The River Tawe (; cy, Afon Tawe ) is a long river in

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

. Its headwaters flow initially east from its source below

Llyn y Fan Fawr Llyn y Fan Fawr (Welsh: 'great lake (near) the peak') is a natural lake in the county of Powys, Wales. It lies at the foot of Fan Brycheiniog, the highest peak of the Black Mountain (Welsh''Y Mynydd Du'') range within the Brecon Beacons National ...

south of Moel Feity in the Black Mountains, the westernmost range of the

Brecon Beacons National Park The Brecon Beacons National Park ( cy, Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog) is one of three national parks in Wales, and is centred on the Brecon Beacons range of hills in southern Wales. It includes the Black Mountain (range), Black Mountain ...

, before the river turns south and then southwest to its

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

. Its main tributaries are the right bank Upper and

Lower Clydach River The Lower Clydach River is a river in South Wales which rises on the slopes of Mynydd y Betws west of Cwmgors Cwmgors is a village in the county of Glamorgan, and administered as part of the unitary authority borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wa ...

s and the

Afon Twrch The Afon Twrch is a river which rises in the Black Mountain in south Wales. It forms the boundary between the counties of Brecknockshire (currently administered as part of the unitary authority of Powys) and Carmarthenshire and, downstream of ...

. The total area of the catchment is some . The Tawe passes through a number of towns and villages including

Ystradgynlais Ystradgynlais (, ) is a town on the River Tawe in southwest Powys, Wales. It is the second-largest town in Powys and is in the historic county of Brecknockshire. The town has a high proportion of Welsh language-speakers. The community includes ...

Ystalyfera Ystalyfera is a former industrial village and community (Wales), community in the upper Swansea Valley, on the River Tawe, about northeast of Swansea. It is an ward (politics), electoral ward and a community (Wales), community in the unitary a ...

Pontardawe Pontardawe () is a town and a community in the Swansea Valley (Welsh: ''Cwmtawe'') in Wales. With a population of 6,832, it comprises the electoral wards of Pontardawe and Trebanos. A town council is elected. Pontardawe forms part of the county bo ...

, and Clydach and meets the sea at

Swansea Bay Swansea Bay ( cy, Bae Abertawe) is a bay on the southern coast of Wales. The River Neath, River Tawe, River Afan, River Kenfig and Clyne River flow into the bay. Swansea Bay and the upper reaches of the Bristol Channel experience a large tid ...

below Swansea. The Tawe Valley ( 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 ...

) is more commonly known as the

Swansea Valley The Swansea Valley ( cy, Cwm Tawe) is one of the South Wales Valleys. It is the valley from the Brecon Beacons National Park to the sea at Swansea of the River Tawe in Wales. Administration of the area is divided between the City and County of Sw ...

. Ownership of the riverbed was granted to the

Duke of Beaufort Duke of Beaufort (), a title in the Peerage of England, was created by Charles II in 1682 for Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester, a descendant of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, legitimised son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of So ...

in the 17th century by Charles II resulting in exclusive mineral and fishing rights, which is extended as far as requiring permission and payment for bridges which are built over it. This was last exercised in 2008 when Swansea Council was required to pay £281,431 to the estate, as revealed by a Freedom of Information request.

History

The lower part of the valley was intensely industrialised in the 18th and 19th centuries and was especially impacted by metal refining and working and to a much lesser extent by

porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises mainl ...

manufacture. Large areas of the lower valley remain contaminated by industrial spoil containing

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

nickel Nickel is a chemical element with symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive but large pieces are slow to ...

and

zinc Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...

. The only significant extant relic of those times is a major nickel refinery at Clydach which is part of the Canadian company

Vale Inco Vale Canada Limited (formerly Vale Inco, CVRD Inco and Inco Limited; for corporate branding purposes simply known as "Vale" and pronounced in English) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Brazilian mining company Vale. Vale's nickel mining and ...

. The quality of the river has now greatly improved. Large

salmon Salmon () is the common name for several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family (biology), family Salmonidae, which are native to tributary, tributaries of the ...

swim up the river to

spawn Spawn or spawning may refer to: * Spawn (biology), the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals Arts, entertainment, and media * Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise ** '' Spawn: ...

, whilst

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salmoni ...

are in abundance. In 1992, a barrage was built at the mouth of the river.

National Cycle Route 43 National Cycle Network, Route 43 is part of the National Cycle Network and the Celtic Trail, which connects Swansea with Builth Wells. Most of the route is still awaiting development. As of June 2006, there is a 13-mile section out of Swansea t ...

follows this river for much of its course.

Bridges and crossings

Bridges over the River Tawe within the

City and County of Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

, from north to south: *

A4067 List of A roads in zone 4 in Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European isla ...

(Ffordd Cwm Tawe) road bridge *B4291 road bridge at

Glais Glais is a semi-rural village in Swansea, South Wales. ''Nant-y-Pal'' is a stream running through the middle of Glais. It divides the village into two electoral wards: to the north of the stream, Glais is under the Clydach Electoral Ward; to th ...

*A4067 road bridge (second crossing) *former rail access to the

works at Clydach *disused railway bridge (former GWR route from Felin Fran to Clydach) *A4067 road bridge (third crossing) *Park Road bridge at Ynystawe *

M4 motorway The M4, originally the London-South Wales Motorway, is a motorway in the United Kingdom running from west London to southwest Wales. The English section to the Severn Bridge was constructed between 1961 and 1971; the Welsh element was largely ...

bridge *railway bridge ( Swansea District Line) *Swansea Vale road bridge *A48 Morriston road bridge - links

Morriston Morriston (; cy, Treforys ) is a Community (Wales), community in the City and County of Swansea, Wales and falls within the Morriston (electoral ward), Morriston ward. It is the largest community in Swansea county. Morriston is sometimes ref ...

town centre to the Swansea Enterprise Park *Beaufort Bridge - historic access point from Beaufort Road to the now Enterprise Park area. *Mannesmann pedestrian and cycle bridge - links the Enterprise Park to Beaufort Road in

Plasmarl Plasmarl, or Plas-Marl, is a suburban district and historically a village of the City and County of Swansea, Wales. It falls within the old Copper Quarter of Landore electoral ward. Location Plasmarl is centered on the A4067 road, which con ...

*southern Beaufort Road bridge (unnamed) * Landore railway viaduct (

South Wales Main Line The South Wales Main Line ( cy, Prif Linell De Cymru), originally known as the London, Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway or simply as the Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway, is a branch of the Great Western Main Line in Great Britain. ...

) *Morfa footbridge - links the Morfa Retail Park to the

Liberty Stadium The Swansea.com Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Swansea.com; formerly Liberty Stadium) is an all-seated sports stadium and conferencing venue located in the Landore area of Swansea, Wales. The stadium opened in 2005 and was named the Liberty Stadium. It ...

*White Rock Bridge - road and pedestrian bridge linking the

Landore Landore ( cy, Glandŵr) is a district and community in Swansea, Wales. The district falls in the Landore council ward. A mainly residential area, it is located about 2.5 miles north of Swansea city centre. The north-easterly part of Landore i ...

district with the

Bon-y-maen Bon-y-maen, sometimes spelt ''Bonymaen'', ( cy, Bôn-y-maen) is a community in Swansea, Wales located about north east of Swansea city centre. It falls within the coterminous Bonymaen ward for elections to Swansea Council. Bôn-y-maen is ...

district *Parc Tawe Bridge - road and pedestrian bridge linking

Parc Tawe Parc Tawe is a retail park and leisure area in Swansea. It is located in the eastern area of the city centre on the west bank of the River Tawe in the Lower Swansea. The area includes "out-of-town" style stores with car parks located outside ...

with St Thomas *Quay Parade Bridge - road and pedestrian bridge linking Quay Parade with Fabian Way *Old Swansea Bridge - a former railway bridge: the bridge deck no longer exists but the piers remain *Sail Bridge - a pedestrian and cycle bridge linking the

Maritime Quarter The Maritime Quarter (including Swansea Marina) is a residential area of Swansea, Wales, UK located immediately south of the city centre shopping core. It falls within Swansea's Castle ward. The area is bounded by Brynmill to the west, Swansea ...

near Sainsbury's superstore to the

SA1 Swansea Waterfront SA1 Swansea Waterfront (''colloquially'': SA1) is the marketing name given to the brownfield development area located in northern part of Swansea Docks. The area is located directly to the southeast of Swansea city centre. It is bordered by ...

development area *Trafalgar Bridge - a pedestrian and cycle bridge located near the

Swansea barrage The Swansea barrage (or the Tawe barrage) was completed in 1992 creating a new marina at the mouth of the River Tawe extending the leisure boat facilities already being offered by the old South Dock. The barrage structure includes a boat lock, ...

: built at a cost of £1.2 million, it crosses the barrage lock and part of the bridge swings with the lock gates

Future developments

There are plans for further housing developments on both east and west banks of the River Tawe and a proposal to operate river taxis along the river. A report was commissioned by Natural Resources Wales in 2015 as part of its 'Tawe Trial' initiative - completed by regeneration consultants Trilein Ltd. it recommended a number of initiatives to better connect the urban areas on the west of the river with the more rural areas of Kilvey Hill and Crymlyn Bog beyond to the east.

References

External links

The Tawe River and Swansea Harbour
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tawe

River Tawe The River Tawe (; cy, Afon Tawe ) is a long river in South Wales. Its headwaters flow initially east from its source below Llyn y Fan Fawr south of Moel Feity in the Black Mountains, the westernmost range of the Brecon Beacons National ...

Rivers of the Brecon Beacons National Park Rivers of Neath Port Talbot Rivers of Powys Rivers of Swansea

History

Bridges and crossings

Future developments

See also

References

External links