Afon Dwyfor | |
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![]() The Afon Dwyfor as it leaves Cwm Pennant | |
Location | |
Country | United Kingdom, Wales |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• location | Cwm Dwyfor, Eifionydd Hills |
• coordinates | 53°01′13″N4°10′41″W / 53.0204°N 4.1780°W |
• elevation | 460 ft (140 m) |
Mouth | |
• location | Tremadog Bay, Cardigan Bay |
• coordinates | 52°54′38″N4°15′38″W / 52.9105°N 4.2606°W |
• elevation | 0 ft (0 m) |
Length | 12.5 mi (20.1 km) |
The Afon Dwyfor is a river in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, in total the river is 12+1⁄2 miles (20.1 km) in length. It rises in Cwm Dwyfor at the head of Cwm Pennant, gathers to itself numerous streams which drain the surrounding mountains from Mynydd Graig Goch in the west to Moel Hebog in the east, then flows southwest towards Dolbenmaen and out of the Snowdonia National Park. [1]
After a brief diversion west, it turns south, then southwest again, heading for the village of Llanystumdwy. Beyond Llanystumdwy it heads for the coast and Tremadog Bay. Its mouth has been diverted eastwards by almost one mile by a shingle spit resulting from longshore drift. [2]
Its principal tributaries are the Afon Henwy which enters on its left bank above Dolbenmaen, and the Afon Dwyfach which joins it as a right-bank tributary to the west of Llanystumdwy. The Dwyfach itself rises in an area of flat ground to the west of the A487 road between Bryncir and Llanllyfni and flows in a generally southerly direction. [1]
'Afon Dwyfor' signifies the 'big holy river' in Welsh, with 'for' being a corrupted form of 'fawr' (large), 'Dwyfawr' being a form recorded in 1838, whilst the 'Afon Dwyfach' is the 'little holy river'. [3] The legend of Dwyfan and Dwyfach has been attached to the two rivers. [4]
The river is bridged by numerous minor roads and paths but also by the A487, B4411 and A497 roads as well as the railway line between Criccieth and Pwllheli. [5] At Dolbenmaen it is believed the Roman road to Segontium forded the river. A motte-and-bailey castle, once the residence of Llywelyn the Great, guarded the ford during the Middle Ages. [6]
The grave of David Lloyd George, prime minister from 1916-1922, stands beside the Dwyfor in Llanystumdwy. [7] A boulder marks the grave; there is no inscription; however a monument designed by the architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis was subsequently erected around the grave, [8] bearing an englyn (strict-metre stanza) engraved on slate in his memory composed by his nephew Dr W. R. P. George.
The River Usk rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain, Wales, in the westernmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Initially forming the boundary between Carmarthenshire and Powys, it flows north into Usk Reservoir, then east by Sennybridge to Brecon before turning southeast to flow by Talybont-on-Usk, Crickhowell and Abergavenny after which it takes a more southerly course.
Criccieth is a town and community on the Llŷn Peninsula in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd in Wales. The town lies 5 miles (8 km) west of Porthmadog, 9 miles (14 km) east of Pwllheli and 17 miles (27 km) south of Caernarfon. It had a population of 1,826 in 2001, reducing to 1,753 at the 2011 census.
The Afon Mawddach is a river in Gwynedd, Wales, which has its source in a wide area SH820300 north of Dduallt in Snowdonia. It is 28 miles (45 km) in length, and is much branched; many of the significant tributaries are of a similar size to the main river. The catchment area is bounded to the east by the Aran Fawddwy massif and to the west and north by the Harlech dome which forms a watershed just south of Llyn Trawsfynydd.
The River Teifi in Wales forms the boundary for most of its length between the counties of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, and for the final 3 miles (4.8 km) of its total length of 76 miles (122 km), the boundary between Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. Its estuary is northwest of Cardigan. Teifi has formerly been anglicised as "Tivy".
Llanystumdwy[ɬanɪstɪmdʊɨ] is a predominantly Welsh-speaking village, community and electoral ward on the Llŷn Peninsula of Gwynedd in Wales. It is not regarded as being part of Llŷn, but as belonging instead to the ancient commote of Eifionydd on the Cardigan Bay coast, where it has its own beach. The community includes the villages of Chwilog, Afon Wen, Llanarmon, and Llangybi, plus the hamlets of Rhoslan and Pencaenewydd.
The River Dwyryd is a river in Gwynedd, Wales which flows principally westwards; draining to the sea into Tremadog Bay, south of Porthmadog.
Nant Gwynant is a valley in north Wales. The A498 road descends 600 feet (180 m) into the valley in about two miles (3 km) from Pen-y-Gwryd; it follows the Nant Cynnyd, the Afon Glaslyn and alongside Llyn Gwynant, then beside the Nant Gwynant river to Llyn Dinas and passing below Dinas Emrys to Beddgelert. The road continues through the Aberglaslyn Pass to Porthmadog.
The River Cleddau consists of the Eastern and Western Cleddau rivers in Pembrokeshire, west Wales. They unite to form the Daugleddau estuary and the important harbour of Milford Haven.
Tŷ Newydd is a historic house in Llanystumdwy, near Criccieth, in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. Since 1990 it has housed the National Writing Centre of Wales. The centre specialises in residential creative writing and retreats. The courses are in both the English and Welsh languages, and cover many genres, forms and styles. The centre also holds regular seminars and forums.
Chwilog is a village in Eifionydd on the Llŷn Peninsula in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. It forms part of the community of Llanystumdwy. The name means 'abounding in beetles' and was perhaps transferred from an earlier name of the river.
The River Nevern is a river in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Its source is north of the village of Crymych and its length is about 11 miles (18 km) to its estuary at Newport, Pembrokeshire.
The Lloyd George Museum is dedicated to the life and times of David Lloyd George, the Welshman who was prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. It is located in Lloyd George's home village of Llanystumdwy, Wales, where he is buried, and is run by Gwynedd Council. It is normally open during the summer months and by appointment during the rest of the year.
The River Gavenny or sometimes the Gavenny River is a short river in Monmouthshire in south Wales. It rises 1 mile (1.6 km) southwest of the village of Llanvihangel Crucorney from springs near Penyclawdd Court, supplemented by springs in Blaen-Gavenny Wood and tributary streams there and within the Woodland Trust-owned Great Triley Wood. It flows south for about 4 miles (6.4 km) to its confluence with the River Usk towards the eastern end of Castle Meadows at Abergavenny. The town derives its English-language name from the Gavenny's confluence with the River Usk. Of the buildings on the banks of the river, the Gothic Decorated style church of St Teilo at Llantilio Pertholey is especially notable. Parts of the church date from the thirteenth century with multiple additions since. Blaengavenny Farm, the name of which signifies the 'head of the Gavenny', is a sixteenth century farmhouse near the river's source.
The Afon Tarell is a river in Powys, Wales, which rises to the west of the Brecon Beacons in Brecon Beacons National Park and flows north, then north-east, for 12 miles (20 km) into the River Usk.
Dolbenmaen is a village and community in the Welsh county of Gwynedd, located in Eifionydd, of which it was the administrative centre until 1239. The community includes the villages of Bryncir, Cenin, Garndolbenmaen, Golan, Llanfihangel-y-Pennant, Penmorfa, Pentrefelin, Wern, Glan-dwyfach, and the hamlet of Prenteg. It has a population of 1,300, increasing slightly to 1,343 at the 2011 Census. The summit of Moel Hebog is shared between Beddgelert and Dolbenmaen. It is a sparsely populated area and covers nearly 100 square kilometres.
The Afon Brân is a tributary of the River Towy in mid Wales. Its headwaters rise in Irfon Forest in the northeastern corner of Carmarthenshire as the Cynnant Fawr and Afon Lwynor and the river assumes the name of Afon Brân at their confluence to the north of the village of Cynghordy. Its major tributary is the Afon Gwydderig which joins it at Llandovery. Other tributaries include the Nant Bargod, Cynnant Fach, Afon Gwyddon, Nant Hirgwm, Nant Cwm-neuadd, Bawddwr and Afon Crychan with its own minor tributary the Afon Dulais.
The Afon Dulas is a river in Powys, Wales. It is a headwater tributary of the River Severn, which it joins at Llanidloes opposite the confluence with the Afon Clywedog. Its principal tributary is the Afon Brochan. The total length of the Dulas and Brochan is 19.6 km. Other tributaries include Nant Cydros, the Rhydyclwydau Brook and Nant Gynwydd.
The Grave of David Lloyd George, stands on a bank of the Afon Dwyfor in the village of Llanystumdwy, Gwynedd, Wales. It commemorates Lloyd George who grew up in the village, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom between 1916 and 1922, and died at Llanystumdwy in 1945. The grave and its setting were designed by Clough Williams-Ellis, the architect of Portmerion and a lifelong friend of Lloyd George. The grave comprises a boulder set in an oval enclosure, the walls of which bear two slate plaques recording Lloyd George's name and the years of his birth and death. It is a Grade II* listed structure.
The Afon Ffraw is a short river on the Isle of Anglesey, Wales. It arises at Llyn Coron and flows southwest for two miles along the northwestern margin of Twyn Aberffraw via the village of Aberffraw to Aberffraw Bay on the island's west coast. The river is tidal to a point just northeast of Aberffraw and is accompanied by the Wales Coast Path and Isle of Anglesey Coastal Path. Llyn Coron is fed by the Afon Gwna which rises near to Llangefni in the centre of Anglesey. The flow of the Ffraw is bolstered by the left-bank tributary, the Afon Frechwen and a larger, though unnamed right-bank tributary which rises near Gwalchmai. Pont Aberffraw is a bridge spanning the river constructed as a single stone arch in 1731. When the A4080 main coastal road was diverted onto a new line, the old bridge closed to traffic.