Hafren Forest

The Hafren Forest lies North-West of Llanidloes, an ancient market town situated in Mid-Wales.

Covering around 40 square kilometres, and consisting of mainly Pine and Spruce trees, the Forest takes its name from the Afon Hafren (English: River Severn) which rises in a deep peat bog approximately 800m outside its western boundary high on the slopes of the highest mountain, Pumlumon, in Mid Wales.

The source of the River Severn, near Hafren Forest in 2006.

History

The Forest, planted in 1937, is continually changing with deforestation and planting of trees. The Forest is also home to Bronze Age copper and lead mines,[1] most notably "Nant yr Eira" and possibly "Nant yr Rickett".
The creation of the Forest, in 1937, involved the purchase of twelve upland sheep farms, including "Rhyd y Benwch" which now forms the base for a car park and picnic area in the forest.[2]
Although the farms were not left derelict, they could simply not provide enough accommodation for forest workers. An answer was needed; at first, with the initial small size of the forest, enough local workers could be found. Later, due to the low population density of the area, it was essential to transport workers to the site by "motor lorry" from Llanidloes. This option was obviously unsustainable, and in 1948, the Forestry Commission decided to build a village near Staylittle, specifically for the purpose of housing forestry workers. They employed an eminent architect, T. Alwyn Lloyd of Cardiff, to produce plans for a village that would eventually comprise eighty houses, a village shop, school and hall. As a first development, twenty houses were built on the site, along with eight more a few miles away: these provided accommodation for half the workers. Construction began in 1949, with the first houses being occupied in 1951. The water supplies for the village, known as Llwyn-y-gog (or Llwynygog), were provided for with the damming of a nearby mountain stream.[3][4]

Present day use

Although the forest is still producing timber for Natural Resources Wales, it has also developed as an important local tourist attraction, and habitat for wildlife. The Red Kite being seen in the area, along with many other birds, plants and animals. There are many walks in the forest, with the addition of many bridleways, making it popular for Mountain biking and Horse riding, "The Source of The Severn" being a popular walk along with the "Severn Breaks its Neck" and "The Blaenhafren Falls" walks.[5]
The quarry where British Aerospace had its base is now a "Centre for Explosion Studies" in connection with Aberystwyth University's Combustion Physics Group.

Rallying

The Hafren Forest is also a popular location for many motorcross and 4x4 championships and rally events.

'The Hafren' has been regularly used as a stage on the Wales Rally GB. In January 2013 BBC Top Gear used a Bentley Continental driven by Kris Meeke to cover the stage.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Archaeology in the Forest: Mines and quarries of North Wales". The Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
  2. ↑ "Rhyd y benwch Picnic Site". The Forestry Commission. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
  3. ↑ "Historic Landscape Characterisation, The Making of the Clywedog Valley Landscape". The Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust. Retrieved 2014-11-07.
  4. ↑ Spence, Barbara (March 2013). "The Forestry Commission in Wales 1919 - 2013". Forestry Commission Wales. Retrieved 2014-11-07.
  5. ↑ "Welcome to Hafren Forest and the source of the River Severn". The Forestry Commission. Retrieved 2014-11-07.
  6. ↑ Evans, David (30 January 2013). "Why the WRC can't forget its past". Autosport. (subscription required (help)).

External links

Coordinates: 52°28′44″N 3°41′30″W / 52.4788°N 3.6917°W