Afon Tryweryn 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 ...

in the north of

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 ...

which starts at Llyn Tryweryn in the

Snowdonia National Park Snowdonia, or Eryri (), is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in North Wales. It contains all 15 mountains in Wales Welsh 3000s, over 3000 feet high, including the country's highest, Snowdon (), which i ...

and after joins the river Dee at Bala. One of the main

tributaries A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which the ...

of the Dee, it was

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

med in 1965 to form

Llyn Celyn Llyn Celyn () is a reservoir constructed between 1960 and 1965 including the highly controversial Tryweryn flooding in the valley of the River Afon Tryweryn, Tryweryn in Gwynedd, Wales. This included the forcible removal of the Capel Celyn vil ...

. The

Tryweryn flooding The Tryweryn flooding, or Tryweryn drowning (), was the 1965 flooding of the Tryweryn valley in Gwynedd (then Merionethshire), Wales, to create the Llyn Celyn reservoir. The flooding of the valley, located to the north west of Bala, submerged ...

forcibly removed residents of the village of

Capel Celyn Capel Celyn was a rural community to the northwest of Bala in Gwynedd, Wales, in the Afon Tryweryn valley. The village and other parts of the valley were flooded in the Tryweryn flooding of 1965 to create a reservoir, Llyn Celyn Llyn ...

despite popular and political opposition in Wales. The resulting graffiti "

Cofiwch Dryweryn is a graffitied stone wall near Llanrhystud, Ceredigion, Wales. Author and journalist Meic Stephens originally painted the words onto the wall of a ruined cottage in the early 1960s after Liverpool City Council decided to start the Tryweryn fl ...

" ("Remember Tryweryn") near

Llanrhystud Llanrhystud () is a seaside village, community (Wales), community and Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral division on the A487 road in the county of Ceredigion, in Wales, 9 miles (14 km) south of Aberystwyth, and 7 ...

became and remains a popular icon of Welsh feeling. Water is stored in Llyn Celyn in winter when flows are high, and released over the summer to maintain the flow in the Dee (water from the Dee is used as the water supply for large areas of north-east Wales, and for the Wirral and much of

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

in England).

Whitewater sports

Afon Tryweryn joins the River Dee roughly half a mile downstream from Bala Lake. The reservoir now at the head of Afon Tryweryn was created in 1965, to provide water to Liverpool. At that time, the 67 inhabitants of the village of

were forcibly removed. Afon Tryweryn is the site of the Welsh Canolfan Tryweryn national

whitewater Whitewater forms in the context of rapids, in particular, when a river's Stream gradient, gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that foam, froths, making t ...

centre, managed by the

Welsh Canoe Association Canoe Wales () is the national governing body for paddlesport in 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 En ...

. It is an important river for

whitewater kayaking Whitewater kayaking is an outdoor adventure sport where paddlers navigate a river in a specially designed kayak. Whitewater kayaking includes several styles: river running, creeking, slalom, playboating, and squirt boating. Each style offers ...

and

rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

. The centre features a café and facilities to support

whitewater sports Whitewater forms in the context of rapids, in particular, when a river's Stream gradient, gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that foam, froths, making t ...

. The natural whitewater rapids of the upper section of Afon Tryweryn have been modified (by placing boulders along the river bed) to make them safer and to build playspots. The upper part of the river is usually considered to be Grade III. Usually between 9 and 12 m³/s are released from the Llyn Celyn Dam. The rapids of the lower section remain in a more natural state. These are of somewhat easier grade, with the exception of Bala Mill Falls. The regular releases from Llyn Celyn in summer mean that kayak events and trips can be planned in advance, and commercial rafting can take place. Most whitewater rivers in Wales rely on recent rain to have enough water for kayaking or rafting. Access to the upper part of Afon Tryweryn is uncontroversial - this contrasts with recreational access to many of the other rivers in Wales (see

Rivers Access Campaign The Rivers Access Campaign is an ongoing initiative by the British Canoe Union (BCU) to open up the inland waterways of England and Wales to the public. Under current English and Welsh law, public access to rivers is restricted, and only 2% of a ...

for more information), and adds to the popularity of Afon Tryweryn among kayakers and rafters. In August 2004,

John Prescott John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott (31 May 1938 – 20 November 2024) was a British politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and as First Secretary of State from 2001 to 2007. A member of the ...

, deputy prime minister, was on a rafting trip on Afon Tryweryn and helped to aid a kayaker who had been injured.

Notes

{{authority control Bala, Gwynedd Llandderfel Llanycil Tryweryn Tryweryn 1Tryweryn