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Cors Caron - The Tregaron Bog
Tregaron Bog is one of the few remaining examples of a raised peat bog in
Britain. Lying beside the river Teifi just above the small market town of
Tregaron on the edge of the Cambrian Mountains, there is now an excellent walk
through the heart of the Bog on a timber decked walkway.
The old railway track
Pond by the old track
Cors Caron walkway
From Tregaron, take the B4323 towards Pontrydfendigaid . At Maeslyn (see OS map) there is a parking area and an entrance to the old railway line - now a track extending the entire length of the bog adjacent to the road. Turning right, you can head towards the observation tower, which offers bird watching opportunities and fine views across the bog. Turning left, follow the track past the lake on your right until you reach the Oak archway at the entrance to the walkway. From here a circular boardwalk takes you around the bog, returning to the railway track further to the south.
The Bog Asphodel
Boardwalk through the bog
Lichen Cladonia portentosa
A raised bog such as Cors Caron was once the site of a shallow lake that
became filled with vegetation. Its acidic nature was ideal for the various
species of Sphagnum moss which not only increase the acidity of the water, but
which are very absorbent and help to hold the water in the bog and prevent
excessive evaporation. The acid also prevents decomposition, so layer upon layer
of Sphagnum gradually builds up - in this case over some 12,000 years to produce
a shallow dome characteristic of the raised bog.
The acidic and nutrient deficient conditions are suitable for a unique flora
with plants like the Purple Moor Grass dominating the landscape. In places can
also be seen the Cotton Grass, the Bog Asphodel and the carnivorous Sundew.
Sundew
Otter
The Red Kite
Old folklore holds that if cattle ate the Bog
Asphodel, their bones would become brittle. This is because the Asphodel grows
on land lacking in nutrients such as calcium that are required for strong bones.
This is reflected in the plant's scientific name Narthecium ossifragum.
The Sundew gets its nitrogen from insects that it traps on sticky hairs on its
highly modified leaves.
Growing profusely in many areas of the bog is the lichen Cladonia. Lichens are
unique as they are composed of a relationship between an alga embedded within
the tissues of a fungus. The Cladonia lichen is closely related to the Reindeer
'Moss'- an important component of the diet of the reindeer in northern Europe.
©2011 Rod Attrill