Afon Irfon | |
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Country | Wales |
Afon Irfon (the River Irfon) is a river in Powys, Wales. It flows from the upper slopes of Bryn Garw in the Cambrian Mountains, through the Abergwesyn Valley, past the Nant Irfon National Nature Reserve in the hills above the village of Abergwesyn, and through Llanwrtyd Wells to its confluence with the River Wye at Builth Wells. The source of the Irfon is in the so-called 'Desert of Wales'.
Afon Irfon is the listed name of the Site of Special Scientific Interest in the upper reaches of the river Irfon Powys, Wales.
From its source at 540 metres AMSL on the upper slopes of Bryn Garw in the Cambrian Mountains the Irfon flows southwards past the foot of the Devil's Staircase, along the Abergwesyn Valley, through the scenic Camddwr Bleiddiad (Wolves' Gorge), and into the Wolves' Pool. It then flows past a forest of sessile oak (Quercus petraea) to join the Afon Gwesyn at Abergwyesn where it passes beneath the Irfon Forest and the Nant Irfon National Nature Reserve towards Llanwrtyd Wells. Lastly, overlooked by the scarp of Mynydd Epynt to the south, it flows eastward through Llangammarch Wells, and Garth to join the River Wye at Builth Wells (Llanfair ym Muallt) approximately 28 winding miles from its source. [1]
The name 'Irfon' may be identical in its origin to the River Irvine in Scotland, [2] for which multiple etymologies have been proposed.
The river is famous in Welsh history for the fact that it was on its banks, in the vicinity Cilmeri, that Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales, was killed on 11 December 1282.
The Abergwesyn Valley and the legend of the boy failing to safely leap the Wolves' Gorge ('Camddwr Bleiddiad') were described by George Borrow in his 1862 travel publication Wild Wales: Its People, Language and Scenery.[ citation needed ]
Powys is a county and preserved county in Wales. It is named after the Kingdom of Powys which was a Welsh successor state, petty kingdom and principality that emerged during the Middle Ages following the end of Roman rule in Britain.
Brecknockshire, also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, and a former administrative county. Named after its county town of Brecon, the county is mountainous and primarily rural.
Llangammarch Wells or simply Llangammarch is a village in the community of Llangamarch in Powys, Wales, lying on the Afon Irfon, and in the historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire).
Llanwrtyd Wells is a small town and community in mid Powys, Wales, in the historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire) on the Afon Irfon. The town is on the A483 between Llandovery and Builth Wells and is located near the pass between the Tywi and Irfon valleys. It is the smallest town in the United Kingdom.
Llanwrtyd is a small settlement in Powys, mid-Wales, giving its name to a community, in the historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire), through which flows the River Irfon. It lies 1.5 miles north of the town of Llanwrtyd Wells.
The Cambrian Mountains are a series of mountain ranges in Wales. The term Cambrian Mountains used to apply to most of the upland of Wales. Since the 1950s, its application has become increasingly localised to the geographically homogeneous Mid Wales uplands, known in Welsh as Elenydd, which extend from Pumlumon to Radnor Forest in the east and Mynydd Mallaen to the south. This barren and sparsely populated 'wilderness' has been referred to as the Desert of Wales. The area includes the sources of the River Severn and River Wye and was unsuccessfully proposed as a national park in the 1960s and 1970s. The highest point of the range is Plynlimon, at 2,467 feet (752 m).
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".
The Desert of Wales, or Green Desert of Wales, is a large area in central Wales, so called because of its lack of roads and towns and its inaccessibility. The term was invented by English travel writers in the nineteenth century and has no equivalent in the Welsh language. The area corresponds roughly to the upland area called Elenydd in Welsh.
Abergwesyn is a village in the Welsh county of Powys, in mid-Wales, at the start of the Abergwesyn valley and at the confluence of the Afon Irfon and the Afon Gwesyn. It is 52 miles (84 km)from Cardiff and 158 miles (254 km) from London.
The A481 is a road in Powys, Wales, which connects with the A483 road, not far from the A470 road at Llanelwedd, Builth Wells and leads to the A44 road near Llanfihangel Nant Melan. It is the main road leading to the A44 which connects Builth to Leominster and Hereford across the border with England.
The Afon Llynfi is a short river in the county of Powys, south Wales. A tributary of the River Wye, it runs approximately south to north just to the west of the Black Mountains and partly within the Brecon Beacons National Park.
Nant Irfon National Nature Reserve is a national nature reserve located high in the hills above the Afon Irfon valley near the village of Abergwesyn in Powys, Wales. It is surrounded by vast moorlands and striking conifer forests. Its steep slopes and rocky crags are covered with oak woodland, which is some of the highest in Wales. In late spring, swathes of bluebells transform the woodland floor.
Buellt or Builth was a cantref in medieval Wales, located west of the River Wye. Unlike most cantrefs, it was not part of any of the major Welsh kingdoms for most of its history, but was instead ruled by an autonomous local dynasty. During the Norman era it was associated with Rhwng Gwy a Hafren, a region independent of the Welsh monarchies and controlled by Norman Marcher Lords. In the 16th century, it was reorganized as a hundred and joined with the former kingdom of Brycheiniog to form the county of Brecknockshire.
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.
Duhonw is a rural community in Powys, Wales, to the south of Builth Wells, in the historic county of Breconshire. Covering an area of 4,376 hectares (16.90 sq mi) and including scattered farms and dwellings, it is bounded to its north by the Afon Irfon, to its south by Mynydd Epynt and Banc y Celyn (472m) and to its east the rivers Duhonw and Wye. Llangammarch Wells' is to its west.
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.