Llancynfelyn, near Borth, Ceredigion, Wales, SY24 5LB
Dyfi National Nature Reserve – Cors Fochno
Bog
Place photograph
6.4
Wildland
1–2 hours
Time
Free
Cost
Wild
Feel
Why it's Wildland
6.4Cors Fochno is a vast raised peat bog where peat has accumulated for more than 6,000 years. A short circular boardwalk lets visitors look across its remarkable patchwork of sphagnum mosses while keeping clear of the treacherously wet ground.
Cors Fochno offers an unusually close look at one of Britain’s largest and finest remaining raised peat bogs. Its ancient peat, rare bog wildlife and circular boardwalk make even a short visit feel like a journey into a very different landscape.
Wild · Atmospheric
Find your way
Open mapLlancynfelyn, near Borth, Ceredigion, Wales, SY24 5LB
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The experience
Take the easy, waymarked 1.4-kilometre circular boardwalk for views across the raised bog. Go slowly: the peatland supports rare and specialised wildlife, and visitors must remain on the boardwalk because the ground beyond is dangerously wet.
Things to do
Walk the Cors Fochno boardwalk
Follow the easy, waymarked circular trail around the edge of the bog for open views across the peatland. Stay on the boardwalk because the ground is dangerously wet.
About 1 hour
Look for sphagnum mosses
From the boardwalk, look across the bog’s surface for its distinctive green, gold and red tapestry of sphagnum mosses.
Watch for specialised bog wildlife
Keep an eye out for the rare and specialised invertebrates associated with the bog, including the rosy marsh moth and small red damselfly. Sightings are not guaranteed.
Make a day of it
Quick escape · About 1 hour
Quick bog-boardwalk loop
- 01
Start from the small parking area and find the information panel.
- 02
Follow the waymarked circular boardwalk around the edge of the bog.
- 03
Pause for views over the peatland and look for its varied sphagnum mosses.
- 04
Return by the boardwalk; do not walk onto the bog.
Half day · Allow 1–2 hours
Take a slower wildlife-focused visit
- 01
Read the information panel at the start of the trail.
- 02
Walk the full circular boardwalk at an unhurried pace.
- 03
Stop at suitable points to look across the bog and watch for specialised plants and invertebrates.
- 04
Stay on the boardwalk throughout and check current site guidance for seasonal wildlife highlights.
Verified history
Cors Fochno’s formation began around 5500 BC, when rising sea levels changed an estuary floodplain from forest to reed swamp and then peat bog. Peat has accumulated gradually and continuously for more than 6,000 years; it now reaches a depth of over six metres. The reserve’s western edge has been eroded by the sea, and at low tide the stumps of long-dead trees can still be seen on the beach near Borth.
Hidden details
A bog built over millennia — Peat has accumulated continuously for more than 6,000 years and is over six metres deep in places. The scale of that slow formation is easy to miss while walking the short boardwalk.
Tree stumps on the Borth beach — At low tide, stumps of long-dead trees can be seen on the beach near Borth, where the sea has eroded the western edge of the bog.
When to go
· No specific time of day is established by the supplied sources; check current conditions before visiting.
Natural Resources Wales notes that the landscape and wildlife vary through the year but the supplied information does not specify the best months.
The bog has dangerous wet ground beyond the boardwalk. Check current trail and weather conditions, and remain on the boardwalk.
The route
- surface
- Boardwalk
- distance
- 0.8 mile / 1.4 kilometres
- duration
- About 1 hour
- difficulty
- Easy
- waymarking
- Waymarked from start to finish
- route shape
- Circular
- start point
- Small parking area at Cors Fochno; look for the information panel at the trail start.
- parking start
- Small parking area; Natural Resources Wales lists free parking.
- Views over the raised peat bog
- Sphagnum mosses in green, gold and red
- A chance to look for specialised bog wildlife
What to look for
Look across the bog for the green, gold and red tapestry of sphagnum mosses. Natural Resources Wales also identifies sundews, rosy marsh moths, small red damselflies and other specialised bog invertebrates as wildlife of the site.
The story
Archaeology
Best time to go
The landscape and wildlife change through the year. Visit when conditions are suitable for the boardwalk and check current guidance before setting out.
The reserve’s wildlife and landscape vary with the seasons. Check current Natural Resources Wales guidance for seasonal highlights and trail conditions before your visit.
How long to spend
1–2 hours
Perfect for
Walkers · Wildlife lovers · Photographers
Before you go
Practical information
Opening & access
A short, waymarked circular boardwalk starts from a small parking area. Stay on the boardwalk: the surrounding bog has dangerous wet ground. Dogs are not allowed on the trail. Check current access conditions before visiting.
Check before visiting
Parking
Small parking area; parking is free according to Natural Resources Wales. Check availability before visiting.
Check before visiting
Toilets
Check before visiting.
Check before visiting
Food & drink
Check before visiting.
Check before visiting
Dogs
Dogs are not allowed on the Cors Fochno trail.
Accessibility
The 1.4-kilometre circular trail is graded easy and follows a boardwalk around the edge of the bog. Check before visiting for current surface and accessibility details.
Check before visiting
Cost
Free
Water
Marsh
Gallery
Place photographsKeep exploring
Around Dyfi National Nature Reserve – Cors Fochno
Within 50 km · approximate straight-line distances
Place photograph7.8Ynyslas National Nature Reserve and Beach
Ynyslas, near Borth, Ceredigion, Wales
2.9 km away
Place photograph8.1Dyfi National Nature Reserve (Ynyslas)
Ynyslas, near Aberystwyth, Mid Wales
2.9 km away
