Ynyslas Sand Dunes () are

sand dunes A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, fl ...

located in Ceredigion, Wales. They border Cardigan Bay and the Dyfi Estuary between Ynyslas, Ceredigion and Aberdyfi,

Gwynedd Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, and C ...

. The sand dunes are part of the Dyfi National Nature Reserve.

Wildlife

Viviparous lizards, stoats, polecats,

rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...

s and voles can be found in the dunes. Skylarks, meadow pipits and ringed plovers can be seen and heard over the dunes.

Butterflies Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

and moths which can be found here include the dark green fritillary and gatekeeper butterflies and the scarlet tiger and

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

moths. The sand lizard was introduced to Ynyslas NNR as part of a nationwide programme to boost population numbers, which started in 1995.

Tourism

There are waymarked boardwalk trails through the dunes where marsh and bee orchids flower during the early summer. The visitor centre (open Easter to September) contains further information about the plants and wildlife of the area. Around a quarter of a million people visit Ynyslas Sand Dunes each year. Kitesurfing is popular on the adjacent beaches, and the BBC Kite-flying ident was filmed on the beach in 2006.

External links

* http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/mid/sites/reserves/pages/ynyslas.shtml * http://www.aberystwyth.org.uk/attractions/borth.shtml
www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Ynyslas Sand Dunes and surrounding area

References

{{coord, 52.525, N, 4.057, W , format=dms , scale:10000_type:landmark_region:GB , display=title Dunes of Wales Coast of Ceredigion Landforms of Ceredigion