Join Gwent Ornithological Society (GOS) and the RSPB for a FREE family day at Newport Wetlands

Expect a day full of fun and learning, led by bird experts from across the Gwent Levels. There will be lots of different activities for all the family to get stuck into, including…

• Building a nest box for your feathered garden friends

• Exploring what Barnie the barn owl had for dinner in ‘pull-apart-a-pellet’

• Go bird spotting on a walk led by an expert birdwatcher

• Get creative at the craft table

• Learn about different birds and how to identify them at the ‘What’s that Bird?’ talk

• Pond dipping for beasties

  …. and much more!

This is a free event, just turn up on the day and join in!

For more information about the event and Gwent Ornithological Society please follow the links below:

*Please note that parking at Newport Wetlands is £4 all day (free for RSPB members)

Living Levels will be at the Newport Ship Medieval Open Day! Expect archery, willow weaving, family crafts and much more…

The Living Levels team will have different activities for the family to get stuck into, as well as lots of information about the history and wildlife of the Gwent Levels. We will be on hand to talk about different areas to visit, walks you can do, as well as this areas historical past and it’s current biodiversity.

This is a free event. For more information visit https://www.newportship.org/end-of-the-season-2021

Andy Karran, Gwent Wildlife Trust’s Ecologist, will be hosting an online talk all about which of these spectacular insects can be found within the recognised hotspot that is the Gwent Levels, when and where to look for them, and a bit about their fascinating ecology.

Booking is advised - Please book via the Gwent Wildlife Trust website

An introduction to dragonflies and damselflies

Join Kevin Dupé from Natural Resources Wales and our very own Chris Harris, (who just so happens to be the County Dragonfly Recorder for Herefordshire) to learn more about these fascinating creatures and how to identify them. Followed by a short walk around the RSPB Newport Wetlands reserve to try and spot them for yourself!

Booking is essential - please book your place via our Eventbrite page.

*Parking at RSPB Newport Wetlands cost £4 for non RSPB members.

If you have an interest in identifying and recording wildlife or if you are looking for a family friendly activity out in nature, you should come along to our BioBlitz!

A BioBlitz is a session to record as much wildlife as possible within a single day at a single site. It’s a great way of getting a clearer picture of how nature is faring on the Gwent Levels.

Come and join the Living Levels team, along with Monmouthshire Council’s Countryside Access Management and South East Wales Biodiversity Record Centre staff to record the nature at Rogiet Countryside Park.

Info on the day:

• We will be there from 11:00-3:00. You could come for the whole event or just drop by.

• We will have nets and post and a tone of experts to help identify and record the sightings of the day.

• Your involvement and help surveying the wildlife of the area will help improve our understanding of the state of nature and the effects of climate change.

• Please bring along your own food and beverages.

• There are no toilet facilities at this location.

Travel:

• By Rail: The Severn Tunnel Junction Train Station is just around the corner.

• By Bus: The X74 and 74 goes through Rogiet.

• By Car: There is a carpark by the entrance of Rogiet Countryside Park. Please note there is a fee to use this carpark.

• Or why not try cycling or walking 😊

To Book

To be reminded of this event and to help us gauge the number of people who are interested please book onto this event via our Eventbrite page. As a result, you will gain more info via email closer to the event date.

For more information on Rogiet Countryside Park please use the following links:

Come and join the Living Levels team and the highly regarded naturalist and broadcaster, Ed Drewitt, to explore the wildlife at Goldcliff Lagoons!

Ed will guide us through the sights and sounds of this location and discuss the significance of this habitat. We will look out for redshank, avocets, lapwing and more.

This activity is part of the Living Levels Wild Watch Programme, informing people of the natural wonders of the Gwent Levels and encouraging people to start identifying and recording important species.

The activity will involve a short walk from the Farmers Arms over to Goldcliff Lagoons and onto the Seawall, making good use of the bird hides in the reserve. The activity will be two hours in total, which will include moments to stop, listen and look. Ed will be on hand throughout, pointing out the wildlife that can be seen and heard and there will be opportunities to make wildlife identification records.

This is an activity suitable for everyone with an interest in nature and the outdoors whether you want a little helping hand to identify wildlife or whether you are already knowledgeable, and just want to join others with similar interests. It will be a great way to experience the nature that is on the doorstep of Newport.

The event is aimed at adults, but young nature enthusiasts are welcome (Age 8+)! All those under 16 must be accompanied by a guardian.

A few things to note about the location and the terrain:

• There will be a short distance of walking along a country lane.

• There will be no stiles and all the bird hides have accessible ramps, however the terrain will be grassy and bumpy and possibly a little boggy. There will also be a short but steep incline to see beyond the seawall.

• There will be no toilets at this location.

What to Bring

• Suitable shoes for the terrain.

• Binoculars if you have any, we will have some to borrow too.

Where to Meet

The Farmers Arms, Goldcliff Road, Goldcliff, Newport, NP18 2AU

To Book

If you want to join us please book through our Eventbrite Page to make sure you get a place. There is no charge for this event.

Join us for an online talk about The Great Crane Project with RSPB Conservation Officer, Damon Bridge.

The Great Crane Project, a species reintroduction project based on the Somerset Levels and Moors, was a partnership project that aimed to secure the future of the common crane (Grus grus) in the UK. In 2018, a pair of cranes crossed the Severn Estuary and became the first cranes to nest on the Gwent Levels in 400 years.

Join Damon Bridge, former Project Manager for the Great Crane Project, as he shares his insights and knowledge of one of the UK’s first ‘head-starting’ projects and it’s success across the Somerset Levels!

Damon has been working for the RSPB since the early 2000’s and became the first warden of RSPB Greylake before project managing the Great Crane Project. Damon is currently a Conservation Officer, focusing on landscape-scale change to adapt and mitigate the impacts of climate change.   

To Book

This is an online event. To receive the details to sign into the event, please book your place via our Eventbrite page.

Beer and Ships! What could be better?

Join Dr Toby Jones for a brief overview of the Medieval Newport Ship and a project update. All accompanied by a craft beer tasting session from local microbrewery Anglo Oregon Brewing Company.

Find out more about the event and book tickets below!

Tickets include samples of 5 beers.

Attendees must be over the age of 18yrs and proof of ID may be requested on arrival.

Living Levels are partnering with SEWBReC to deliver species identification and recording training, suitable for beginners!

This workshop will explore a variety of birds, mammals, amphibians and plants found on the Gwent Levels, and it will give you the skills to identify and record them for yourself!

This is a free event to encourage people to go out and record species across the Gwent Levels. Species recordings are an invaluable way to understand the effects of the climate crisis, as well as inform us of species numbers across the Gwent Levels. Such data can be used to better inform management decisions and policies that affect your local area.

This will be a day long workshop delivered by SEWBReC (South East Wales Biodiversity Records Centre) in partnership with Living Levels. It is suitable for beginners – no prior experience required!

The day will include:

- An introduction to recording species,

- An introduction to the identification of 12 key species, highlighting diagnostic tips for identification as well as confusion species,

- A short walk in the local area to practice identification.

Please note lunch will not be provided on the day, so please bring a pack lunch with you. We will, however, supply tea, coffee, and biscuits to be enjoyed throughout the day 😊

To Book

Booking is essential - please book your place via our Eventbrite page.

Please note we are holding three identical training days at three locations across the Gwent Levels. Please do not book onto all three events. Please only book onto one of the events at the location that best suits you: Newport Wetlands, Magor Marsh or Beacon Centre Community Centre.

Location

City Nature Challenge in the Parkland at Tredegar House

Get ready for Cardiff, Newport and Gwent Levels City Nature Challenge 2023!

Join the Living Levels Partnership Project, SEWBReC, Bumblebee Conservation Trust and RSPB in the parkland at Tredegar House to talk about wildlife, and to be inspired to record urban wildlife for yourself!

The Living Levels team, SEWBReC (South East Wales Biodiversity Records Centre), Bumblebee Conservation Trust and RSPB will be in Tredegar Park, Newport, with some wildlife activities, and lots of knowledge to help people identify and record different species.

Join us from 11am to 3pm, we will be set up over by the play area, ready to discuss all things wild and to help you record as many wildlife observations as we can!

This is a free event, no need to book just turn up on the day.

Please note the carpark at Tredegar Park is pay and display, but free for National Trust members and blue badge holders. Access to the park area is free of charge. If you would like to visit Tredegar House and grounds more information about prices and opening times can be found here.

City Nature Challenge is an annual four-day global 'bioblitz', aiming to record as much wildlife as possible in urban areas using the free iNaturalist app. Over 400 cities across the world will be taking part in friendly competition to see who can gather the most observations and find the most species.

Why not download the iNaturalist app and come and join us.

Living Levels are partnering with SEWBReC to deliver species identification and recording training, suitable for beginners!

This workshop will explore a variety of birds, mammals, amphibians and plants found on the Gwent Levels, and it will give you the skills to identify and record them for yourself!

This is a free event to encourage people to go out and record species across the Gwent Levels. Species recordings are an invaluable way to understand the effects of the climate crisis, as well as inform us of species numbers across the Gwent Levels. Such data can be used to better inform management decisions and policies that affect your local area.

This will be a day long workshop delivered by SEWBReC (South East Wales Biodiversity Records Centre) in partnership with Living Levels. It is suitable for beginners – no prior experience required!

The day will include:

- An introduction to recording species,

- An introduction to the identification of 12 key species, highlighting diagnostic tips for identification as well as confusion species,

- A short walk in the local area to practice identification.

Please note lunch will not be provided on the day, so please bring a pack lunch with you. We will, however, supply tea, coffee, and biscuits to be enjoyed throughout the day 😊

To Book

Booking is essential - please book your place via our Eventbrite page.

Please note we are holding three identical training days at three locations across the Gwent Levels. Please do not book onto all three events. Please only book onto one of the events at the location that best suits you: Newport Wetlands, Magor Marsh or Beacon Centre Community Centre.

Location

For Chepstow Walkers are Welcome’s Walking Festival Living Levels are partnering with Martin Bell, Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at Reading University, for a walk along the Wales Coast Path from Goldcliff Seawall to Newport Wetlands Nature Reserve.

Distance: 5 miles | Time: 3-4 hours | Moderate Walk

Join the Living Levels Team and Martin Bell, Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at Reading University, for a walk along the Wales Coast Path from Goldcliff Seawall to Newport Wetlands Nature Reserve. The walk will include off road walking through nature reserves and farmland as well as a few stretches along country lanes. Walking through this peaceful scenery, rich in wildlife, Martin Bell will situate the land into its historical context in relation to his archaeological research.

Professor Martin Bell has been excavating in the Severn Estuary since 1983. His excavations have included Bronze Age Settlements at Brean Down in Somerset, and Redwick in Gwent, and an extensive complex of Mesolithic to Iron Age sites at Goldcliff. The excavations are mainly in the intertidal zone on sites subject to coastal erosion. Some of the most striking finds are prehistoric human and animal footprints.

This walk is moderate, the landscape is flat, but the terrain may be bumpy underfoot. It is roughly five miles in length and will take approximately three and a half hours. Due to the walk weaving through working farmland and nature reserves no dogs will be permitted on this journey.  

We will start at the RSPB Newport Wetlands carpark (subject to £4.00 parking fee for non-RSPB members). From here a coach will pick us up, and drop us at the Seawall in Goldcliff, giving us the morning to meander back. At the end of the walk there will be an opportunity to explore some of Martin Bells’ archaeological finds at the Newport Wetlands Visitor Centre.  

Bring:  If you have binoculars bring them along, but don’t worry if you haven’t got any, we will have some that you can borrow. Also, if you arrive by car, bring your RSPB membership or £4 for the carparking charge.

Starting Point: RSPB Newport Wetlands carpark.

To Book

As part of the Chepstow Walkers are Welcome’s Walking Festival booking can be made through their website below.

Chepstow Walkers are Welcome’s Walking festival runs between April 11th-16th. Check out the other walks that are happening here, that you can join in with too!

Join the 3 Parish History Group as they meet for a free talk by Mr Peter Strong on the ‘Tales of the Levels’.

Learn stories of those who lived and worked on the Levels in decades past. The talk will also be followed by refreshments.

Nash Village Hall - 2:30pm - All welcome - Refreshments

For Chepstow Walkers are Welcome’s Walking Festival Living Levels are partnering with the naturalist Gavin Vella for a dawn chorus circular walk around Magor and Magor Marsh.

Loops & Links Walk 7: Magor & Magor Marsh Loop

Distance: 1.5 - 2miles | Time: 1.5-2 hours | Easy Walk

Soak up the dawn chorus with Living Levels Landscape Partnership and naturalist Gavin Vella on a gentle walk from Magor Square to Magor Marsh Nature Reserve, past the ruins of Magor Mansion and returning via St Mary’s Church. Gwent Wildllife Trust's ​Magor Marsh Nature Reserve is one of the last fragments of fenland on the Gwent Levels, a landscape which has existed here for thousands of years. This is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

This walk consists of some country lane walking, but much of the time will be in the nature reserve. Gavin Vella will be on hand to discuss the bird calls and identify what we can hear and see. Bring your binoculars along and get ready to hopefully hear or see little egrets, kingfishers, water voles and more.

Bring:  If you have binoculars bring them along, but don’t worry if you haven’t got any, we will have some that you can borrow.

Starting Point: Please meet at Magor Square Car Park.

To Book

As part of the Chepstow Walkers are Welcome’s Walking Festival booking can be made through their website below.

Chepstow Walkers are Welcome’s Walking festival runs between April 11th-16th. Check out the other walks that are happening here, that you can join in with too!

Living Levels will be at Chepstow Castle for a day of wildlife activities and crafts!

We will have different activities for the family to get stuck into, as well as lots of information about the history and wildlife of the Gwent Levels.

Come and join us to make your own bird seed feeder, or get crafty and make bees and butterflies out of our craft materials. We also have eye-spy nature trails for you to take away and do independently. All activities are subject to available materials.

But, you can always just come and have a chat about the Gwent Levels. We will be on hand to talk about different areas to visit, walks you can do, as well as this areas historical past and it’s current biodiversity.

Parking and Entrance Fees

Please note that there is a charge to park and enter Chepstow Castle. More information regarding their fees can be found via their website HERE.

Dr Mark Lewis, curator of the National Roman Legion Museum, Amgueddfa Cymru, will describes the Roman legionary fortress at Caerleon and it’s impact on the development of the Gwent Levels. As part of the talk, we will be premiering a new digital reconstruction of the fortress and landscape.

Roman Caerleon is integral to the story of the Levels. Constructed around AD 74/5, the fortress was one of only three permanent legionary bases in Britain and was home to the Second Augustan Legion for over 200 years. This formidable structure dominated the local landscape and helped shape the Gwent Levels as we know them today.

Working with digital artists Virtual Histories and the National Roman Legion Museum, Living Levels have commissioned a short animated film reconstructing the Roman Gwent Levels and the legionary fortress as they might have looked at the end of the 2nd century AD, revealing in stunning detail the scale of this awe-inspiring structure at the furthest edge of the Roman Empire.

To find out more, and to be one of the first to view this short animation book your place! The animation will be available to view on the Living Levels website after the talk.

To Book

This is an online event. To receive the details to sign into the event, please book your place via our Eventbrite page.

Living Levels are partnering with SEWBReC to deliver species identification and recording training, suitable for beginners!

This workshop will explore a variety of birds, mammals, amphibians and plants found on the Gwent Levels, and it will give you the skills to identify and record them for yourself!

This is a free* event to encourage people to go out and record species across the Gwent Levels. Species recordings are an invaluable way to understand the effects of the climate crisis, as well as inform us of species numbers across the Gwent Levels. Such data can be used to better inform management decisions and policies that affect your local area.

This will be a day long workshop delivered by SEWBReC (South East Wales Biodiversity Records Centre) in partnership with Living Levels. It is suitable for beginners – no prior experience required!

The day will include:

- An introduction to recording species,

- An introduction to the identification of 12 key species, highlighting diagnostic tips for identification as well as confusion species,

- A short walk in the local area to practice identification.

Please note lunch will not be provided on the day, so please bring a pack lunch with you. We will, however, supply tea, coffee, and biscuits to be enjoyed throughout the day 😊

To Book

Booking is essential - please book your place via our Eventbrite page.

Please note we are holding three identical training days at three locations across the Gwent Levels. Please do not book onto all three events. Please only book onto one of the events at the location that best suits you: Newport Wetlands, Magor Marsh or Beacon Centre Community Centre.

Location

*Newport Wetlands has a £4 car park fee. If you are a RSPB member please bring your membership card with you to gain free parking.*

The Living Levels Team will be at RSPB Newport Wetlands for the final (Future) Wales Coast Path event and to celebrate the unveiling of the new lighthouse installation!

The (Future) Wales Coast Path’s lighthouse is being installed at Newport Wetlands! Join the unveiling of this artwork and take a short walk (1 mile) to the sea with artist Alison Neighbour and marine social scientist Dr Emma McKinley.

If you are intrigued to find out more about what connects us to a community in the Indian Sundarbans and the shifting relationship between land and water come along!

The day will also include the premier of two new short films as well as the launch of the collective ‘Guidebook to the Future’, co-created with local people who’ve walked and talked with The (Future) Wales Coast Path over the past 12 months.

Itinerary

• 11am: Introduction to the project & unveiling of the Lighthouse installation followed by a short walk to the sea (1 mile- 1hr-1.5hrs)

• 12:30 - 4pm: Book launch & film screening

To Book

This is a FREE* event and everyone is welcome to drop in throughout the day. However, spaces on the walk will be limited. Find out more about the event and book a place on the walk through the link below.

*Parking at RSPB Newport Wetlands cost £4 for non RSPB members.

Join the Living Levels team this February half term on one of our 'Levels Loops & Links' walks.

Distance: 8.5 km | Time: 2.5 - 3 hours | Moderate Walk

Led by the Living Levels team and Jeremy, one of our amazing and knowledgeable volunteers. This circular route will take us from the magnificent Caldicot Castle down to the coast by the Prince of Wales Bridge and back again.

Walk highlights include the Iron Age fort at Sudbrook, the ruins of Holy Trinity Church and two of the Living Levels commissioned sculptures at Black Rock that celebrate the people of the Levels. Also expect some wildlife sightings and commentary from Jeremy all whilst enjoying the spectacular views over the Severn Estuary.

We will start and finish at Caldicot Castle car park. Please keep in mind this route will involve country lane walking and grassy terrain. We recommend you wear warm waterproof clothing suitable for the weather and outdoor walking shoes or boots. If you have a pair of binoculars please bring those along too.

Under 18's to be accompanied by an adult.

Please meet at the Caldicot Castle car park at 10:15am ready for a 10:30am start - a member of the Living Levels team will be there to greet you.

To Book

Booking is essential - please book your place via our Eventbrite page.

Living Levels Information Stall at Tredegar House

Come and find us at Tredegar House, at the begging of half-term, to talk about The Living Levels Partnership Project. We will have information about:

• Walks across the Gwent Levels,

• Locations to visit,

• Wildlife to look out for and

• Fascinating facts regarding the history of the Levels.

Just turn up on the day and join us for a friendly conversation and some inspiration for half-term activities.

We will be next to the café in the Home Farm area. Access to this area is free of charge. If you would like to visit the fabulous house and grounds more information about prices and opening times can be found here.

Please note the carpark at Tredegar House is pay and display, but free for National Trust members and blue badge holders.

Online talk with Dr Toby Jones

Join Living Levels for a fascinating online talk with Dr Toby Jones, the Newport Medieval Ship Project curator!

Dr Toby Jones will unravel the secrets of the Newport Medieval Ship. Discovered and raised between 2002 and 2003, our understanding of this 15th century merchant vessel has progressed through cleaning, digital documentation, analysis, and conservation.

Examination of the ship timbers has led to a greater understanding of Atlantic-Iberian ship design and building in the late medieval period. Recovery of such a unique find provides rare insights into the technological innovations that accompanied the Age of Exploration and the complexity of Anglo-Welsh /Iberian trading links.

Dr Toby Jones will reveal the secrets behind this enigmatic vessel and will further explore what it can tell us about medieval life onboard and in Newport. He will also discuss plans for the reassembly and display of this unique international treasure.

To Book

This is an online event. To receive the details to sign into the event, please book your place via our Eventbrite page.

Donations

Please consider donating to The Friends of Newport Ship who have sought to raise both awareness and funds to support the conservation of the Newport Medieval Ship Project.

Online talk with Dr Mark Lewis

Join us for an online talk with Dr Mark Lewis (Senior Curator: Roman) from the Amgueddfa Cymru, National Roman Legion Museum, Caerleon.

Dr Lewis will share some of the amazing archaeological discoveries reported by members of the public to the National Museum and the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS Cymru) in Wales in recent years.  He will describe the free identification service offered by the National Museum and PAS Cymru.  He will also discuss the lore and law surrounding the discovery of archaeological objects, and will ask whether their true value is a financial one or rather to be found in the stories that they can tell about our shared pasts – stories that belong to all of us?

To Book

This is an online event. To receive the details to sign into the event, please book your place via our Eventbrite page.

Living Levels Information and Activity Stall at Tredegar House

Come find us at Tredegar House’s Home Farm to talk about The Living Levels Partnership Project. We will have information available about walks across the Gwent Levels, future events as well as interactive activities for families!

No need to book - just turn up on the day!

The carpark at Tredegar House is pay and display, but free for National Trust members and blue badge holders.

Access to the Home Farm area is free of charge but if you would like to access the house and grounds more information about opening times and prices can be found here https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/tredegar-house

Please note that the Cotyledon Food and Craft Market will also be at Tredegar House on this date.

Online Lecture with Tony Hopkins.

Join us for a fascinating online lecture with Tony Hopkins - former county archivist of the Gwent Archives.

The Tudor period saw momentous religious and administrative changes that affected Monmouthshire. The pivotal decade was the 1530s when Henry VIII passed three acts which were particularly significant; one dissolved the monasteries, another ‘assimilated’ Wales with England and created the county of Monmouthshire, while a third regulated the commissions responsible for maintaining sea defences, of especial importance to coastal Gwent. The talk will consider the impact of these acts on the society and economy of the Levels under 4 main headings:

• The creation of Monmouthshire

• The Dissolution of the Monasteries

• Agriculture

• Water Management

In conclusion the talk will assess the Levels at the end of the Tudor period.

To Book

This is an online event. To receive the details to sign into the event, please book your place via our Eventbrite page.