Rhiwaedog is the name of an ancient estate in North Wales, located in the Penllyn forest near Bala, Gwynedd. It gives its name today to two hills, Rhiwaedog-is-Afon and Rhiwaedog-uwch-Afon, meaning "Rhiwaedog below the river" and "Rhiwaedog above the river" respectively. There is also the ancient manor house Plas Rhiwaedog, from which Rhirid Flaidd (also known as Rhirid ap Gwrgenau) (fl. 1160) ruled his demesne.
According to Welsh tradition, Rhirid was the son of Gwrgenau, who is supported by an obscure and doubtful pedigree going back to Cunedda Wledig. The appellation of blaidd (wolf) was inherited from his maternal grandmother, Haer, daughter and heiress of Gillyn, son of Blaidd Rhudd (meaning "the Bloody Wolf") of Gest in Eifionydd.
There are a number of traditions and legends associated with Rhiwaedog. One such legend speaks of an egg-sized crystal which was passed from generation to generation, and is said to have had the power to foretell the death of the head of the household when its brilliant colour became clouded. [1]
Ogmore Castle is a Grade I listed castle ruin located near the village of Ogmore-by-Sea, south of the town of Bridgend in Glamorgan, South Wales. It is situated on the south bank of the River Ewenny and the east bank of the River Ogmore.
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 Desert of Wales, or Green Desert of Wales, is an archaic term for an area in central Wales, so called for its lack of roads and towns, and its inaccessibility. The term was coined 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.
The Afon Rheidol is a river in Ceredigion, Wales, 19 miles (31 km) in length. The source is Plynlimon. Receiving an average annual rainfall of 40 inches (1.02 m), Plynlimon is also the source of both the Wye and the Severn.
ˈ The Afon Ogwen is a river in north-west Wales draining from some of the greatest peaks in Snowdonia before discharging to the sea on the eastern side of Bangor, Gwynedd.
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.
The River Dwyryd (Welsh: Afon Dwyryd, meaning a river of two fords, is a river in Gwynedd, Wales which flows principally westwards; draining to the sea into Tremadog Bay, south of Porthmadog.
The River Aeron is a small river in Ceredigion, Wales, that flows into Cardigan Bay at Aberaeron. It is also referred to on some older maps as the River Ayron.
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.
The Eglwyseg valley is an area to the north east of Llangollen in Denbighshire, Wales; it is within the boundaries of Llantysilio Community. The name also refers to a widely scattered hamlet in the valley.
The Afon Mynach is a small river in Ceredigion, Wales.
The River Cwmnantcol is a river in North Wales.
Afon Cych is a tributary of the River Teifi in south-west Wales. It is 13 km long, passes through a number of small settlements on the border between Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire, and is significant in Welsh legend.
The Afon Dulas, or North Dulas, is a river forming the border between Merionethshire/Gwynedd and Montgomeryshire/Powys in Wales. Another river called Afon Dulas joins the Dyfi from the south, upstream of its confluence with the North Dulas: locally this is referred to as the South Dulas.
The Afon Fathew is a river in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. The river is downstream from the Dolgoch Falls which is a popular nature site, and is followed for much of its course by the Talyllyn Railway.
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.
Rhirid Flaidd, according to Welsh tradition, was the son of Gwrgenau, who is supported by an obscure pedigree going back to Cunedda Wledig, the progenitor of the House of Cunedda which had provided the kings of Gwynedd from the end of Roman Britain until 825. The appellation of blaidd (wolf) was inherited from his maternal grandmother, Haer, daughter and heiress of Cynfyn, son of Cillyn y Blaidd Rhudd of Gest in Eifionydd. He was related through his grandmother to Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, king of Powys who rewarded Gwrgenau with land, presumably for his loyalty and service.
Llugwy is the name of an old property near Pennal, a village on the A493 road in southern Gwynedd, Wales, on the north bank of the Afon Dyfi/River Dovey, near Machynlleth. It lies in the former county of Merionethshire/Sir Feirionnydd, and is within the Snowdonia National Park.
Afon 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'.
The Afon Elan is a tributary of the River Wye which runs through the wide expanse of upland moors, traditionally known as Elenydd, in central Wales. Its valley is the Elan Valley. The name probably arises from elain meaning 'hind' or 'fawn' in reference perhaps to the rushing, bounding nature of its course.