The Welsh Wildlife Centre is an award winning visitor centre with a lovely cafe which serves fresh home made food. Situated on the Teifi Marshes Nature Reserve this is a perfect day out for the family. There are beautiful walks around the stunning 270 acres of nature reserve, which includes woodlands, meadows, a deep river gorge, marshland and reed beds.
Situated on the top floor, the Glasshouse Cafe has a ‘treetop’ panoramic view of the Teifi River, Cardigan town and woodland. The area around the Welsh Wildlife Centre has many attractions including Cilgerran Castle and canoeing on the river.
As well as exploring the reserve it is possible to walk some of the trails alongside the river Teifi, taking in beautiful woodland gorges.
Canoeing
Winding towards the sea the deep, tidal Teifi Gorge is a unique environment where fresh and salt waters meet. It forms one of the most varied aquatic landscapes in the country. The gorge itself was hewn through a slate hill by a glacier retreating to the Irish Sea at the end of the last ice age.
The gorge offers safe, gentle river paddling in open canoes for people of all ages and abilities. With the river flowing lazily past ancient woodland and wildlife habitats, a canoe trip should be high on your list of must-do’s on your holiday.
The steep, densely wooded banks form an important habitat to species of otter, red deer. Peregrine falcon, kingfishers, dragonflies, salmon and sewin (sea trout). The gorge has been an important centre of coracle fishing and slate quarrying for hundreds of years but now the gorge forms part of the Teifi marshes nature reserve. Open canoe trips are fully guided journeys, using canoes which seat 2 or 3 people. Trips last around 2 1/2 hours and include all equipment and instruction.
Cilgerran Castle was built in a commanding position, perched on a craggy promontory, high above the river Teifi. It’s a 12th century Norman castle, now ruined, but long renowned as a beauty spot. Traditionally, medieval castles were designed with a keep or strong tower at the centre but Cilgerran Castle is unusual because two massive round towers were erected instead. These, despite Owain Glyn Dŵr’s best efforts, still stand to a good height today.
Distance from Manor Bedw: 16 miles