Aber falls wander in Snowdonia

Aber falls, or Rhaeadr fawr in Welsh meaning 'big waterfall' is one of the largest waterfalls in Wales at 37m high.  Located just off the A55 near the village of Abergwyngregyn in the northern Carneddau, it provides good access into the surrounded mountains as well as several easy walks.  The area has been inhabited by people since the Bronze age and has a great archeological history as well as being know for the falls itself.

Afternoon light walking towards the falls

As you walk along this section of the North Wales National Trail there are many other things to see from huge number of lichen covered trees to the wildlife and birds.

Crazy looking trees along the route

One of the steps to becoming a qualified mountain leader is learning more about the environment.  This can be the plants, fauna, rocks, history of the area you are in, and more.  During my assessment a few years ago I realised how lacking my knowledge was, however it has only been over the last two years that I have really yearned to learn more about the plantlife and rock formations in my 'office'.  Not only did I know I had to learn more for my work, but I started to find things really interesting, just the other day I discovered that heather has a mycorrhizal relationship with fungi (this means that it has a mutually beneficial relationship with a fungus, the fugus provides minerals and water from the soil, and the heather provides sugars produced via photosynthesis).  

Facts like this entice me into wanting to learn more about things we see everyday out in the mountains beyond knowing that 'that is a tormentil, not a buttercup' 

Lichen on a tree

This lichen above is a foliose or 'leafy' type of lichen, beyond that I have struggled to completely identify it as lots of them look the same.  My best guess so far is some kind of a caperata lichen, but I honestly have no idea.  Lichens, like fungi are notoriously difficult to identify.

Fungi on a new wooden seat

Not long into the walk and you catch a first proper view of the falls.

Aber falls

In the summer the pools provide an exciting wild swimming spot.

Aber falls - you can see how tall the falls are in comparison to a person.

In the winter the falls rarely freeze, but if they do offer some good ice climbing. 

Close up of the pool at the bottom of Aber falls

On the way back to the car park I spotted the tree below with a giant hole in it, and was curious to discover what had caused it.  It's a tree hole or tree hollow, usually caused after an injury to the tree, such as a branch falling off.  After this fungi and bacteria get in and start 'attacking' the tree forming a hole.  This then provides a great home for birds and insects.

A hole in a tree

Some of the bird life we saw...

A robin

A huge bird's nest

Everywhere you looked were old trees and evidence of the more recent coppicing of alder, used for a time in charcol production.  Mosses and lichens cover lots of the trees, indicating that the air is not polluted and the environment is humid.

I love this moss and lichen covered tree

Cool hawthorn silhouettes before sunset