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Neath Valley
The Vale of Neath (or Neath Valley, Welsh: ''Cwm Nedd''), one of the South Wales Valleys, encompasses the upper reaches of the River Neath in southwest Wales. In addition to the River Neath, it is traversed by the Neath Canal and the A465 dual carriageway. Settlements in the valley include Neath, Cadoxton, Tonna, Aberdulais, Resolven, Blaengwrach, Glynneath and Pontneddfechan. Coal mining was an industry in the valley with mining operations being located at Aberpergwm and Pentreclwydau near Glynneath. Waterfall Country " Waterfall Country" is a nickname given to the Vale of Neath due to the diverse number of waterfalls in the valley. In the upper reaches of the valley, at the foothills of the Brecon Beacons, are the waterfalls of four or five rivers: the Afon Hepste, Nedd Fechan, Afon Pyrddin, Afon Mellte and Afon Sychryd. In the lower valley, waterfalls can be found at Melincourt and Aberdulais. Vale of Neath Railway Currently partly used as a goods line, the Vale ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Welsh Language
Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic languages, Celtic language of the Brittonic languages, Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales by about 18% of the population, by some in England, and in (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province, Argentina). It is spoken by smaller numbers of people in Canada and the United States descended from Welsh immigrants, within their households (especially in Nova Scotia). Historically, it has also been known in English as "British", "Cambrian", "Cambric" and "Cymric". The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 gave the Welsh language official status in Wales. Welsh and English are ''de jure'' official languages of the Senedd (the Welsh parliament), with Welsh being the only ''de jure'' official language in any part of the United Kingdom, with English being merely ''de facto'' official. According to the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the Welsh-speaking population of Wales aged three or older was 538,300 ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aberpergwm
Aberpergwm is the site of a colliery in the Vale of Neath near Glynneath in south Wales. Mine history The site at Aberpergwm had been worked since 1811 as a series of drift mines, but full commercial working began from the 1860s when W. Williams opened a mine on the site. The mine was consolidated with the nearby Pwllfaron drift mine from 1880 with common ground works, under one owner Morgan Stuart Williams. A new drift was opened in 1906, giving the combined colliery access to the Eighteen Feet, Four-Feet, Nine-Feet, Three-Feet and Cornish seams. In 1920 the colliery was bought by Vale of Neath Collieries Co., which itself was consolidated into Amalgamated Anthracite Collieries Ltd in 1929. After World War 2 the mines were nationalised, and under British Coal in 1950 the various drift mine workings employed 855 working the Eighteen Feet, Nine Feet and Three Feet seams. By 1969 the mines faced severe geological problems. As a result, only the White Four Feet and Cornish seams were ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vale Of Neath Railway
The Vale of Neath Railway (VoNR) was a broad gauge railway company, that built a line from Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare to Neath, in Wales, mostly to transport the products of the Merthyr iron industries to ports on Swansea Bay. The railway focused on transporting coal from the rapidly developing rich colliery area around Aberdare. When the standard gauge, narrow (standard) gauge Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway (NA&HR) made moves to link to the area, with its Taff Vale Extension line, the Vale of Neath Railway saw that there was potential in connecting up; it laid a third rail to make mixed gauge. The link was made in 1864 and coal was conveyed to London and the North West England, north-west of England by that route. By that time the VoNR and the NA&HR had been absorbed into the Great Western Railway (GWR) system. Connections to the docks at Swansea had not been fruitful in the early days, and the Swansea and Neath Railway, soon taken over by the VoNR, made some improve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aberdulais Falls
The Aberdulais Falls are found on the River Dulais at Aberdulais, near Neath in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales. The falls are formed as the river plunges over beds of hard Pennant Measures, Lower Pennant Sandstone just before meeting the River Neath flowing down the Vale of Neath. They are home to one of Europe's largest electricity-generating water wheels. The falls The River Dulais rises on Mynydd y Drum in the western Brecon Beacons. It flows down the Dulais Valley, through the villages of Seven Sisters, Neath Port Talbot, Seven Sisters and Crynant, before reaching its confluence with the River Neath after about . Here it flows over a ridge of Pennant Measures, Pennant sandstone, entering a gorge that was carved by meltwater from a glacier 20,000 years ago. Originally the falls were nearer the sea, but the water has eroded the rock and cut its way back to its present location. The River Dulais is prone to flash floods when heavy rain falls in its catchment area. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Melincourt Falls
Melincourt Falls ( Welsh: ''Sgwd Rhyd yr Hesg'') is an high waterfall on Melin Court Brook, a left-bank tributary of the River Neath / Afon Nedd, located south of Resolven in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, south Wales. It is formed where the brook plunges over a resistant band of 'Lower Pennant Sandstone' in a nature reserve managed by the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales. The falls have been drawing visitors for at least two centuries – they are certainly known to have inspired J. M. W. Turner to paint them in 1794. The falls are considered by some to constitute a part of Waterfall Country though the bulk of these falls are a few miles further northeast at the head of the Vale of Neath. Visitor facilities It can be accessed by the public footpath from the B4434 Resolven to Tonna Road, south of Resolven. The entrance to the path is on the opposite side of the road from the public car park. The falls (otherwise known as Melincwrt Falls), can also be view ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Afon Sychryd
The Afon Sychryd is a river in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Although it is a relatively short river, with a total length of , it is notable for the gorge and two waterfalls through which it flows. Course The river has two upper arms, the first arises near Penderyn, which has been dammed to create a small reservoir, known as Penderyn Reservoir. The second arm starts just below Craig y Llyn and is known locally as the Nant Gwrangon; it flows past the village of Rhigos and through Cwm Wyrfa on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Where the two arm joins it flows through the southern slopes of the Fforest Fawr Geopark and under the A465 Heads of the Valleys Road and turns northwest to join the Afon Mellte at Pontneddfechan.Ordnance Survey Explorer map OL12 'Brecon Beacons National Park: western area' Its lower section is cut into a spectacular gorge beneath Dinas Rock (Craig-y-Ddinas), site of an Iron Age hillfort and of the once-famous Dinas Silica Mine. The gorge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
River Mellte
The River Mellte (; ) is a river in south Wales. It is formed by the confluence of the Afon Llia and the Afon Dringarth. It then flows south through the village of Ystradfellte to Pontneddfechan where it joins with the Nedd Fechan to become the River Neath (). The river derives its name from 'mellt' - the Welsh word for 'lightning' - after its tendency to rise and fall rapidly in response to heavy rainfall. Underground section The entire river runs underground for 1/2 km at Porth yr Ogof as it crosses the Carboniferous Limestone outcrop. It resurges at Pwll Glas. There are fifteen known entrances to the cave system. It is a complex maze of passageways, large and small, mostly developed along one or two major bedding planes. In extreme flood conditions the entire cave can flood to the roof. It is used heavily by school and adventure groups though sections of the cave can be hazardous for the unwary. There have been a number of fatalities over the years. Waterfa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Afon Pyrddin
The Afon Pyrddin is a river forming a short section of the boundary between Powys and Neath Port Talbot in Wales, United Kingdom. It also forms a part of the boundary of the Brecon Beacons National Park. The river and its waterfalls 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 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 'fal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nedd Fechan
The Nedd Fechan is a river almost wholly within the county of Powys, Wales. It rises on the eastern slopes of Fan Gyhirych in the Fforest Fawr section of the Brecon Beacons National Park and flows south for to join with the Afon Mellte at Pontneddfechan, their combined waters continuing as the River Neath ( Welsh Afon Nedd) to the sea near Swansea. The only significant tributary of the Nedd Fechan is the Afon Pyrddin which joins it at Pwll Du ar Byrddin ('the black pool of the Pyrddin'). Downstream of this confluence it forms the boundary between Powys to its east and Neath Port Talbot to its west. Geology The headwaters of the river run over Old Red Sandstone as far as Blaen-nedd-isaf where they encounter the Carboniferous Limestone outcrop. The river then continues through a wooded gorge for the remainder of its course. The section downstream of Pont Rhyd-y-cnau is cut in sandstones and mudstones of the Millstone Grit series. The section between Pont Melin-fach and the c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Afon Hepste
Afon Hepste () is a river in Powys, Wales, though partly forming the county's border with Rhondda Cynon Taf. It runs wholly within the Brecon Beacons National Park. Its headwaters, the Afon y Waun, Nant y Cwrier and Nant Hepste Fechan, rise on the Old Red Sandstone dip-slopes of Fforest Fawr and combine to form the Afon Hepste near the farmstead of Hepste Fechan. It enters onto the Carboniferous Limestone outcrop near this point and sections of its course downstream remain dry in all but flood conditions as the flow disappears underground. The river flows over the Millstone Grit outcrop from some way beyond Hepste Bridge.British Geological Survey 1:50,000 map no 231 'Merthyr Tydfil' & accompanying memoir The Hepste plunges over a band of resistant gritstone to form Sgwd yr Eira (translated from Welsh as 'fall of snow'). A public footpath runs behind this fall, making it one of the most popular destinations in an area that has become known as Waterfall Country. One mile d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brecon Beacons
The Brecon Beacons (; ) are a mountain range in Wales. The range includes South Wales's highest mountain, Pen y Fan (), its twin summit Corn Du (), and Craig Gwaun Taf (), which are the three highest peaks in the range. The Brecon Beacons have given their name to the larger Brecon Beacons National Park, and the range itself is therefore sometimes known as the Central Beacons to differentiate the two. Toponymy The name ''Bannau Brycheiniog'' is first attested in the sixteenth century, and 'Brecon Beacons' first occurs in the eighteenth century as "Brecknock Beacons". ''Bannau Brycheiniog'' derives from the Welsh ''bannau'', "peaks", and '' Brycheiniog'', the name of an early medieval kingdom which covered the area. The English name is derived from the Welsh one; in the eleventh century the town of Brecon is recorded as 'Brecheniauc', which became "Brecknock" and "Brecon". In a paragraph on Brecknockshire, John Leland's 1536–1539 ''Itinerary'' notes that: Leland ascribe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Waterfall Country (Wales)
Waterfall Country (or sometimes Waterfalls Country) (Welsh: ''Bro'r Sgydau'') is a name often given to the upper reaches of the Vale of Neath in South Wales. The tourist area around the head of the valley has an unusually large number of publicly accessible waterfalls. The area is not officially defined but generally includes the group of falls on the Nedd Fechan, Afon Pyrddin, Pyrddin, Afon Hepste, Hepste and Afon Mellte, Mellte rivers, all of which lie between the villages of Pontneddfechan and Ystradfellte in the Brecon Beacons National Park. Each of these falls lies within or on the boundary of the county of Powys. A few miles further west are Henrhyd Falls on the Nant Llech, a tributary of the Tawe and to the south-west are Melin Court Falls on the Melin Court Brook, a tributary of the River Neath. These, along with Aberdulais Falls on the River Dulais, Dulais, a further tributary of the Neath are also encompassed by the term 'Waterfall/s Country' by some writers. Collectiv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
