Llyn Brenig is a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

located on Denbigh Moors in

North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...

. The artificial lake, which was constructed between 1973 and 1976, was created by building an embankment dam across the ''Afon Brenig'' valley. It lies at above sea level on the border between the counties of

Conwy Conwy (, ), previously known in English as Conway, is a walled market town, community and the administrative centre of Conwy County Borough in North Wales. The walled town and castle stand on the west bank of the River Conwy, facing Deganwy on ...

and

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewy ...

. It is used to manage the flow in the River Dee as part of the River Dee regulation system. The reservoir's purpose is to protect the water supply for North West England and north-east

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, particularly

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

and its surrounding area. Its surface area of makes it the fourth largest lake in Wales, behind

Bala Lake Bala Lake ( cy, Llyn Tegid ) is a large freshwater glacial lake in Gwynedd, Wales. The River Dee, which has its source on the slopes of Dduallt in the mountains of Snowdonia, feeds the long by wide lake. It was the largest natural body of ...

(Llyn Tegid),

Llyn Trawsfynydd Llyn Trawsfynydd is a large man-made reservoir situated near the village of Trawsfynydd in Gwynedd, North Wales. With a total surface area of the reservoir is slightly more extensive than Wales's largest natural lake, Llyn Tegid at . History ...

and

Lake Vyrnwy , image = Lakevyrnwysummer.jpg , caption = View overlooking Lake Vyrnwy showing the full extent of the lake , image_bathymetry = , pushpin_map=Wales Powys , caption_bathymetry = , location = Wales , c ...

History

Construction began in 1973 and was completed in 1976. An earthen bank with stone, which is up to at its highest point, dammed the ''Afon Brenig'' near the village of ''Pentre-Llyn-Cymmer'',

Cerrigydrudion Cerrigydrudion, sometimes spelt ''Cerrig-y-drudion'', () is a village and community in Conwy, Wales. Until 1974 it was part of the historic county Denbighshire, when it became part of the newly formed county of Clwyd. When the county of Clwyd wa ...

. The northern half of the reservoir is in

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, ...

of Nantglyn. Its perimeter is about . Brenig, which has a capacity of 60 million m³, was first filled in 1979. Water supply of the catchment into the lake is significantly "over-reservoired", this means the catchment area of Llyn Brenig does not have capacity to refill the reservoir within one annual hydrological cycle. It can take several years for the reservoir to refill again after its water level have been drawn down. Water is only drawn from Llyn Brenig during drought conditions when Llyn Celyn and

are no longer predicted to be capable of maintaining the flow in the River Dee. Commercial logging is conducted around parts of the lake.

Leisure

Llyn Brenig is a popular destination for outward bound activities such as

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

and mountain biking, fishing and watersports. It has a visitor centre and cafe.

Watersport activities

Sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cou ...

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

, canoeing and

water zorbing Zorbing (also known as globe-riding, sphereing, orbing) is the recreation or sport of rolling downhill inside an orb, typically made of transparent plastic. Zorbing is generally performed on a gentle slope but can also be done on a level surfa ...

are all permitted on the lake. The only permitted power craft are those used by anglers, rangers, and sailing club safety craft. In 1990 Llyn Brenig was the only Welsh reservoir used for the

World Fly Fishing Championships The World Fly Fishing Championship is organised by the Confédération Internationale de la Pêche Sportive ( FIPS Mouche) and takes place annually since 1981 between 30 teams of six individuals per country (in 2018), over five sessions. The 2020 ...

Archeology

Celtic stone circle (2,000 BC), NE Llyn Brenig, Wales 04

During construction of the Llyn Brenig, archeologist found that the Afon Brenig valley had been used for thousand of years by upland communities crossing the Denbigh Moors. Finds included a camp used by Mesolithic people (

radiocarbon Carbon-14, C-14, or radiocarbon, is a radioactive isotope of carbon with an atomic nucleus containing 6 protons and 8 neutrons. Its presence in organic materials is the basis of the radiocarbon dating method pioneered by Willard Libby and c ...

analysis of the charcoal from their fires to around 5700 BC),

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

artifacts, a

ring cairn A ring cairn (also correctly termed a ring bank enclosure, but sometimes wrongly described as a ring barrow) is a circular or slightly oval, ring-shaped, low (maximum 0.5 metres high) embankment, several metres wide and from 8 to 20 metres in ...

(a Bronze Age

burial mound Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

), and several barrows. There are a number of archaeological trails around Llyn Brenig.

Ospreys

A pair of

osprey The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...

s began breeding at the lake in 2018, becoming the fifth site in Wales. In 2020 filming of ''The Bridge'', a

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early ...

programme, may have disturbed the ospreys during the breeding season. In April 2021, vandals cut down the osprey nest platform with a chainsaw. The same pair of ospreys returned to Llyn Brenig in 2022 and hatched chicks at a replacement nest in the same location.

References

External links

Clwyd-Powys Archaeological TrustLlyn Brenig Sailing ClubWelsh Water WebsiteNorth Wales Wildlife Trust Ospreys at Llyn Brenig
{{authority control Brenig Brenig River regulation in Conwy County Borough River regulation in Denbighshire RBrenig