The Afon Marlais is a right-bank tributary of the

River Tâf The River Taf ( cy, Afon Taf) is a river in West Wales. It rises in the Preseli Hills, Pembrokeshire, and continues through Carmarthenshire to Laugharne. It is one of the three rivers to enter the sea on the east side of Carmarthen Bay. The oth ...

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...

, 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 through the Vale of Lampeter to join the Tâf just west of

Whitland Whitland (Welsh: , lit. "Old White House", or ''Hendy-gwyn ar Daf'', "Old White House on the River Tâf", from the medieval ''Ty Gwyn ar Daf'') is both a town and a community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. Description The Whitland community is ...

. Its length is approximately . The name derives from the

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 peop ...

'marw glais' and signifies a 'stagnant stream'.

Course

An indication of the source of the river comes from Ordnance Survey maps which show, a short distance east of Redstone Cross (a junction of the A40 and the B4313 roads), a place called Blaenmarlais in the

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

of Narberth at . In its first kilometre, the Marlais, flowing in a roughly easterly direction, then southeasterly, is joined by an unnamed left bank tributary before running under the A478 at Pant-y-gorphwys, then another left bank tributary and two right bank tributaries before turning east, then northeast meandering along Lampeter Vale where it is joined by numerous further tributaries, to pass under the A40 again at Pont Fadog. Approximately 500m further, it joins the Tâf at . For all of its length after Pant-y-gorphwys, the river marks the boundary between the communities of

Lampeter Velfrey Lampeter Velfrey ( Welsh: ''Llanbedr Felfre'') is a community and parish in the county of Pembrokeshire, Wales, which lies 68.0 miles (109.4 km) from Cardiff and 196.0 miles (315.4 km) from London. In 2011 the population of the parish wa ...

and

Llanddewi Velfrey Llanddewi Velfrey or Llandewi Velfrey (also Llan-ddewi-vel-vre) ( cy, Llanddewi Efelffre) is a village, parish and community of Pembrokeshire in West Wales. Historically it was in the Narberth Hundred. The village is in Lampeter Vale, northeast ...

. Ordnance Survey names one of the tributaries (right bank) as Afon Cwm at .

Geology

In the catchment area limestones of

Llandeilo Llandeilo () is a town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, situated at the crossing of the River Towy by the A483 on a 19th-century stone bridge. Its population was 1,795 at the 2011 Census. It is adjacent to the westernmost point of the B ...

age are common. Gold grains have been found in the river, the angular nature of some suggesting a local source.

Bridges

Pant-y-Gorphwys and its bridge, and Pont Fadog, are Royal Commission recorded historic place names.

Buildings

A mill labelled as White Mill (Flour) is shown on a 1907 map and current Ordnance Survey maps at .

References

{{authority control Rivers of Pembrokeshire