The Afon Twrch 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 ...

which rises in the Black Mountain in south

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 forms 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

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...

and, downstream of Ystradowen, between Powys 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 ...

Name

The name derives from

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

afon This is a list of rivers of Wales, organised geographically. It is taken anti-clockwise from the Dee Estuary to the M48 Bridge that separates the estuary of the River Wye from the River Severn. Tributaries are listed down the page in an upstrea ...

'' / 'river' and '' twrch'' / 'boar'. In common with other rivers sharing the same name, it is believed to refer to the burrowing or snouting action of the waters of the river. The river has also been associated with the legend of

Twrch Trwyth Twrch Trwyth (; also ), is a fabulous wild boar from the Legend of King Arthur, of which a richly elaborate account of its hunt described in the Welsh prose romance '' Culhwch and Olwen'', probably written around 1100. Its hunt involved King ...

Geography

The headwaters arise on the southern slopes of Carmarthen Fans () and

Fan Brycheiniog Fan Brycheiniog is the highest peak at a height of (above sea level) in the Black Mountain (range), Black Mountain (''Y Mynydd Du'') region of the Brecon Beacons National Park in southern Wales. There is a trig point at the peak and on ...

and are soon joined by the waters of the Twrch Fechan. The river flows south-west and then south and finally south-east for about 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

River Tawe The River Tawe (; ) is a long river in South Wales. Its headwaters flow initially east from its source below Llyn y Fan Fawr south of Glasfynydd Forest, Moel Feity in the Black Mountain (range), Black Mountains, the westernmost range of the ...

Ystalyfera Ystalyfera is a former industrial village and community in the upper Swansea Valley, on the River Tawe, about northeast of Swansea. It is an electoral ward and a community in the unitary authority of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, comprising a r ...

. Tributaries include the Nant Gwys and the Nant Llynfell.Ordnance Survey Explorer map OL12 'Brecon Beacons National Park: western area' Settlements on the lower section of the river include

Ystradowen Ystradowen is a small village twelve miles west of Cardiff, located in Penllyn, Vale of Glamorgan, Penllyn Community (Wales), community in the Vale of Glamorgan in south Wales; its nearest town is Cowbridge which is about three miles to the sou ...

, Cwm-twrch-uchaf, Cwm-twrch-isaf and Gurnos. Parts of Cwm Twrch on its Carmarthenshire side are designated as an

SSSI 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 ...

because they expose a good example of a boundary between strata.

History

colliery Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extra ...

was established at Henllys Vale (OS grid ref SN762137) from which tramroads or

waggonway A wagonway (or waggonway; also known as a horse-drawn railway, or horse-drawn railroad) was a method of railway transportation that preceded the steam locomotive and used horses to haul wagons. The terms plateway and tramway were also used. The ...

ran down the valley to Cwm-twrch-isaf. A tall brick chimney is among the remains of several buildings associated with the former colliery. A bank of

limekilns Limekilns is a historic coastal village in Fife, Scotland. It lies on the shore of the Firth of Forth, around south of Dunfermline and 13 miles (21km) northwest of Edinburgh. Limekilns has a medieval past as a fishing village, dating back t ...

is also located at this spot, which can be reached by a walk along the line of the tramway running upstream from Brynhenllys Bridge (OS grid ref SN 756125).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Twrch Rivers of the Brecon Beacons National Park Rivers of Carmarthenshire Rivers of Neath Port Talbot Rivers of Powys