Beaufort Hill Ponds & Woodlands is part of the recently formed Ebbw Fach Trail group, connecting 13 Green Spaces in the Ebbw Fach valley. The site lies approximately 1300 – 1350 feet above sea level and comprises 81 hectares of open space situated north of Beaufort and to the south of the A465 Heads of the Valleys Road between Ebbw Vale and Brynmawr. Most of the site was created as a land reclama
tion scheme on an area of former opencast mine workings. The site as a whole is of great biodiversity value supporting a mosaic of habitats such as acid grasslands, hay meadows, wet heath mire, swamp and open water. The two former reservoirs known as Upper Boat and Lower Boat Ponds and the mire and swamp communities surround them are particularly important. Part of the site also includes Mynydd Llangattock Common which is important for notable species such as snipe and breeding lapwing. It is also a valuable site for the local community and popular for walking, angling, bird watching and other forms of informal recreation. The site is adjacent to the moorland tops of the Llangattock and Llangynidr mountains on which there is little shelter and harsh winter conditions. The mountains are within the Brecon Beacons National Park although the site itself is not within the Park’s boundaries. Two ponds are adjacent to the woodland area.These ponds are linked to the early days of the industrial revolution. A map dated 1880 shows the existence of the ponds which were built to supply water down to the Nantyglo Ironworks’approximately 2 miles distant. After the closure of the Nantyglo Works,water was diverted to supply a new works being built in Ebbw Vale. In 1937,when the new Richard Thomas and Baldwins Steelworks opened in Ebbw Vale,a new reservoir was constructed at nearby Blaen-Y- Cwm and the ponds were kept full by water being released from this reservoir. Since the closure of the Corus steelworks at Ebbw Vale in 2002,the reservoir has been acquired by Welsh Water and the ponds now rely entirely on their own small water catchment area.
