🌲 Celtic Rainforest
Coed Ganllwyd National Nature Reserve, Wales
📌 Fast Facts
- Located near Ganllwyd village, north of Dolgellau, in Gwynedd, Wales
- Part of the National Trust's Dolmelynllyn Estate and designated Special Area of Conservation
- Renowned for exceptional bryophyte diversity—one of Western Europe's most important sites for mosses and liverworts
- Features steep wooded gorge, ancient oak woodlands, waterfalls including Rhaeadr Ddu (Black Falls), and rare bat populations
Coed Ganllwyd is a temperate rainforest reserve in north Wales exemplifying the Atlantic oak woodlands characteristic of Celtic rainforests. The reserve occupies a steep-sided river gorge shaped by high rainfall and consistent humidity, creating a microclimate where moisture-dependent species flourish. It stands among the most ecologically significant woodland sites in Western Europe, designated as a Special Area of Conservation for its oak woodlands and bat populations ...