Llyn Llech Owain is a shallow lake with an area of which gives its name to the country park in which it sits, it is also a
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...
which was designated in 1993.
The country park is managed by
Carmarthenshire County Council
Carmarthenshire County Council ( cy, Cyngor Sir Gaerfyrddin) is the local authority for the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales. It provides a range of services including education, planning, transport, social services and public safety. The counc ...
and has an area of . The park is near the village of
Gorslas
Gorslas is a village and a community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, located on the A476 road northwest of Cross Hands. The village population at the 2011 census was 4,066. Neighbouring villages are Cefneithin and Penygroes. The community is border ...
with its entrance on Church Road.
Etymology
The name of the lake ''Llyn Llech Owain'' translates into English as "the lake of Owain's slab". The identity of the Owain referred to is not certain but local legend has it to be a Welsh mercenary, called
Owain Lawgoch or "Owain of the Red hand", who commanded a
company
A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...
of French troops against the English during the
Hundred Years War
The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantagen ...
. According to this tale Owain was tasked with looking after a well, called ''Mynydd Mawr''. on the nearby mountain. Each day he extracted enough water for himself and his horse, carefully replacing the slab over the well but one day he forgot to replace the slab and a torrent poured down the slope, creating the lake.
[
]
Description
Llyn Llech Owain is the centrepiece of the country park
A country park is a natural area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.
United Kingdom
History
In the United Kingdom, the term ''country park'' has a special meaning. There are around 250 recognised coun ...
which surrounds it. Other habitats within the park include peat bog, conifer
Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...
ous woodland, broad-leaved woodland and heathland
A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler ...
.peat
Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...
underlying the lake's catchment area and the water in the lake has a very brown colour and this means the lake could be classified as dystrophic
Dystrophic lakes, also known as humic lakes, are lakes that contain high amounts of humic substances and organic acids. The presence of these substances causes the water to be brown in colour and have a generally low pH of around 4.0-6.0. Due to ...
.[
There is a network of footpaths throughout the Country Park and many of these are well surfaced and accessible to wheelchair users.][ There are also boardwalks which allow safe access over the peat bog and around the lake.][ The visitor centre which sits beside the lake has exhibits providing information about the park.][
]
Wildlife
The woodlands provide habitat for a typical range of woodland birds such as tits, goldcrest, Common treecreeper
The Eurasian treecreeper or common treecreeper (''Certhia familiaris'') is a small passerine bird also known in the British Isles, where it is the only living member of its genus, simply as treecreeper. It is similar to other treecreepers, and ha ...
, Eurasian jay
The Eurasian jay (''Garrulus glandarius'') is a species of passerine bird in the crow family Corvidae. It has pinkish brown plumage with a black stripe on each side of a whitish throat, a bright blue panel on the upper wing and a black tail. The ...
and green woodpecker There are four species of bird named green woodpecker:
* European green woodpecker, ''Picus viridis''
* Iberian green woodpecker
The Iberian green woodpecker (''Picus sharpei'') is a medium-sized woodpecker endemic to the Iberian peninsula. It wa ...
,[ this includes a good population of ]willow tit
The willow tit (''Poecile montanus'') is a passerine bird in the tit family, Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder throughout temperate and subarctic Europe and across the Palearctic. The plumage is grey-brown and off-white w ...
.common buzzard
The common buzzard (''Buteo buteo'') is a medium-to-large bird of prey which has a large range. A member of the genus ''Buteo'', it is a member of the family Accipitridae. The species lives in most of Europe and extends its breeding range across ...
, common lizard
The viviparous lizard, or common lizard, (''Zootoca vivipara'', formerly ''Lacerta vivipara''), is a Eurasian lizard. It lives farther north than any other species of non-marine reptile, and is named for the fact that it is viviparous, meaning it ...
and grass snake.[ There is an abundance of insects and these include dragonflies and damselflies which provide prey for migrating hobbies.][ the woodlands are also home to a population hazel dormouse and nest boxes are being provided for this species within the park.]
See also
*
References
External links
Review at BBC Wales Nature website
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Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Carmarthen & Dinefwr
Lakes of Carmarthenshire