The Dingle is a nature reserve found just to the north of Llangefni

Llangefni

Llangefni is the county town of Anglesey in Wales and contains the principal offices of the Isle of Anglesey County Council. According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, the population of Llangefni was 4,662 people and it is the second largest settlement on the island...

, Anglesey

Anglesey

Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...

, north Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

. Dingle is a common placename in the English language, which means "steep wooded valley", which describes it well. However, like many similar English names for natural attractions in Wales, e.g. Fairy Glen, the English name is recent and probably coined as tourism developed. The original Welsh name, still used by locals, is Nant y Pandy (Nant "brook" or "glen" + "fulling mill": "Fulling Mill Brook/Glen"), as there used to be a wool processing plant in the valley. The park is naturally divided into two parts, the wooded southern half and the northern half which is in a clearing. The main entrance is by St Cyngar’s Church where there is a car park.

The reserve is 25 acres (101,171.5 m²) in area and is bisected by the Afon Cefni

Afon Cefni

Afon Cefni is one of the major rivers on the island of Anglesey, Wales. It is long. The river starts at the Llyn Cefni in the centre of the island and then runs south through the county town of Llangefni. Just north of the A55 the river turns and flows south-west. It passes through the flatlands...

 (River Cefni). It was formed by glacier

Glacier

A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...

s during the last ice age as they eroded the soft rock of the area. It gained its current name in the 1830s and was designated as a Local Nature reserve in 1995, although there has been a blanket tree preservation order

Tree preservation order

A Tree Preservation Order or TPO is a part of town and country planning in the United Kingdom. A TPO is made by a Local Planning Authority to protect specific trees or a particular area, group or woodland from deliberate damage and destruction...

 in place since 1971. In 2003 the reserve was granted £122,000 for major improvements including better disabled access, boardwalks and tree sculptures. It was awarded the UK MAB Urban Wildlife Award For Excellence in 2004 thanks to this work. The new boardwalks mean visitors can make their way all the way north to Llyn Cefni

Llyn Cefni

Llyn Cefni is a small reservoir in the centre of Anglesey, Wales which is managed by Welsh Water and Hamdden Ltd. It is located just one kilometre north of the island's county town of Llangefni and is the source of the Afon Cefni and other smaller watercourses...

, travelling parallel to the disused tracks of the Anglesey Central Railway

Anglesey Central Railway

The Anglesey Central Railway was a long standard-gauge railway in Anglesey, Wales, connecting the port of Amlwch and the county town of Llangefni with the North Wales Coast Line at Gaerwen. Built as an independent railway, the railway opened in portions from 1864 to 1867...

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