The Afon Crafnant ( en, italic=yes, River Crafnant) is a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or 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 drain the surrounding drainag ...

of the

River Conwy , name_etymology = , image = Boats in River Conwy.jpg , image_size = 300 , image_caption = Boats in the river estuary at Conwy , map = , map_size = , map_caption = , push ...

(''Afon Conwy'' in

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

), which is the main river of the Conwy valley in north-west

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 ...

. It flows from picturesque

Llyn Crafnant Llyn Crafnant is a lake that lies in a valley in Wales where the northern edge of the Gwydir Forest meets the lower slopes of the Carneddau mountains and, more specifically, the ridge of Cefn Cyfarwydd. The head of the valley offers a profile of ...

, joining the river Conwy at Trefriw. It is about in length. The

river Geirionydd The River Geirionydd (''Afon Geirionydd'' in Welsh) is a river in Snowdonia, North Wales. It is a tributary of the River Crafnant (''Afon Crafnant''), which flows over the Fairy Falls waterfall in Trefriw, and thence on into the River Conwy ( ...

is a tributary which flows from Llyn Geirionydd. They have a confluence a little below the former Klondyke Mill, which used water from both rivers. Klondyke was a mining and milling complex connected with some of the metal mines of the Gwydir Forest. The Crafnant is also fed by a number of unnamed streams draining from

Cefn Cyfarwydd Cefn Cyfarwydd is a ridge in Conwy county borough, north Wales. It is located above the village of Trefriw on the western side of the Conwy valley, and dramatically separates Cwm Cowlyd and the rugged mountains of the Carneddau from the ...

, the ridge to the north-west. At Trefriw some water from the river is extracted to pass through the Trefriw Woollen Mills to generate hydro-electricity for the machinery, after which the river flows over the Fairy Falls, a popular attraction. Coed Crafnant, an area of woodland in the valley, is managed by the North Wales Wildlife Trust.

Cwm Glas Crafnant

Cwm Glas Crafnant is a national nature reserve administered by

Natural Resources Wales Natural Resources Wales ( cy, Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru) is a Welsh Government sponsored body, which became operational from 1 April 2013, when it took over the management of the natural resources of Wales. It was formed from a merger of the Coun ...

(formerly the

Countryside Council for Wales The Countryside Council for Wales (CCW; cy, Cyngor Cefn Gwlad Cymru (CCGC)) was a Welsh Assembly sponsored body responsible for wildlife conservation, landscape and countryside access authority for Wales. It was merged with Forestry Commiss ...

) which lies at the head of the narrow Crafnant valley, beneath the rocky masses of Crimpiau and Craig Wen about 5 kilometres from

Betws-y-Coed Betws-y-coed (; '' en, prayer house in the wood'') is a village and community in the Conwy valley in Conwy County Borough, Wales, located in the historic county of Caernarfonshire, right on the boundary with Denbighshire, in the Gwydir Forest ...

in Conwy. Partly surrounded by a ridge of volcanic rock, the reserve supports a range of habitats including

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

marshland A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

and cliffs. This quiet upland area is believed to be home to such species of threatened mammal as the red squirrel and pine marten.

External links

Trefriw Woollen Mills
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crafnant Trefriw Rivers of Conwy County Borough Rivers of Snowdonia Crafnant