TIRPENTWYS NATURE RESERVE.

Having written just recently about how bad this Autumn is seeming, we headed off to a nearby Nature Reserve in search of some typical autumnal colour. This regenerated old colliery site is normally a feast for the eyes during the weeks through September and October. The sides of the valley have still retained their old, long standing beech trees, normally ablaze at this time of year with fire bright colouration in their leaves, and the different hues and splashes of colour in the acres of regenerated valley floor. Which today ... was a mire of mud and puddles, thank goodness for wellies ... again!

At first sight from the car park with it's singular disabled parking space ... and a sort of informative notice board    (which due to Welsh Law is bi-lingual)       The opening vista doesn't offer much, but ... don't let that put you off, it really is worth exploring more.

The view from the car park down the steep sided valley towards Pontypool is lovely.

The whole of this ex-colliery valley is surrounded by farm land. Mainly cattle and sheep. Some of the local farmers worked in the pit as youngsters before it was closed in 1969. The information board which, mentions just a few of the species that can bee seen, states ..

"This site is different from many other local nature reserves because the natural vegetation has been destroyed through years of quarrying, coal mining and more recently landfill which has dramatically changed the original narrow valley.

The reserve was the site of the former Tirpentwys colliery and the remains of some of the site buildings can still be seen today close to the quarry face. The first coal was raised in 1881 and over a thousand men were employed by 1847. The colliery was closed in 1969.

Since then the valley has been reclaimed by nature, creating a new landscape for you to enjoy. The habitats which exist here provide an environment where species disappearing from Torfaen can flourish."

I find the third part of that statement rather odd. It makes it sound as if the valley has been left to it's own devices when in actual fact the valley floor has been carefully landscaped and reseeded with an imported diversity of plant species. "Islands" of trees have been created, carefully fenced off to allow them to grow, it hardly seems natural.

This was one such "Island" with it's planting of mainly alder trees and one I can't yet identify but it did give one of the brightest splashes of colour in amidst the soggy terrain.

But at least one feature seems to be have been naturally left as it was before the project ...

what is left of the quarry face, which is a lovely craggy site that was until a few years ago much used by young, learning rock climbers, with easy to difficult routes. A good safe place in which to be introduced to the excitement of rock climbing. Far easier than some of the routes I did in places like Llanberris when I was a youngster. (I was even privileged to watch the great Chris Bonnington climb there.) But ... sadly the white signs now ban potential climbers of the future due to safely guarded bird nesting sites. What I find sad about that, is that so often one needs folk with climbing expertise to photograph such nesting sites for the benefit of the armchair viewers of such programmes as Spring & Autumn Watch! Meanwhile a far more invasive pest than a few climbers has spread throughout the valley. When I first started coming here five years ago, it was only to be seen on one side of the ""naturally reclaimed" nature reserve. Yes, Himalayan Balsam!

Regular readers of my blog will know how I feel about this alien plant species that is spreading at speed throughout the country especially along rivers, roads and railways. Beautiful as it is, it is taking over from our native species. However, I have sadly to admit it has had one saving grace this year especially

in that it has provided sustenance for flying insects such as bees when other plant species have been decimated by the almost constant rain we have had to put up with. There is huge concern though about the fact it is extremely hard to eradicate now it is so widely spread in our native soil. Today it was to be seen absolutely everywhere!

But I had come in search of autumnal colour and a few species of plant didn't let me down, namely the bramble (although the blackberries were either maggoty or tasteless) I ate a few and the just simply gave up. 

I might have mentioned this before but there are up to 400 species and sub species of Rubus (Blackberry)  in this country. To add to the confusion there are also hybrids. My attitude to that dilemma? Are the edible and tasty? If yes, pick and enjoy!

The weather was closing in ...

Behind us, dark clouds were forming, threatening rain making the steep sides of the valley

an almost silhouette contrast to the still blue and white skies we could see ahead ... but ...

there was one last moment of what I had been searching for ... autumnal bright colour.

Rosebay willow herb also known as Fireweed as it is known to grow in places that have recently been burnt. In London after the bombing during the war it proliferated profusely.

I will leave you with on last photograph, as I mentioned the sides of this valley are farming land. We stopped off on the upper bridge to take a photograph of a road that winds up the sides of the valley, the farmer once worked in the colliery. In the distance, curious cattle watched from the skyline, us, the only ones in the valley at the time.