Merthyr Mawr Warren offers up a fantastic blend of wildlife, geology and history. Whether it’s the flora and fauna, the grand castle ruin, or the limestone cliff that dwells deep below, completely submerged under Wales’s highest dune, you are sure to find points of interest to inspire any member of your party.

The variations in the dunes have created little micro-habitats, with the newer developments of dunes nearer to the beach providing a very different environment than the older segments, which are occupied by woodlands of many different trees, such as pines and alders. This gives space for lots of unique insect life to flourish, alongside some rare types of dune plants. Examples include the Rock Sea Lavender, Hutchinsia and Sea Spurge. You can also chance upon the rare species of the Grizzled Skipper Butterfly and the Large Wood Wasp which, reassuringly, won’t sting humans.

In visiting, you will also discover the impressive ruin of Candleston Castle, now adorned with ivy and almost lost within the woods. Starting as a manor in the 12^th century and improved into the castle structure seen today at the turn of the 16^th century, it once revolved around a nearby harbour that the sands have since swept away.

The dunes themselves eventually spelled doom for this phenomenal structure, shifting to eat up the castle’s agricultural land and decreasing the castle’s value. It was eventually sold, being used as a farmhouse from 1808 through to the end of the 19^th century, after which it fell completely into disuse and became the ruin that you can sit and picnic at now. Just over the river on the route South, you will find Ogmore Castle, another fantastic ruin well worth a visit.