:Merthyr Mawr Sand Dunes
{{Short description|Protected area in Glamorgan, Wales}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{coord|51|28|48|N|03|38|33|W|display=title}}
File:Grassy duneland, Merthyr Mawr Warren - geograph.org.uk - 1076523.jpg
File:Large sand dune in Merthyr Mawr Warren - geograph.org.uk - 7011950.jpg
Merthyr Mawr Sand Dunes are sand dunes and a Site of Special Scientific Interest in Bridgend, south Wales. The village of Merthyr Mawr is nearby.
The largest dune at the site is known as The Big Dipper and is the second-largest of its kind in Europe, measuring around {{convert|200|ft|m}}.
Geography
The site of the dunes is a large interdunal wetland that covers an area of {{convert|840|acre}} in the County of Bridgend, around {{convert|5|km|mi|spell=in}} southwest of Bridgend town.{{cite web |url=http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/516784/1/Whiteman%20et%20al.pdf |title=Merthyr Mawr: A case study for the assessment of nitrate at humid dunes in England and Wales |publisher=nerc.ac.uk |accessdate=3 March 2020 }} The site was originally connected to the dunes at Kenfig Burrows but a limestone path farmland and two golf courses have been constructed that now separate the two dune areas. Both sites have been designated as national nature reserves and Special Areas of Conservation under the Habitats Directive by the European Union.{{cite web |url=https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2019-01/181017atisn12633doc2.pdf|title=Administrative information – Welsh Government |publisher=Natural Resources Wales |date=13 September 2017 |accessdate=2 March 2020 }} The dunes derive their name from the nearby village of Merthyr Mawr.
In its early history, the dunes were part of a continuous stretch of dunes, reaching from the estuary of the River Ogmore to the Gower Peninsula.{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/wales/articles/surprising-home-to-europe-second-largest-sand-dune-merthyr-mawr/ |title=The Welsh village that's the surprising home to Europe's second biggest sand dune |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |last=Morris |first=Hugh |date=10 July 2017 |accessdate=2 March 2020}}
In 2018, Bridgend Council launched a two-year conservation plan for the dunes, stating that sand dunes were "one of the habitats most at risk in Europe". The project was expected to cost more than £300,000.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-46293769 |title=Merthyr Mawr and Kenfig sand dunes set to be protected |publisher=BBC News |date=21 November 2018 |accessdate=2 March 2020}}
The largest dune at the site is known as The Big Dipper, which is the biggest of its kind in Wales.{{cite web |url=https://naturalresources.wales/days-out/places-to-visit/south-east-wales/merthyr-mawr-nnr/?lang=en |title=Merthyr Mawr Warren Nature Reserve |accessdate=2 March 2020}} The dune is the second-largest in Europe, measuring around {{convert|200|ft|m}}, smaller only than the Dune of Pilat in Western France. The ruins of Candleston Castle are located on the edge of the dunes.{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/uk/sandy-beaches-wales-uk-britain-merthyr-mawr-sand-dunes-a7074456.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220512/https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/uk/sandy-beaches-wales-uk-britain-merthyr-mawr-sand-dunes-a7074456.html |archive-date=12 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Merthyr Mawr Sand Dunes, Wales |newspaper=The Independent |last=Dunford |first=Martin |date=17 June 2016 |accessdate=2 March 2020}}
In popular culture
The dunes at Merthyr Mawr were used during the filming of Lawrence of Arabia, a film based on the life of T. E. Lawrence. The site doubled for the deserts on the Arabian Peninsula.{{cite news |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/nostalgia/merthyr-mawr-stood-arabian-desert-11147158 |title=When Merthyr Mawr stood in for the Arabian desert and the beaches of South Wales were out-of-this-world |work=WalesOnline |publisher=Media Wales |last=Doran |first=Lorna |date=7 April 2016 |accessdate=2 March 2020}}