "the central Beacons" t ...

and the Black Mountain across commons and on into the

Gower Gower ( cy, Gŵyr) or the Gower Peninsula () in southwest Wales, projects towards the Bristol Channel. It is the most westerly part of the historic county of Glamorgan. In 1956, the majority of Gower became the first area in the United Kingdom ...

AONB. The

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of thei ...

forms part of the valley's boundary along

Clyne Common Clyne Common ( Welsh: ''Comin Clun'') is a lowland area of common land in the Gower Peninsula, Wales. Clyne Common is the easternmost of a set of commons that includes Fairwood Common, Forest Common, Pengwern Common, and Welsh Moor. This group c ...

. Now dormant – apart from the rich habitat that has formed from neglect – the valley at one time was part of the Vivian estate. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries it was a highly active industrial area with a long history of coal mining, mineral workings, brick making, charcoal burning, railways and canals.

Clyne Valley Community Project

The Clyne Valley Community Project (CVCP) is a grass roots project that has grown out of community concern that the valley, a valuable local resource and a part of the local heritage, is neglected and under-used. The aims of the project are: * To improve access to the Clyne Valley by clearing and restoring a network of once used tracks and paths. * To develop and encourage the use of the valley as a community resource by organising events and developing and supporting a wide range of activities in which the communities around the valley can participate. * To encourage and promote biodiversity and to protect and enhance the natural habitat of species. * To discover, explore and record evidence of the historical heritage of the valley

Cycling in the Park

A cycle track crosses the centre of the valley, linking

on Swansea Bay with the inland village of

. It forms part of

National Cycle Route 4 Between these, the route runs through Reading, Bath, Bristol, Newport, Swansea and St David's. Within Wales, sections of the route follow branches of the Celtic Trail cycle route. Route The total length of the path is 443.6 miles and takes ...

and passes close to the settlements of Killay and

Dunvant Dunvant ( cy, Dyfnant) (Dyfn - deep; nant - stream or brook) is a suburban district and community (parish) in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, and falls within the Dunvant ward. It is situated in a valley some 4.5 miles west of Swansea cit ...

. The route of the cycle track was once used by the

Heart of Wales Line The Heart of Wales line ( cy, Llinell Calon Cymru) is a railway line running from Craven Arms in Shropshire to Llanelli in southwest Wales. It serves a number of rural centres, including the nineteenth-century spa towns Llandrindod Wells, Llanga ...

. Past industrial use is still evident along the track. The wooded hillsides of the Clyne Valley have numerous dirt trails, used for mountain biking and walks. In 2009 Swansea Council launched the Clyne Valley Management Plan to develop the use of the valley for leisure activities. The plan is grant-funded through the

Forestry Commission The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the management of publicly owned forests and the regulation of both public and private forestry in England. The Forestry Commission was previously also respon ...

's 'Better Woodlands for Wales' scheme, and includes a substantial investment into Mountain Bike facilities in Clyne. Several kilometres of new purpose-built way-marked mountain bike trails are being constructed as part of the plan. The Clyne Riders group has been specially constituted for this task.

References

External links

Photos of the Clyne Valley Country ParkClyne Valley Community ProjectBetter Woodlands for WalesClyne RidersThe River Clyne in flood in 2016Clyne Wood Slime Moulds
{{coord, 51.6036, -4.0068, scale:20000_region:GB, display=title Parks in Swansea Country parks in Wales Mountain biking venues in the United Kingdom Rail trails in Wales