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 drainage ...

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 peop ...

), which is the main river of the

Conwy valley , 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 ...

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, joining the river Conwy at

Trefriw Trefriw () is a village and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales. It lies on the river Crafnant in North Wales, a few miles south of the site of the Roman fort of Canovium, sited at Caerhun. At the last three censuses the population of the ...

. It is about in length. The river Geirionydd is a tributary which flows from

Llyn Geirionydd Llyn Geirionydd lies in a valley in northern Wales where the northern edge of the Gwydyr Forest meets the lower slopes of the Carneddau mountains. The lake is almost a mile long and covers an area of , but is never any deeper than according ...

. They have a confluence a little below the former

Klondyke Mill Klondyke Mill was an ore processing mill on the edge of the Gwydir Forest, near Trefriw, north Wales. Constructed in 1900, the mill was built to receive lead ore (and some zinc ore) from Pandora mine, some 2 miles away – with which its hist ...

, which used water from both rivers. Klondyke was a mining and milling complex connected with some of the metal mines of the

Gwydir Forest Gwydir Forest, also spelled Gwydyr, is located in Conwy county borough and the Snowdonia National Park in Wales. It takes its name from the ancient Gwydir Estate, established by the Sir John Wynn, 1st Baronet, John Wynn family of Gwydir Castle ...

. The Crafnant is also fed by a number of unnamed streams draining from Cefn Cyfarwydd, the ridge to the north-west. At Trefriw some water from the river is extracted to pass through the

Trefriw Woollen Mills Trefriw Woollen Mills is a woollen mill in the village of Trefriw, Conwy, in northern Wales, that has been operating since around 1825. History The Woollen industry in Wales was once an important part of the Welsh economy. Originally called the ...

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 The North Wales Wildlife Trust (NWWT) (Welsh: ''Ymddiriedolaeth Natur Gogledd Cymru'') is the Wildlife Trust for North Wales. Established in 1962, it covers the vice counties of Anglesey, Caernarfonshire, Merionethshire, Denbighshire and Flint ...

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 Count ...

(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 Commissi ...

) 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 The red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris'') is a species of tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus'' common throughout Europe and Asia. The red squirrel is an arboreal, primarily herbivorous rodent. In Great Britain, Ireland, and in Italy numbers ...

and

pine marten The European pine marten (''Martes martes''), also known as the pine marten, is a mustelid native to and widespread in most of Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus and parts of Iran, Iraq and Syria. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. ...

External links

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