Coed y Garth, Ffynnongroyw
This ancient woodland occupies two small converging valleys south of Ffynnongroyw. It is typical of the wooded dingles that run down towards the estuary along the Flintshire coast, punctuating the pattern of farm fields across the higher ground.
There are various surviving remnants of the drainage system which kept local lead mines free from flooding. The original system was established or improved by Joshua Edisbury of Erddig Hall, near Wrexham, in the late 17th century and early 18th century as part of the development of the Trelogan mine.
Nant Felin Blwm flows along the south-north valley. The name translates as ‘Stream of the Lead Mill’. In 1870 there was excitement when a deer hunt passed along “the extensive covert and dingle of Felin Blwm”. Several deer had escaped from Lord Mostyn’s park and were causing havoc on local farms. The hounds chased a doe up Felin Blwm to an area near the park. Then she returned down Felin Blwm, ran along the railway from Ffynnongroyw halfway to Mostyn, jumped the sea wall and was eventually chased by a hound into the estuary, where she drowned.
The northernmost area of the woodland belongs to Coed Cadw (the Woodland Trust). The section closest to the Ffynnongroyw entrance is damp and characterised by springs, providing a habitat for sycamore, ash and oak and a variety of flora in the undergrowth. Further west, the woodland becomes drier and the undergrowth less abundant. Here oak is the dominant species. Many of today’s trees in this area began to grow after timber was extracted in the 1960s, but some of the older trees continue to thrive.
Coed is Welsh for wood or woodland. Garth = hill, ridge or enclosure.
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Website for the Coed Cadw reserve
Coed Cadw on HistoryPoints.org