The Afon Pyrddin is a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

forming a short section of the boundary between

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 ...

and

Neath Port Talbot Neath Port Talbot () is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. Its principal towns are Neath, Port Talbot, Briton Ferry and Pontardawe. The county borough borders Bridgend County Borough and Rhon ...

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 ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. It also forms a part of the boundary of the

Brecon Beacons National Park Brecon Beacons National Park, officially named Bannau Brycheiniog National Park (), is a National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in Wales. It is named after the Brecon Beacons (), the mountain range at its centre. The national park ...

. The river and its

waterfall A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...

s are one of the key attractions of the Fforest Fawr Geopark designated in 2005. The name could mean 'river by the striking fortress' or 'sweet-flowing river'. The streams of Nant y Bryn, Nant y Fedwen and Nant Hir come together to form the Pyrddin which flows south-eastwards for 3 miles (5 km) to its

confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...

with the Nedd Fechan (sometimes also known historically in an Englished form "Neath Vaughan"; at one time this would have been a fair indication of the Welsh pronunciation in English spelling, but with changes in English pronunciation it has now diverged considerably)).

Waterfalls

The Pyrddin is best known for two spectacular waterfalls, Sgwd Gwladus (sometimes 'Gwladys') and Sgwd Einion Gam, meaning the 'fall of Gwladus' and the 'fall of crooked Einion' respectively. Both Gwladus and Einion are personal names. Sgwd Gwladus is formed where a band of erosion-resistant gritstone known as the ' Twelve Foot Sandstone' creates a lip over which the river plunges. It is easily accessible by footpath from Pontneddfechan (also known as Pontneathvaughan). A notable feature above the fall is an erratic block of gritstone which was balanced so that it rocked - at least until Victorian times when it was displaced. The ruins of a small building close to the falls are thought to be those of a corn-mill. Sgwd Einion Gam, which is a further half mile, upstream can be accessed only by crossing and re-crossing the river itself. This fall is caused by the presence of a geological fault which brings another hard sandstone known as the '

Farewell Rock The Farewell Rock is the name given to a series of sandstones at the boundary of the Coal Measures with the underlying Marros Group in South Wales. Once thought to be a single sandstone, it is now accepted that the same name has been applied to s ...

' up against softer mudstones.

Habitat protection

The steep and wooded gorge of the Pyrddin – like that of its neighbours, the Nedd Fechan, Afon Mellte, and Afon Hepste – is home to many rare

bryophytes Bryophytes () are a group of land plants ( embryophytes), sometimes treated as a taxonomic division referred to as Bryophyta '' sensu lato'', that contains three groups of non-vascular land plants: the liverworts, hornworts, and mosses. In t ...

which enjoy the cool humid conditions which exist here. Accordingly, it has been designated as both a

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 ...

and a

special area of conservation A special area of conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...

.Natural Resources Wales / Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru website
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References

External links

Photos of the Afon Pyrddin on geograph.org.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pyrddin Afon Pyrddin Rivers of the Brecon Beacons National Park Rivers of Neath Port Talbot Rivers of Powys

Waterfalls

Habitat protection

See also

References

External links