Lawrence of where ?? EarthCache
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The Merthyr Mawr Warren is a reserve situated on the coast between Porthcawl and Ogmore-by-Sea, three miles west of Bridgend. Spread over 323 hectares. There are lots of access points, One car park is at N51.28.926 W003.37.608 ~ admission fee in summer
MERTHYR MAWR WARREN
The dunes once ran on to join Kenfig dunes, forming part of a huge sandy system that once stretched from the Ogmore river to the Gower peninsula.
Like many old dune systems, many of the plants and animals at Merthyr Mawr are characteristic of those normally found in woodlands, and it was declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its important invertebrate population and collections of plant life thriving in the area.
A few scences of the 60's Hollywood blockbuster ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ were filmed here. It was a multi-Oscar winning movie.
Perhaps because the dunes also claim fame to the highest single sand dune in Europe, known locally as the 'big dipper'. The dunes are very popular with kids, runners and local wildlife enthusiasts. It is very easy to see why so many legends and stories have been woven around the decaying ruins of Candleston Castle, in its eerie setting surrounded by stark windswept trees
If you are a fan of obscure, long-lost historic sites, then search out Candleston Castle, once a 15th century fortified mansion house on the edge of the Sahara-like dunes of Merthyr Mawr Warren. It is now an ivy covered ruin that was the centre point of the village of Treganlaw, buried beneath the ever shifting sands of Merthyr Mawr Warren. The present warren is all that is left of what was once the Largest Sand Dune Complex in Britain, stretching along the coast to Mumbles. The warren is an important wildlife habitat and site of scientific interest, which shelters a rich variety of plants.
The whole area has a ghostly appearance, especially in the moonlight! The truth is that it was not a castle at all but a fortified manor house that once belonged to the Norman family of Cantelupes (Running Wolves). As you would expect, the Castle is believed to be haunted!
Accumulations of wind blown sand have formed considerable areas of littoral dunes at a number of points along the South Wales coast, with their distribution primarily controlled by coastal topography and by the prevailing westerly winds. They are commonly found in the bays, where their extent is controlled by the size of the bay and the relief of the hinterland.
Historical evidence indicates that the processes of be-sandment were very active in the later medieval period, during the 13th to 15th centuries, with a deterioration of climate and a noticeable increase in be-sanding as the result of storms, higher rainfall and abnormal tides, all occurring in combination. These conditions led t o the erosion of coastal sand dunes and the movement of material inland.
The area of Merthyr Mawr Warren is a landscape area of some historical importance, reflected in its partial status as a Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM Gm 432), based on a concentration of archaeological features and finds revealed from time to time from beneath the shifting sands. The area, a national nature reserve and SSSI, is the location of the deserted medieval village and Manor of Candleston, the majority of which was abandoned following sand incursion by the early post-medieval period. During the post-medieval period the land was acquired by the Merthyr Mawr Estate
The character of the area is as a multi-period and multi-functional buried landscape: comprising buried prehistoric, medieval and post-medieval deserted settlement/fields (e.g. cultivation ridges, settlements at Pwll-y-defaid and near Candleston, and site of Coniger or Warren House, medieval manor house), and prehistoric funerary and ritual landscape. Buried finds of all periods have been recovered from the area. Other characteristic site types include prehistoric to post-medieval 'industrial' features (e.g. Iron Age bloomer and post-medieval corn mill), post-medieval rabbit warren, post-medieval and modern military/defensive structures and a firing range. In addition a small stretch of medieval road is partly exposed from the sand
Over the last century, the dunes have produced a diverse range of archaeological material indicating occupation and activity from the Mesolithic period to the recent past, through the recurrent exposure of buried archaeological features and surfaces caused by the movement of sand. The archaeological potential of the dunes is extremely high, since records of finds suggest occupation sites of the Mesolithic, Neolithic, early Bronze Age (represented by cist graves and tumuli) and Iron Age (with evidence of metalworking). In historic times, medieval occupation is attested by finds of pottery, walling, shell middens, cultivation ridges, roads, boundary stones, and a windmill of possible 15th century date sited on top of the dunes. Movement of the dunes continues and Candleston Castle, a ruined, small, fortified manor house originally built mainly in the late 14th century, was occupied into the 19th century, but now stands up against the eastern edge of the dunes with its land completely buried in sand.
Sand dunes are fragile and easily eroded by the sea and wind if the vegetation cover is removed. The erosion of sand dunes has serious implications as they not only provide a habitat for animals and plants, but also protect cliffs from erosion by dissipating wave energy and acting as a barrier to storm waves (McKirdy in Doody, 1985).
Humans can have an indirect impact on sand dunes also. Goudie (1993), for example, argues that domestic animals such as cattle and sheep can remove vegetation and create blowouts by trampling and overgrazing. Non-domestic animals such as rabbits were affected by a human induced myxomatosis outbreak in the 1950s (Goudie, 1993). There is some discussion, however, as to whether the resulting reduction in population was good or bad for sand dunes. Some see the vegetation of some dunes to be “the product of rabbit grazing” (Doody, 1985: p48), whilst others see rabbit warrens as a destabilising factor.
The recreational use of sand dunes is perhaps the most ironic as “the very features which people seek on sand dunes may be damaged by human trampling and disturbance” (Sothern et al in Doody, 1985: p217). Regular paths to the beach from the car parks through dunes can lead to the removal of vegetation, particularly Marram Grass. The underlying sand is exposed to the eroding effects of the wind and sea and blowouts can be formed, leading to further erosion (Doody, 1985). Merthyr Mawr sand dune system has been particularly affected by this type of erosion. The sand dunes, despite being a site of scientific and archaeological interest, are increasingly used for walking, children’s play, horse riding, cycling and off road vehicles. Surveys have shown that approximately 1.5 million people live within a 40 minutes drive of the dunes and that most visits are concentrated within 250m of the car park.
It remains, however, a good example of how humans can indirectly affect a sand dune ecosystem. Sand dunes can also be indirectly affected by the amount of sand available to form them. McKirdy and Foxwell (in Doody, 1985) suggest that commercial sand extraction and coastal protection measures affect the formation and stability of dunes.
Questions
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1. How high you estimate the tallest dune to be, (off the car park level) ?
2. Depending on the mineral content, some particles in sand may cling, which indicates iron content. Take a small magnet with you. Clean it off. Rub it in some dry sand. Does the sand have any iron content?
3. What is going cause punctures and scratches? (Car Park – noticeboard). Image in gallery - (4th bullet.)
4. REQUIREMENT:- Upload a picture with you and / or your GPS with the dunes in the background
Bibliography
Briggs, D & P Smithson et al (1997) Fundamentals of the Physical Environment, 2nd Edition, pp557 London: Routledge
Clark, M W (Ed) (1984) Coastal Research: UK Perspectives pp131 Norwich: Geo Books
Doody, P (Ed) (1985) Sand Dunes And Their Management, Meeting at the University of Swansea (September 1984) pp262
Peterborough: Nature Conservancy Council
Evans, S M & J M Hardy (1970) Seashore and Sand Dunes pp86 London: Heinemann
Freedman, B (1989) Environmental Ecology pp424 London: Academic Press
Goudie, A (1993) The Human Impact on the Natural Environment, 4th Edition pp454 Oxford: Blackwell
Hails, J & A Carr (Ed) (1975) Nearshore Sediment Dynamics and Sedimentation pp316 London: John Wiley & Sons
Steers, J A (1969) The Sea Coast, 4th Edition pp292 London: Collins
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