Afon Irfon (the River Irfon) is a river in

Powys Powys (; ) is a county and preserved county in Wales. It is named after the Kingdom of Powys which was a Welsh successor state, petty kingdom and principality that emerged during the Middle Ages following the end of Roman rule in Britain. Geog ...

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 ...

. It flows from the upper slopes of Bryn Garw in the Cambrian Mountains, through the Abergwesyn Valley, past the Nant Irfon National Nature Reserve in the hills above the village of

Abergwesyn Abergwesyn is a village in the Welsh county of Powys, in mid-Wales, at the start of the Abergwesyn valley and at the confluence of the Afon Irfon and the Afon Gwesyn. It is from Cardiff and from London. Abergwesyn Commons stretch between the N ...

, and through

Llanwrtyd Wells Llanwrtyd Wells ( cy, Llanwrtyd "church of St Gwrtud") is a market town and community in Powys, Wales, in the historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire) on the Afon Irfon. The town is on the A483 between Llandovery and Builth Wells and is ...

to its confluence with the River Wye at Builth Wells. The source of the Irfon is in the so-called ' Desert of Wales'. Afon Irfon is the listed name of the Site of Special Scientific Interest in the upper reaches of the river Irfon

Description

From its source at 540 metres AMSL on the upper slopes of Bryn Garw in the Cambrian Mountains the Irfon flows southwards past the foot of the Devil's Staircase, along the Abergwesyn Valley, through the scenic Camddwr Bleiddiad (Wolves' Gorge), and into the Wolves' Pool. It then flows past a forest of

sessile oak ''Quercus petraea'', commonly known as the sessile oak, Cornish oak, Irish Oak or durmast oak, is a species of oak tree native to most of Europe and into Anatolia and Iran. The sessile oak is the national tree of Ireland, and an unofficial embl ...

''(

Quercus petraea ''Quercus petraea'', commonly known as the sessile oak, Cornish oak, Irish Oak or durmast oak, is a species of oak tree native to most of Europe and into Anatolia and Iran. The sessile oak is the national tree of Ireland, and an unofficial embl ...

)'' to join the Afon Gwesyn at Abergwyesn where it passes beneath the Irfon Forest and the Nant Irfon National Nature Reserve towards Llanwrtyd Wells. Lastly, overlooked by the scarp of

Mynydd Epynt Mynydd Epynt () is a former community and upland area in Powys, Wales. The Ministry of Defence controversially evicted the community of Mynydd Epynt in 1940, creating what is now the core of the Sennybridge Training Area (SENTA), the largest mil ...

to the south, it flows eastward through

Llangammarch Wells Llangammarch Wells or simply Llangammarch ( cy, Llangamarch) is a village in the community of Llangamarch in Powys, Wales, lying on the Afon Irfon, and in the historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire). It is the smallest of the four spa ...

, and

Garth Garth may refer to: Places * Garth, Alberta, Canada * Garth, Bridgend, a village in south Wales :* Garth railway station (Bridgend) * Garth, Ceredigion, small village in Wales * Garth, Powys, a village in mid Wales :* Garth railway station (Powy ...

to join the River Wye at Builth Wells (Llanfair ym Muallt) approximately 28 winding miles from its source.UK Rivers Guidebook - Afon Irfon - Camddwr Bleiddiad Gorge to Llanwrtyd Wells
/ref> The name 'Irfon' may be identical in its origin to the

River Irvine The River Irvine ( gd, Irbhinn) is a river that flows through southwest Scotland. Its watershed is on the Lanarkshire border of Ayrshire at an altitude of above sea-level, near Loudoun Hill, Drumclog, and SW by W of Strathaven. It flows west ...

in Scotland, for which multiple etymologies have been proposed.

History

The river is famous in Welsh history for the fact that it was on its banks, in the vicinity

Cilmeri Cilmeri is a village and community in Powys, mid-Wales, United Kingdom in the historic county of Brecknockshire, two and a half miles west of Builth Wells on the A483 to Llandovery. The village is served by Cilmeri railway station on the Heart ...

, that

Llywelyn ap Gruffudd Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (c. 1223 – 11 December 1282), sometimes written as Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, also known as Llywelyn the Last ( cy, Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf, lit=Llywelyn, Our Last Leader), was the native Prince of Wales ( la, Princeps Wall ...

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

, was killed on 11 December 1282.

Literature

The Abergwesyn Valley and the legend of the boy failing to safely leap the Wolves' Gorge ('Camddwr Bleiddiad') were described by

George Borrow George Henry Borrow (5 July 1803 – 26 July 1881) was an English writer of novels and of travel based on personal experiences in Europe. His travels gave him a close affinity with the Romani people of Europe, who figure strongly in his work. Hi ...

in his 1862 travel publication Wild Wales: Its People, Language and Scenery.

Gallery

File:Nature Reserve in the Irfon Valley - geograph.org.uk - 391585.jpg, The Irfon flowing down the Abergwesyn Valley, dropping into the 'Wolves' Gorge' in the middle-ground of the picture File:Wolves' Pool - geograph.org.uk - 701043.jpg, Afon Irfon flows through the narrow Wolves' Gorge into the Wolves' Pool in the Abergwesyn Valley Image:Island in river Irfon at Llangammarch Wells - geograph.org.uk - 157546.jpg, Afon Irfon at

File:Camddwr Bleiddiad or Wolves' Gorge - geograph.org.uk - 701038.jpg, Wolves' Gorge

References

{{Authority control Irfon Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Brecknock

Description

History

Literature

Gallery

See also

References