The Afon Ysgethin is a short river in

Gwynedd Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, and C ...

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 ...

. Flowing entirely within

Snowdonia National Park Snowdonia or Eryri (), is a mountainous region in northwestern Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three national parks in Wales, in 1951. Name and extent It was a commonly held belief that the nam ...

it rises beneath the peaks of

Y Llethr Y Llethr is the highest mountain in the Rhinogydd range of Snowdonia, in north Wales. The summit consists of a flat grassy top marked only by a small cairn. The summit is more in keeping with its southern flanks than its rugged northern ...

and

Diffwys Diffwys is a mountain in Snowdonia, Wales, near Barmouth and forms part of the Rhinogydd. On the north side is an exposure of the Caerdion Syncline. It is technically a subsidiary summit of Y Llethr, missing Marilyn status by 2m. It is there ...

within the Rhinogs mountain range and runs in a generally ESE direction towards

Cardigan Bay Cardigan Bay ( cy, Bae Ceredigion) is a large inlet of the Irish Sea, indenting the west coast of Wales between Bardsey Island, Gwynedd in the north, and Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire at its southern end. It is the largest bay in Wales. Geograp ...

. Headwater streams flow into a small upper lake, Llyn Dulyn, and Llyn Bodlyn reservoir. Originally a natural lake, Llyn Bodlyn was enlarged in 1894 to provide

Barmouth Barmouth ( cy, Abermaw (formal); ''Y Bermo'' (colloquial)) is a seaside town and community (Wales), community in the county of Gwynedd, northwestern Wales, lying on the estuary of the Afon Mawddach and Cardigan Bay. Located in the Historic coun ...

with water. The river emerging from the reservoir is crossed by a historic track at Pont Scethin. This old stone arch bridge ("probably 18th century") was once used by

packhorse A packhorse, pack horse, or sumpter refers to a horse, mule, donkey, or pony used to carry goods on its back, usually in sidebags or panniers. Typically packhorses are used to cross difficult terrain, where the absence of roads prevents the use of ...

s and drovers moving between

Harlech Harlech () is a seaside resort and community in Gwynedd, north Wales and formerly in the historic county of Merionethshire. It lies on Tremadog Bay in the Snowdonia National Park. Before 1966, it belonged to the Meirionydd District of the 197 ...

and

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. A further 3 km downstream the river enters a narrower wooded valley and is crossed by Pont Fadog. An inscription on the bridge states that it was improved in 1762 by a mason called H. Edward, who was commissioned by William Vaughan, a member of the powerful owner family of nearby Cors-y-gedol hall (see

Dyffryn Ardudwy Dyffryn Ardudwy () is a village, community and electoral ward in the Ardudwy area of Gwynedd, Wales consisting of several small, almost conjoined, villages including Coed Ystumgwern, Llanenddwyn (), Llanddwywe, Talybont and Dyffryn Ardudwy. ...

). There are two further crossings at the village of Tal-y-bont: by the

A496 road The A496 is a major coastal and mountainous road in southern Snowdonia. The road is 32.8 miles in length, from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Llanelltyd, via Harlech. The original northern terminus of the road before A470 re-numbering was Llandudno. The ...

and by the

Cambrian Coast railway The Cambrian Line ( cy, Llinell y Cambrian), also known as the Cambrian Main Line ( cy, Prif Linell y Cambrian) and Cambrian Coast Line ( cy, Llinell Arfordir y Cambrian), is a railway line that runs from Shrewsbury, England, westwards to Aber ...

. After another 1 km, the Afon Ysgethin enters the sea.

Gallery

Llyn Bodlyn.jpg, Llyn Bodlyn Pont Scethin.jpg, Pont Scethin and Moelfre Pont Fadog.jpg, Pont Fadog Pont Fadog inscription.jpg, Inscription on Pont Fadog: W.V. 1762. H. Ed. saer (saer: mason) Afon Ysgethin 2.jpg, Coed Cors-y-gedol, the small "rain forest" below Pont Fadog

References

{{coord, 52.77677, -4.11480, format=dms, type:river_region:GB, display=title Ysgethin Ysgethin