The Tryweryn is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater
Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the ...
in the north of
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 ...
which starts at Llyn Tryweryn in the
Snowdonia National Park and after joins the river Dee at
Bala
Bala may refer to:
Places
India
*Bala, India, a village in Allahabad, India
* Bala, Ahor, a village in the Jalore district of Rajasthan
* Bala, Raebareli, a village in Uttar Pradesh, India
Romania
* Bala, Mehedinți, a commune in Mehedinţi ...
. One of the main
tributaries of the Dee, it was
dammed in 1965 to form
Llyn Celyn
Llyn Celyn () is a reservoir constructed between 1960 and 1965 in the valley of the River Tryweryn in Gwynedd, Wales. It measures roughly long by wide, and has a maximum depth of . It has the capacity to hold of water.
It was originally ...
, drowning the village of
Capel Celyn in spite of much popular and political opposition in Wales. The resulting graffiti "
Cofiwch Dryweryn" ("Remember Tryweryn") near
Llanrhystud 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 City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
in England.
Whitewater sports
The Tryweryn River joins the
River Dee roughly half a mile downstream from
llyn Tegid.
The reservoir now at the head of the Tryweryn was created in 1965, to provide water to Liverpool. At that time, the 67 inhabitants of the village of
Capel Celyn were forcibly removed.
The Tryweryn is the site of the Welsh
Canolfan Tryweryn national
whitewater
Whitewater forms in a rapid context, in particular, when a river's gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that froths, making the water appear opaque and ...
centre, managed by the
Welsh Canoe Association
Canoe Wales ( cy, Canŵ Cymru) is the national governing body for paddlesport in Wales. It covers all branches of the sport from recreational canoeing, kayaking, stand up paddleboarding and rafting to whitewater racing, slalom racing and wil ...
. It is an important river for
whitewater kayaking and
rafting. The centre features a café and facilities to support
whitewater sports. The natural
whitewater rapids
Whitewater forms in a rapid context, in particular, when a river's gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that froths, making the water appear opaque an ...
of the upper section of the Treweryn 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 the Tryweryn is uncontroversial - this contrasts with recreational access to many of the other rivers in Wales (see
Rivers Access Campaign for more information), and adds to the popularity of the Tryweryn among kayakers and rafters.
In August 2004,
John Prescott, deputy prime minister, was on a rafting trip on the Tryweryn and helped to aid a kayaker who had been injured.
Notes
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Bala, Gwynedd
Llandderfel
Llanycil
Tryweryn
Tryweryn
1Tryweryn