Afon Irfon (the River Irfon) is a river in

Powys Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham to the north; the English Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. It flows from the upper slopes of Bryn Garw in the

Cambrian Mountains The Cambrian Mountains (, in a narrower sense: ''Elenydd'') are a series of mountain ranges in Wales. The term ''Cambrian Mountains'' used to apply to most of the upland of Wales, and comes from the country's Latin name . Since the 1950s, it ...

, through the Abergwesyn Valley, past the Nant Irfon National Nature Reserve in the hills above the village of

Abergwesyn Abergwesyn () is a village in the Wales, 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 from Cardiff and from London. Abergwesyn Commons stretch be ...

, and through

Llanwrtyd Wells Llanwrtyd Wells ( "church of St Gwrtud") is a market town and community (Wales), community in Powys, Wales, in the historic counties of Wales, historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire) on the Afon Irfon. The town is on the A483 road, A483 ...

to its confluence with the

River Wye The River Wye (; ) is the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, fourth-longest river in the UK, stretching some from its source on Plynlimon in mid Wales to the Severn Estuary. The lower reaches of the river forms part of Wales-England bor ...

Builth Wells Builth Wells (; ) is a market town and community in the county of Powys and historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire), mid Wales, lying at the confluence of rivers Wye and Irfon, in the Welsh (or upper) part of the Wye Valley. In 20 ...

. The source of the Irfon is in the so-called '

Desert of Wales 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 ...

'. Afon Irfon is the listed name of the

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

in the upper reaches of the river Irfon

Description

From its source at

AMSL Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level v ...

on the upper slopes of Bryn Garw in the

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'', commonly known as the sessile oak, Welsh oak, Cornish oak, Irish oak or durmast oak, is a species of oak tree native to most of Europe and into Anatolia and Iran. The sessile oak is the national tree of Ireland, and an unof ...

''(

Quercus petraea ''Quercus petraea'', commonly known as the sessile oak, Welsh oak, Cornish oak, Irish oak or durmast oak, is a species of oak tree native to most of Europe and into Anatolia and Iran. The sessile oak is the national tree of Ireland, and an un ...

)'' 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 Mynydd Epynt () is an upland region of Mid Wales, within the county of Powys. It is bounded on the south by the upper stretch of the Usk Valley, on the north by the Irfon Valley, and on the east by the Wye Valley. Its western boundary is less ...

to the south, it flows eastward through

Llangammarch Wells Llangammarch Wells, or simply Llangammarch ( ), is a village and Community (Wales), community in Powys, Wales, lying on the Afon Irfon, and in the historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire). It is the smallest of the four spa town, spa vil ...

, and Garth to join the

at Builth Wells (Llanfair ym Muallt) approximately 28 winding miles from its source.UK Rivers Guidebook - Afon Irfon - Camddwr Bleiddiad Gorge to Llanwrtyd Wells
/ref> The name 'Irfon' may be identical in its origin to the

River Irvine The River Irvine () is a river that flows through southwest Scotland. Its watershed is on the Lanarkshire border of Ayrshire at an altitude of above sea-level, near Loudoun Hill, Drumclog, and SW by W of Strathaven. It flows westward, divid ...

in Scotland, for which multiple etymologies have been proposed.

History

The river is famous in Welsh history for the fact that it was on its banks, in the vicinity

Cilmeri Cilmeri (; also spelled as Cilmery) is a village and community in Powys, mid-Wales, United Kingdom in the historic county of Brecknockshire, two and a half miles west of Builth Wells on the A483 to Llandovery. The village is served by Cilmeri ...

, that

Llywelyn ap Gruffudd Llywelyn ap Gruffudd ( – 11 December 1282), also known as Llywelyn II and Llywelyn the Last (), was List of rulers of Gwynedd, Prince of Gwynedd, and later was recognised as the Prince of Wales (; ) from 1258 until his death at Cilmeri in 128 ...

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

, was killed on 11 December 1282.

Literature

The Abergwesyn Valley and the legend of the boy failing to safely leap the Wolves' Gorge ('Camddwr Bleiddiad') were described by

George Borrow George Henry Borrow (5 July 1803 – 26 July 1881) was an English writer of novels and of travel based on personal experiences in Europe. His travels gave him a close affinity with the Romani people of Europe, who figure strongly in his work. Hi ...

in his 1862 travel publication Wild Wales: Its People, Language and Scenery.

Gallery

File:Nature Reserve in the Irfon Valley - geograph.org.uk - 391585.jpg, The Irfon flowing down the Abergwesyn Valley, dropping into the 'Wolves' Gorge' in the middle-ground of the picture File:Wolves' Pool - geograph.org.uk - 701043.jpg, Afon Irfon flows through the narrow Wolves' Gorge into the Wolves' Pool in the Abergwesyn Valley Image:Island in river Irfon at Llangammarch Wells - geograph.org.uk - 157546.jpg, Afon Irfon at

File:Camddwr Bleiddiad or Wolves' Gorge - geograph.org.uk - 701038.jpg, Wolves' Gorge

References

{{Authority control Irfon Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Brecknock

Description

History

Literature

Gallery

See also

References