It's an elm!

20 to 25 million elms died of Dutch elm disease in the UK but don’t blame the Dutch, it was their scientist who identified it. Today it’s a rare sight to see an elm but you can find one on the drive down from Plas Tan y Bwlch towards The Oakeley Arms, on the right hand side, just after the turning to The Lodge.

The gardens are open to the public from 10am until 4pm and contain all sorts of trees. Oaks of course, giant limes, also the handkerchief tree and the tree of heaven. But for me the elm is the star – I wonder how it survived.

I'm told there are quite a few elms across the valley in Ceunant Llenerch.

Power of The Plas

It was one of the first houses in Wales to have electricity with a Gilkes turbine installed in 1905. This was used until 1928; presumably made redundant by the opening of the much larger Maentwrog hydro scheme which was big enough to power all of north Wales. Since then nuclear has been and (almost) gone and in a few months The Plas will be back to having its own hydro power generated by yet another Gilkes turbine.

Construction is fraught with conservation complication. Work on the turbine end, alongside the main road, can only be done in the summer months so as not to disturb bats. Trench work at the top end has to wait until the ecologist confirms ground nesting birds have fledged. The section through the orchard to the road has to avoid anthills. And then there are trenches beneath highly prized trees, such as the huge limes and the ‘Tree of Heaven’, which have to be hand dug to preserve the roots.

The scheme costs £420K and at current electricity prices is expected to have a ten year payback. Generating 100,000 Kw a year that’s enough for about fourteen normal households. 

Best woodland walk in Britain in the Vale of Ffestiniog

At the supermarket there were free copies of a Daily Mail supplement titled Britain’s Best Woodland Walks. I picked it up and, of the fifteen walks, one is right here on our doorstep. The guide is a joint production by the Woodland Trust and the Daily Mail with the centre pages given over to our walk. An integral aspect of the walk is of course a ride on the Ffestiniog Railway. The written suggestion is to take the downhill train from Tan y Bwlch station to Penrhyndeudraeth and walk back up but I’m sure you’ll be able to work out the alternative option.

You can create your own à la carte version of this woodland walk using the excellent leaflet on the Vale of Ffestiniog website which can be accessed here.