Events at Llys Nini
 IMG_7813 |  Hallowe'en 2 |
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 IMG_7809 |  Hallowe'en 4 |
 Hallowe'en 5 |  Lady and the Tramp |
 Mutt strut |  Hallowe'en 3 |
 IMG_7812 |  Hallowe'en 1 |
 Christmas fayre |  Christmas fayre 2 |
 IMG_7808 |
2015-2016
The sponsored walk with a difference - this one's for dogs!
Mutt Strut
Hallowe'en
Hallowe'en at Llys Nini this year saw a week-long free puzzle trail in the woods - to find the witch that had stolen the Hallowe'en candy! It finished in an all-day event involving pumpkin carving, face-painting and more.
Art in Nature Trail
November saw the creation of our Art in Nature Trail, celebrating the beauty in nature. In addition to our Giant's Chair, made from the beams of Llys Nini's original farmhouse, the woods were filled with willow animals and rainbow shapes.
Particular thanks to Year 1 from Bryncoch Church in Wales School, for making our beautiful Rainbow Swirl!
Our Christmas Fayre landed at the end of November, with a hunt for Santa's reindeer on site and singing and stalls inside.
Christmas Fayre
Traditional Welsh Christmas Trail
Wren Day was traditionally observed on Boxing Day, and consisted of the young men of a village seeking out and capturing a wren. Wrens are tiny, a scant few millimetres away from taking the title of Britain's smallest bird, and so successfully hunting one was considered good luck for the coming year.
If a wren couldn't be found, however, a sparrow would be used instead.
The tradition mostly died out in the 1950s-60s, owing to the drunken behaviour of the Mari Lwyds, largely. But fear not! Many parts of Wales are now reviving the tradition, with the village of Llangynwyd able to claim that they never really stopped. Because nothing says 'Merry Christmas' like an insolent horse-skulled nightmare beast.
Wren Day was traditionally observed on Boxing Day, and consisted of the young men of a village seeking out and capturing a wren. Wrens are tiny, a scant few millimetres away from taking the title of Britain's smallest bird, and so successfully hunting one was considered good luck for the coming year.
Christmas with a difference! This trail comprised a walk through the woods, while some of Wales'... quirkier old time Christmas traditions were on display. Featuring Calennig, Wren Day, and of course, the Mari Lwyd.
The Tale of the Cursed Castle
The Interactive Story Trail
February Half Term started with a bang! Our new adventure playground, Castell Einon, opened beside the car park, and pupils from Penllergaer and Pontlliw Primary Schools were invited up to break it in.
But what's this? The gate into the Castle is locked? But who could have done such a thing...?
The interactive story trail followed the tale of Cedwyn the Giant, who locked the castle and hid the letters of the password around the woods. Children had to hear each story segment and find the password along the trail.
Dragon Hunt Trail
St David's Day brought with it a dragon hunt, coinciding (of course) with the annual re-emergence of Wales' dragons from hibernation. Visitors learned how to track signs of wildlife by being guided through the process of hunting dragons, looking for footprints, basking sites, feeding sites - and, of course, the dragon itself...
Easter Bunny Hunt
Photos Coming Soon!
Magnificent May Trail
I spy with my little eye!
Mayday weekend was marked in style at Llys Nini with a special I-Spy trail designed to get people looking for the hallmarks of Spring. The weather held out nicely, and the bluebells rose to the occasion!
Enchanted Woodlands Trail
The woodlands came alive with faeries and magic in June, as our Enchanted Woodland trail launched. Evidence of magic was hidden throughout the woods, and visitors were encouraged to spot the signs - helping to teach them how to look for small signs of wildlife, while letting them have fun, too!
Teddy Bear's Picnic
If you go down to the woods today... The end of July and start of August were marked with a two-week trail featuring a teddy bear's picnic! Trail-goers were invited to bring a picnic and a teddy and come and explore the woods, with an additional little i-Spy Teddy Trail. Bad weather unfortunately limited numbers, but those that came had nothing but good things to say! A definite fixture for next year.
Detective Trail
Welcome, Detectives! Can you solve the Case of the Stolen Specs? So began the Detective Trail, a charming little interactive story trail that followed the tale of Mole's stolen glasses - but who was the thief? Robin, Rabbit, Fox, Squirrel, or Otter?
Children looked for clues in the woods, armed with a Detective's Notebook. The trail proved so popular we left it up for an extra week!
Bat Walk
As September rolled in, we welcomed back local expert Rhiannon Bevan to host a Bat Walk - a lovely event in which visitors could walk with Rhiannon as dusk fell, using bat detectors to find the bats on site.
Ghost Hunt Trail
Are you brave enough to find the Ghost Queen?
Once a year, on Hallowe’en, the Llys Nini woods come alive with ghosts, ghouls and goblins! But among them all walks the Ghost Queen, a silent figure. It’s said that if you can follow her trail and find her, she rewards children with good luck for the year – but only if you’re brave enough to walk through the woods…
Nighttime Ghost Walk
Mid week of October half-term, we ran a nighttime Ghost Walk - the Hallowe'en trail was enhanced with all things light-up and glow-in-the-dark, and visitors were given torches and light-up lollipop sticks before being led on a spooky tour of our woods in the dark. The event was phenomenally successful, and we even saw a few real live bats getting into the occasion!
Hallowe'en Fun Day
To round off October half term, we held a Hallowe'en Fun Day at the centre, featuring pumpkin carving, face painting, spooky treats and, of course, our very popular Ghost Hunt Trail. The event was packed, and over 100 pumpkins carved!
Art in Nature Trail
Our second annual Art in Nature Trail rolled around in early November, and a great time was had by all!
Grinch Trail and Christmas Fayre
We kicked off December with our annual Christmas Fayre, this year with an extra surprise - a Grinch Trail! Children had to follow a poem through the woods and find the Grinch's house to save Christmas.
Traditions with a Twist Christmas Trail
We finished 2016 with our second Traditions with a Twist Christmas Trail, in which we displayed some of Wales' wackier traiditions from the festive season.
