![Afon Wnion at the bridge at Dolgellau](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Afon_Wnion_at_the_bridge_at_Dolgellau._-_geograph.org.uk_-_1424377.jpg)
The River Wnion is a river in the southeast of
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. It begins high on the slopes of
Aran Benllyn
Aran Benllyn is a subsidiary summit of Aran Fawddwy in southern Snowdonia, North Wales, Wales, United Kingdom. It is the second highest peak in the Aran mountain range.
It rises from the south shore of Llyn Tegid, and tops the northern point o ...
about five miles south of
Lanuwchllyn and flows south-west into the
River Mawddach
The Afon Mawddach ( en, River Mawddach, italic=yes) is a river in Gwynedd, Wales, which has its source in a wide area north of Dduallt in Snowdonia. It is 28 miles (45 km) in length, and is much branched; many of the significant tri ...
near
Cymer Abbey
Cymer Abbey (Welsh: ''Abaty Cymer'') is a ruined Cistercian abbey near the village of Llanelltyd, just north of Dolgellau, Gwynedd, in north-west Wales, United Kingdom.
History
It was founded in 1189 and dedicated to the Virgin Mary under the ...
. It flows past several villages, including and Bontnewydd, where a bridge crosses over the river that dates from the 18th century. It then flows to
Dolgellau
Dolgellau () is a town and community in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It was the traditional county town of the historic county of Merionethshire ( cy, Meirionnydd, Sir Feirionnydd) un ...
where another locally famous bridge, known as "Y Bont Fawr". Its total length is approximately 12 miles.
The river may get its name from 'White' which turned from "gwyn" (white) into "gwn" (gun); indeed, there is a place called 'Pennar(th) Gwynion' in the vicinity, near
Hengwrt
Hengwrt ( en, Old Court) was a mansion near Dolgellau in Meirionnydd, Gwynedd. It lay in the parish of Llanelltyd near the confluence of the River Mawddach and River Wnion, near Cymer Abbey. With medieval origins, it was rebuilt or remodelled ...
.
References
Wnion
Merionethshire
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