River Gele near Towyn. Looking east from the road bridge.
The River Gele (''Welsh:'' Afon Gele) is a river in the
North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.
Etymology
The word ''no ...
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
and a tributary of the
River Clwyd. The town of
Abergele takes its name from the river. The spelling is a dialectal spelling of the Welsh word ' (spear or blade). The river gives its name to an electoral ward, called
Gele, which includes the southern half of Abergele town.
The river used to empty into the sea direct through the town of Abergele, but the Rhuddlan Marsh embankment act of 1794, diverted the river from the south of the town in an eastwards direction across the south of Rhuddlan Marsh and into the River Clwyd at Towyn. A short distance of the rivermouth is tidal.
In 2010 and 2011 there were pollution scares on the river near its meeting point with the River Clwyd at
Kinmel Bay. The river has also subjected the area to flooding, with the worst recorded event in 1971. This has led to a culverting of some areas and banks being installed on the floodplain to the east and south of Abergele.
References
External links
Video of the 1971 floods
Gele
Gele
{{Wales-river-stub
