LLYN EIDDWEN
A remarkable, natural, unpolluted upland lake
Anarrow escape indeed; 40 years ago there was a serious threat that Llyn Eiddwen would be developed as a water sports centre, something only averted by the timely and time-consuming efforts of the now Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales. Efforts towards providing protection was complicated as three ownerships were involved – the Crown Estate Commissioners, the University College of Wales, and the third, then unknown. Only after much detective work, a grand-daughter of Issac Jennings, who had purchased part of the lake and adjoining uplands in 1847, was located in Teignmouth, Devon, and she very kindly donated it to the Wildlife Trust in 1982. Such is the wildlife importance, the site was subsequently declared a National Nature Reserve.
Some 26 acres in extent and some 1,000ft above sea level, it is the source of the Afon Aeron, the valley of which, on its short journey to the sea, being described by Dylan Thomas as “the most precious place in the world” – he subsequently named his daughter Aeronwy.
The remains of a small building known as Tredwell’s Castle at the lake side close to where the river begins are not medieval but of 18th Century origin. In 1879, Mark Tredwell, a wealthy Englishman, built a summer house on the island, where he allegedly held wild parties.
Minimal agricultural land in the vicinity has ensured low levels of nutrients, resulting in Llyn Eiddwen supporting a number of notable plants. One of the most striking is the Water Lobelia, its pale lilac pink flowers along the edge a feature from July to September. Others include Awlwort, Floating Water Plantain, two species of Quillwort and Shoreweed.
Whooper Swans, a winter visitor in small numbers to Ceredigion, put in an appearance, while other waterfowl include the ubiquitous Coot, Wigeon, Teal and Tufted Duck, while sightings of Black-throated Diver, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck and Smew indicate that the lake is always well worth the extra mileage needed to incorporate a visit.