Newport Wetlands is a

wildlife reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

covering parts of Uskmouth, Nash and

Goldcliff Goldcliff ( cy, Allteuryn) is a village, parish and community to the south east of the city of Newport in South Wales. It lies within the Newport city boundaries in the historic county of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent. Admi ...

, in the south-east of the city of Newport,

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

History

The reserve was established in 2000 to mitigate losses of wildlife habitat when the

Cardiff Bay Barrage Cardiff Bay Barrage ( cy, Morglawdd Bae Caerdydd) lies across the mouth of Cardiff Bay, Wales between Queen Alexandra Dock and Penarth Head. It was one of the largest civil engineering projects in Europe during construction in the 1990s. Histo ...

scheme was undertaken. The site is owned and managed by

Natural Resources Wales Natural Resources Wales ( cy, Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru) is a Welsh Government sponsored body, which became operational from 1 April 2013, when it took over the management of the natural resources of Wales. It was formed from a merger of the Coun ...

, the successor body to the

Countryside Council for Wales The Countryside Council for Wales (CCW; cy, Cyngor Cefn Gwlad Cymru (CCGC)) was a Welsh Assembly sponsored body responsible for wildlife conservation, landscape and countryside access authority for Wales. It was merged with Forestry Commis ...

. A purpose-built visitor and education centre for the site was opened, in West Nash, in March 2008 by the

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a charitable organisation registered in England and Wales and in Scotland. It was founded in 1889. It works to promote conservation and protection of birds and the wider environment thro ...

(RSPB) with help from

Newport City Council Newport City Council () is the governing body for Newport, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. It consists of 51 councillors, who represent the city's 20 wards. The council is currently, and has historically been, held by the Labour Party. ...

and

water level Water level, also known as gauge height or stage, is the elevation of the free surface of a sea, stream, lake or reservoir relative to a specified vertical datum.ISO 772: 1996. Hydrometric determinations – Vocabulary and symbols. See also * ...

management assistance by

Caldicot and Wentloog Levels The Caldicot and Wentloog Levels are two areas of low-lying estuarine alluvial wetland and intertidal mudflats adjoining the north bank of the Severn Estuary, either side of the River Usk estuary near Newport in south east Wales. They are als ...

Internal Drainage Board. The reserve covers of the Caldicot Level, a low-lying area of land bordering the northern shore of the

Severn Estuary The Severn Estuary ( cy, Aber Hafren) is the estuary of the River Severn, flowing into the Bristol Channel between South West England and South Wales. Its high tidal range, approximately , means that it has been at the centre of discussions in t ...

. Part of the site is a reclaimed fuel ash disposal site, although some farmland in Goldcliff and Nash has also had to be flooded to complete the work. The reserve was made a national nature reserve on 16 April 2008.

Access and facilities

Entrance is free, with car parking facilities open every day of the year from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm. The visitor and education centre are open every day except Christmas Day. The visitor centre provides a shop, refreshments, bathroom facilities, viewing facilities and guided tours. Dogs and cyclists are permitted outside the visitor centre and along a specially marked circular route around the reserve's perimeter which is accessed via a path next to the car park exit. Initially heading west, the route follows alongside the power station then turns to the east past the East Usk Lighthouse and along the Severn Estuary (

Wales Coast Path The Wales Coast Path ( cy, Llwybr Arfordir Cymru) is a designated long-distance trail which follows, or runs close to, the coastline of Wales. Launched in 2012, the footpath is long and was heralded as the first dedicated coast path in the wor ...

). After dropping below the sea wall the path splits, with a pedestrian and dog walking route returning to the visitor centre via a marked path to the left. A longer pedestrian and cycling route continues forwards towards Goldcliff village and the local road network. Next to the visitor centre is a picnic and play area, which provides a children's play area, education zone, and benches for picnics. The far end of the main trail faces south towards the

, along which the East Usk Lighthouse and a bird hide overlooking lagoon R9 are situated. There is also a woodland trail, which is entered by turning left at the top of the hill. The trail travels past neighbouring farmland, through the reserve's woodlands, past a lagoon viewing platform which overlooks lagoon R8, and onto the estuary trail. File:View of Severn Estuary Rocks From Newport Wetlands RSPB Reserve.JPG, View of Severn Estuary Rocks From Newport Wetlands RSPB Reserve File:Newport Wetlands RSPB Reserve Visitor Centre As Seen From Ridge and Furrow Landscape.JPG, Newport Wetlands RSPB Reserve visitor centre as seen from picnic and play area File:Newport Wetlands RSPB Reserve Visitor Centre Seen From Hill.JPG, Visitor centre and picnic and play area seen from hill File:Uskmouth Power Station from Newport Wetlands Centre.JPG, View of Uskmouth power station File:Newport Wetlands RSPB Reserve Floating Walkway Facing Northwards.JPG, Floating walkway facing northwards File:Newport Wetlands RSPB Reserve Bird Hide.JPG, Entrance to the hide File:Bird Hide at Newport Wetlands RSPB Reserve.JPG, Frontal exterior to the hide File:Newport Wetlands RSPB Reserve Westward Path Alongside Power Station.JPG, Cycle path alongside power station File:Newport Wetlands RSPB Reserve Forest Viewing Platform.JPG, Viewing platform File:Lagoon R8 overlooked by Newport Wetlands RSPB Reserve Forest Viewing Platform.JPG, Lagoon R8 overlooked by viewing platform

Flora and fauna

The reserve includes a wide variety of habitats which include grazed

pasture Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep, or sw ...

with hedgerows, ditches, reens,

reed bed A reedbed or reed bed is a natural habitat found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions and estuaries. Reedbeds are part of a succession from young reeds colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground. As ...

s and

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses ( Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur na ...

s. These help to attract breeding birds such as

lapwing Lapwings (subfamily Vanellinae) are any of various ground-nesting birds (family Charadriidae) akin to plovers and dotterels. They range from in length, and are noted for their slow, irregular wingbeats in flight and a shrill, wailing cry. A gro ...

, redshank,

oystercatcher The oystercatchers are a group of waders forming the family Haematopodidae, which has a single genus, ''Haematopus''. They are found on coasts worldwide apart from the polar regions and some tropical regions of Africa and South East Asia. The ...

little ringed plover The little ringed plover (''Charadrius dubius'') is a small plover. The genus name ''Charadrius'' is a Late Latin word for a yellowish bird mentioned in the fourth-century Vulgate. It derives from Ancient Greek ''kharadrios'' a bird found in ri ...

and

ringed plover The common ringed plover or ringed plover (''Charadrius hiaticula'') is a small plover that breeds in Arctic Eurasia. The genus name ''Charadrius'' is a Late Latin word for a yellowish bird mentioned in the fourth-century Vulgate. It derives fr ...

, as well as visitors such as wigeon,

northern shoveler The northern shoveler (; ''Spatula clypeata''), known simply in Britain as the shoveler, is a common and widespread duck. It breeds in northern areas of Europe and across the Palearctic and across most of North America, wintering in southern ...

teal alt=American teal duck (male), Green-winged teal (male) Teal is a greenish-blue colour. Its name comes from that of a bird — the Eurasian teal (''Anas crecca'') — which presents a similarly coloured stripe on its head. The word is oft ...

shelduck The shelducks, most species of which are found in the genus ''Tadorna'' (except for the Radjah shelduck, which is now found in its own monotypic genus ''Radjah''), are a group of large birds in the Tadorninae subfamily of the Anatidae, the biolog ...

and pintail,

hen harrier The hen harrier (''Circus cyaneus'') is a bird of prey. It breeds in Eurasia. The term "hen harrier" refers to its former habit of preying on free-ranging fowl. It migrates to more southerly areas in winter. Eurasian birds move to southern Eur ...

and

short-eared owl The short-eared owl (''Asio flammeus'') is a widespread grassland species in the family Strigidae. Owls belonging to genus ''Asio'' are known as the eared owls, as they have tufts of feathers resembling mammalian ears. These "ear" tufts may or ...

. In 2020, two pairs of

bittern Bitterns are birds belonging to the subfamily Botaurinae of the heron family Ardeidae. Bitterns tend to be shorter-necked and more secretive than other members of the family. They were called ''hæferblæte'' in Old English; the word "bittern ...

successfully bred at the site, for the first time in south Wales for over 200 years. The Goldcliff Lagoons, which form the eastern end of the reserve, is the only site in south Wales where avocet breed. File:Swans at Newport Wetlands Centre.JPG,

Mute swan The mute swan (''Cygnus olor'') is a species of swan and a member of the waterfowl family Anatidae. It is native to much of Eurosiberia, and (as a rare winter visitor) the far north of Africa. It is an introduced species in North America, home ...

s with male and female tufted ducks in the background File:Tufted Duck at Newport Wetlands RSPB Reserve Visitor Centre.PNG, Tufted duck near Newport Wetlands RSPB Reserve visitor centre/picnic and play area File:Great Crested Grebe Calling on Newport Wetlands RSPB Reserve Fenced Pond.PNG,

Great crested grebe The great crested grebe (''Podiceps cristatus'') is a member of the grebe family of water birds noted for its elaborate mating display. Taxonomy The great crested grebe was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in t ...

calling on Newport Wetlands RSPB Reserve fenced lagoon File:Grey Heron Fishing on Newport Wetlands RSPB Reserve Fenced Pond.JPG,

Grey heron The grey heron (''Ardea cinerea'') is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more north ...

fishing on Newport Wetlands RSPB Reserve fenced lagoon File:Tufted Ducks at Newport Wetlands RSPB Reserve Floating Walkway.PNG, Tufted ducks at Newport Wetlands RSPB Reserve floating walkway File:Little Egret and Teal Ducks on Pond near The Hide at Newport Wetlands RSPB Reserve.JPG, Little egret and teal ducks on Lagoon near the hide at Newport Wetlands RSPB Reserve

Floating walkway

The reserve contains an artificial floating walkway, which provides a direct route to the lighthouse over lagoon R7. This lagoon is part of a series of a total of three lagoons spanning the coastal path (east to west). The most eastward lagoon (R9) is overlooked by a

bird hide A bird hide (blind or bird blind in North America) is a shelter, often camouflaged, that is used to observe wildlife, especially birds, at close quarters. Although hides or hunting blinds were once built chiefly as hunting aids, they are now commo ...

in addition to being viewable from a fenced overpass, and the most westwardly lagoon (R4) is viewable from a fenced overpass.

East Usk Lighthouse

The East Usk Lighthouse is within the reserve on the estuary trail facing towards the

. It is a basic lamphousing with no accommodation. The more substantial decommissioned West Usk Lighthouse, currently operating as a hotel, is on the opposite (west) bank of the

River Usk The River Usk (; cy, Afon Wysg) rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain (''y Mynydd Du''), Wales, in the westernmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Initially forming the boundary between Carmarthenshire and Powys, it ...

and can be viewed from the reserve. It was constructed in 1893 by

Trinity House "Three In One" , formation = , founding_location = Deptford, London, England , status = Royal Charter corporation and registered charity , purpose = Maintenance of lighthouses, buoys and beacons , he ...

and entered service on or about 22 June that year. File:East Usk Lighthouse at Newport Wetlands RSPB Nature Reserve Facing Eastwards Towards Bird Hide.JPG, East Usk Lighthouse at Newport Wetlands RSPB Nature Reserve facing east towards bird hide Navigation Beacon Newport Wetlands

References

External links

RSBP trail map

Newport City Council - Newport Wetlands

BBC News - £3m visitors' centre for wetlands

BBC - Newport Wetlands

RSPB - Newport Wetlands

Caldicot & Wentlooge Level Internal Drainage Board

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Newport Wetlands Reserve and surrounding area

eBird.org
{{Authority control , additional=Q26197294 Culture in Newport, Wales Education in Newport, Wales Tourist attractions in Newport, Wales Wetlands of Newport, Wales Nature centres in Wales Nature reserves in Wales Royal Society for the Protection of Birds reserves in Wales Protected areas established in 2000 Coast of Newport, Wales Lighthouses in Wales