Afon Llia

Last updated

The Afon Llia is a short river in Powys, Wales, and which is wholly contained within the Brecon Beacons National Park.

Contents

Several streams draining the eastern slopes of Fan Nedd and the western slopes of Fan Dringarth in the Fforest Fawr section of the national park meet to form the river, which then flows southwards for 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) to its confluence with the Afon Dringarth, the combined waters continuing south as the Afon Mellte.

The name probably derives from the Welsh root lly– found in llyfu, llyo ('lick, lap') but it has probably been influenced by the local pronunciation of lleiaf ('smallest'). [1]

The river flows over ground formed from Old Red Sandstone rocks laid down during the Devonian period. The valley was inundated by ice during the last glacial period as evidenced by the low mounds of moraine present in the valley and through which the river has since cut.

Historical route

The valley of the Llia provides one of the lower passes—summit height 446 metres (1,463 ft)—through the Old Red Sandstone escarpment which stretches from Llandeilo east to Abergavenny. The presence of a standing stone, Maen Llia, presumed to date from the Bronze Age near the valley head suggests that it has been used as an ancient trackway route for several thousand years. The Romans constructed a Roman road, Sarn Helen, between Neath and Brecon through this valley and the Swansea to Brecon turnpike was pushed through here in the 19th century. The remains of "Castell Coch" (the "red castle") sit in the fork between the Llia and the neighbouring Afon Dringarth. [2] [3]

There is a car park and picnic area provided by the Natural Resources Wales at Blaen Llia beside the river which provides a useful base for walkers wanting to explore the river, its valley and the adjacent peaks.

Related Research Articles

River Neath

River Neath is a river in south Wales running south west from the point at which its headwaters arising in the Brecon Beacons National Park converge to its mouth at Baglan Bay below Briton Ferry on the east side of Swansea Bay.

Craig Cerrig-gleisiad

Craig Cerrig-gleisiad is a subsidiary summit of Fan Fawr in the Fforest Fawr section of the Brecon Beacons National Park, South Wales. It makes up half of the Craig Cerrig-gleisiad and Fan Frynych National Nature Reserve with its sister peak Fan Frynych.

Black Mountain (range)

The Black Mountain is a mountain range in South and West Wales, straddling the county boundary between Carmarthenshire and Brecknockshire and forming the westernmost range of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Its highest point is Fan Brycheiniog at 802 metres or 2,631 ft. The Black Mountain also forms a part of the Fforest Fawr Geopark.

Beacons Way

The Beacons Way is a waymarked long distance footpath in the Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales. It is a linear route which runs for 99 miles (159 km) east to west through the National Park, and passes many of the most important landmarks and mountain peaks in the mountain range. It also includes a few of the towns in the park as well as popular attractions such as Carreg Cennen Castle near Llandeilo at the western end of the path.

Fan Fawr

Fan Fawr is a mountain in the Fforest Fawr section of the Brecon Beacons National Park, in Powys, Wales and over 734 m (2,408 ft) high.

The Nedd Fechan is a river almost wholly within the county of Brecknockshire, Wales, currently administered as part of the unitary authority of Powys. It rises on the eastern slopes of Fan Gyhirych in the Fforest Fawr section of the Brecon Beacons National Park and flows south for 7 miles (12 km) to join with the Afon Mellte at Pontneddfechan, their combined waters continuing as the River Neath to the sea near Swansea. The only significant tributary of the Nedd Fechan is the Afon Pyrddin which joins it at Pwll Du ar Byrddin. Downstream of this confluence it forms the boundary between Brecknockshire to its east and Glamorgan to its west.

Fforest Fawr Upland area in Powys, Wales

Fforest Fawr is an extensive upland area in the county of Powys, Wales. Formerly known as the Great Forest of Brecknock in English, it was a royal hunting area for several centuries but is now used primarily for sheep grazing, forestry, water catchment and recreation. It lies within the Brecon Beacons National Park.

The Afon Dringarth is a river in Powys, Wales and wholly contained within the Brecon Beacons National Park. Its headwater streams drain the eastern slopes of Fan Dringarth, the southern slopes of Craig Cerrig-gleisiad and the western slopes of Fan Fawr. The river flows south-southwest for about 6 km / 3.5 mi to its confluence with the Afon Llia one mile north of the village of Ystradfellte, continuing south as the Afon Mellte. The river may derive its name from the hill immediately to its west, Fan Dringarth.

The Nant Gwys is a river flowing off the Black Mountain in Powys, Wales. Its tributaries Gwys Fawr and the Gwys Fach flow south from Banwen Gwyn and Bwlch y Ddeuwynt respectively and join forces to form the Nant Gwys proper which then flows for about 5 km / 3 mi to its confluence with the Afon Twrch at Cwm-twrch-Uchaf.

Fan Nedd

Fan Nedd is a mountain in the Fforest Fawr area of the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales. In common with the rest of the Fforest Fawr uplands it is within the county of Powys.

Fan Llia

Fan Llia is a subsidiary summit of Fan Fawr in the Fforest Fawr section of the Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales. In common with other peaks in the Fforest Fawr uplands it lies within the county of Powys.

Afon Senni River in Powys, Wales

The Afon Senni is a river in Powys, Wales which rises in the Fforest Fawr section of the Brecon Beacons National Park and flows northwards for 11 kilometres (7 mi) to a confluence with the River Usk at Sennybridge.

Fforest Fawr Geopark

Fforest Fawr Geopark was the first Geopark to be designated in Wales having gained membership of both the European Geoparks Network and the UNESCO-assisted Global Network of National Geoparks in October 2005. The Geopark aims to promote and support sustainable tourism and other opportunities to improve the economy of the area whilst safeguarding the natural environment. Its aims largely coincide with the statutory duties and purpose of the National Park within which it sits.

Mynydd Illtud

Mynydd Illtud is an extensive area of common land near Libanus, Powys, Wales, located in the Brecon Beacons National Park and some three miles south-west of Brecon. The common is an undulating plateau lying between 330 and 370 metres above sea level. Its highest points are 381 metres (1,250 ft) at Allt Lom and 367 metres (1,204 ft) at Twyn y Gaer trig point overlooking the valley of the River Usk. Twyn y Gaer is the site of an Iron Age hill fort.

Grwyne Fawr

The Grwyne Fawr is a river in the Brecon Beacons National Park in south Wales. A section of it forms the administrative border between Powys and Monmouthshire and also of the historic counties of Brecon and Monmouth. The river and its major tributary the Grwyne Fechan flow into the River Usk at Glangrwyney.

River Sawdde

The Afon Sawdde is a river in the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales. For most of its course it flows through the Brecon Beacons National Park and Fforest Fawr Geopark.

Picws Du

Picws Du is the second highest peak of the Carmarthen Fans in the Carmarthenshire section of the Black Mountain in the west of the Brecon Beacons National Park in south Wales. The highest peak is Fan Foel immediately next along the ridge and it is a subsidiary summit of Fan Brycheiniog. Picws Du falls within Fforest Fawr Geopark and its prominent summit is marked by a large Bronze Age round barrow at a height of 2457 feet above sea level. Waun Lefrith is the other, lower summit of the Bannau Sir Gaer / Carmarthen Fans situated to the west. The peak overlooks the glacial lake of Llyn y Fan Fach in the cwm below. As the peak sits on the edge of the escarpment on a ridge which juts out into the valley below, the views from the summit are panoramic and extensive. The views to the north are especially impressive when the weather is clear, looking towards the Cambrian Mountains, Mynydd Epynt and Brecon. Swansea and the Bristol Channel can just be seen on the horizon to the south, across the gently falling dip slope. Pen y Fan and Corn Du are distinctive landmarks seen directly to the east across Fforest Fawr.

Cefn Cul

Cefn Cul is a hill in the Fforest Fawr sector of the Brecon Beacons National Park in Powys, southern Wales. It is a broad north-northeast to south-southwest aligned ridge whose summit reaches a height of 562 m above sea level. The hill is bounded to the west by the upper valley of the River Tawe though which the old Trecastle road runs whilst to the east is the pass of Bwlch Bryn-rhudd over which the A4067 road runs from the Crai valley south to that of the Tawe.

Penmoelallt or Onllwyn is a hill in the northern part of the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taff in south Wales. It lies within the Brecon Beacons National Park and Fforest Fawr Geopark. To its east lies the deep valley of Cwm Taf and to its north a rather shallower valley in which the Nant Cadlan originates. To the west is the hill known as Mynydd-y-glog and to the south are slopes draining into the River Taff and the Afon Cynon. The hill culminates in a broken plateau with several knolls rising above the 420m contour. Its afforested nature makes it difficult to determine the precise location of its highest point but this probably lies somewhere around OS grid ref SO 003096. Older maps indicate a spot height of 1376 ft above sea level at SO 000090.

Afon Sychryd

The Afon Sychryd is a river in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Although it is a relatively short river, with a total length of 3 miles (5 km), it is notable for the gorge and two waterfalls through which it flows.

References

  1. ↑ Owen, H.W. & Morgan, R. Dictionary of the Place-Names of Wales (Llandysul: Gomer Press, 2007), p. 146.
  2. ↑ Leighton, D.K. 1997 'Mynydd Du and Fforest Fawr' RCAHMW Aberystwyth
  3. ↑ Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historical Monuments of Wales site

Coordinates: 51°49′04″N3°32′46″W / 51.81778°N 3.54611°W / 51.81778; -3.54611

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.