Bodlondeb (which means contentment) is 19 acres of woodland just to the west of Conwy Quayside; there are many footpaths through and around the woods and the one I took came off the Wales Coast Path. It was getting on in the afternoon and I hadn’t planned to visit the woods but as is often the case I saw a trail and decided to follow it!
The woods weren’t as quiet as I might have expected due to the nearby school having just let out and this apparently being a bit of a local teens hangout and a couple of walkers decided to use me as some sort of local guide despite the fact that I too was unfamiliar with the area, but I was able to follow the clearly marked trails that were pretty obvious as soon as you walked up these steps.
The soil here is sandy and acidic – volcanic rock that was created over 400 million years ago. There are beech trees all around, though more like signposts than trees in some parts.
The nature reserve isn’t just a wooded area but also includes a more formal parkland. The gardens were set out during the 18th century by Mr Owen Holland, a member of a prominent local family. They built a house on the grounds in 1742 which was demolished and then rebuilt in 1877 after the estate was purchased by Albert Wood. This would eventually be bought in 1936 by what would become the local borough council.
This was where I ducked out of the woods, judging that it was time to think about dinner. It’s certainly a pleasant place to wander and convenient for the town. You can find more photos here.
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