The Afon Colwyn () is a small river in
Gwynedd
Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...
, north-west
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 ...
, a tributary of the
Afon Glaslyn
is a river in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. While not of great significance in terms of its length (about ), it is one of Gwynedd's primary rivers, and has greatly influenced the landscape in which it flows.
It has its source in Glaslyn, a ci ...
.
It has its source on the south-western flank of
Yr Aran
Yr Aran is a mountain peak on a ridge radiating south from Snowdon, Wales' highest mountain, with views of the summit of Snowdon, Moel Hebog and the Nantlle Ridge. It has an elevation of and a prominence of .
Although no paths are marked on ...
, near
Snowdon
Snowdon (), or (), is a mountain in Snowdonia in North Wales. It has an elevation of above sea level, which makes it both the highest mountain in Wales and the highest in the British Isles south of the Scottish Highlands. Snowdon i ...
. It first flows west to cross the A4085
Caernarfon
Caernarfon (; ) is a List of place names with royal patronage in the United Kingdom, royal town, Community (Wales), community and port in Gwynedd, Wales. It has a population of 9,852 (with Caeathro). It lies along the A487 road, on the easter ...
to
Beddgelert
Beddgelert () is a village and community (Wales), community in the Snowdonia area of Gwynedd, Wales. The population of the community taken at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census was 460 (rounded to the nearest 10). This includes Nan ...
road at Pont Cae Gors just south of
Rhyd Ddu
Rhyd-ddu (; ; ) is a small village in Snowdonia, North Wales which is a starting point for walks up Snowdon (via the Rhyd Ddu Path), Moel Hebog, Yr Aran and the Nantlle Ridge.
It lies on the A4085 between Beddgelert and Caernarfon, at its jun ...
, then flows south and then south-east parallel to the A4085 to Beddgelert. On the way it is joined by two tributaries, Afon Cwm-du and
Afon Meillionen. At Beddgelert it joins the Glaslyn, to flow south to
Tremadog Bay near
Porthmadog
Porthmadog (), originally Portmadoc until 1972 and known locally as "Port", is a coastal town and community (Wales), community in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd, Wales, and the historic counties of Wales, historic county of Caernarfonshire. It li ...
.
The Colwyn is a short and fast-flowing river. It generally carries less water than the Glaslyn, but water levels can rise very rapidly when there is heavy rain. The river is popular with whitewater kayakers
References
{{coord, 52.894, -4.164, display=inline, region:GB_scale:10000
Rivers of Gwynedd, Colwyn">and anglers.
References
{{coord, 52.894, -4.164, display=inline, region:GB_scale:10000
Rivers of Gwynedd, Colwyn
Rivers of Snowdonia, Colwyn