River Syfynwy
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River Syfynwy (Welsh: ''Afon Syfynwy'', ''Syfnwy'' or ''Syfni'') is a river entirely within
Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...
,
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 ...
, rising in the
Preseli Hills The Preseli Hills or, as they are known locally and historically, Preseli Mountains, (Welsh: ''Mynyddoedd y Preseli / Y Preselau'' , ) is a range of hills in western Wales, mostly within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. The range stret ...
, feeding the Rosebush and
Llys y Fran Llys y Fran is a small village and parish in the community of New Moat on the southern slopes of the Preseli Mountains in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The parish includes the small settlement of Gwastad. A notable feature is Llys y Fran Reservoir and Co ...
reservoirs and joining the
Eastern Cleddau The River Cleddau ( cy, Afon Cleddau) consists of the Eastern and Western Cleddau rivers in Pembrokeshire, west Wales. They unite to form the Daugleddau estuary and the important harbour of Milford Haven. The name of the combined estuary – ...
to the south. It is a river considered to be important as an ecological indicator and part is in a
site of special scientific interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...
.


Course

The river is formed by the confluence of several streams rising in the southern slopes of the Preseli Hills at some and flows southwards into Rosebush Reservoir, where it passes through or over the dam. Cascades, Syfynwy Falls, are immediately below the dam and are a visitor attraction when the reservoir is overflowing. Continuing south west, the river flows through a wooded valley - Holmus Wood, Farthing's Hook Wood and Dan-y-Coed, then under the Grade II-listed Farthing's Hook Bridge. It runs between Pen-yr-Allt Wood and Velindre Wood before entering the northern end of Llys y Fran reservoir. This reservoir's dam produces electricity. After the dam, the river flows in a more southerly direction before turning south east, passing under Step-aside Bridge, near Clarbeston, and the 18th century Grade II-listed
Gelli Bridge Gelli Bridge is a Grade II listed two-arch bridge spanning the River Syfynwy a few yards before its confluence with the Eastern Cleddau The River Cleddau ( cy, Afon Cleddau) consists of the Eastern and Western Cleddau rivers in Pembrokeshir ...
at Gelli Hill to meet the Eastern Cleddau. The river is approximately long.


Ecology

The river has been used by some researchers as an indicator of ecological health and is included in the
River Cleddau The River Cleddau ( cy, Afon Cleddau) consists of the Eastern and Western Cleddau rivers in Pembrokeshire, west Wales. They unite to form the Daugleddau estuary and the important harbour of Milford Haven. The name of the combined estuary – ...
catchment area's Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its wide range of indigenous wild plants and animals, including
water crowfoot ''Ranunculus'' is a large genus of about almost 1700 to more than 1800 species of flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae. Members of the genus are known as buttercups, spearworts and water crowfoots. The genus is distributed in Europe, ...
,
lamprey Lampreys (sometimes inaccurately called lamprey eels) are an ancient extant lineage of jawless fish of the order Petromyzontiformes , placed in the superclass Cyclostomata. The adult lamprey may be characterized by a toothed, funnel-like s ...
and
otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes wea ...
. The Syfynwy is included in the Eastern Cleddau Special Area of Conservation (SAC). In 2009 the Bro Syfynwy Heritage Group were granted £2,750 to produce a leaflet covering rural and historical life around the upper Syfynwy. The Llys y Fran Catchment Project is an ecological study based on the Afon Syfynwy catchment from its source to the Llys y Fran dam. The study, begun in July 2014, is focussed on understanding the blue green algae blooms that have been occurring in the reservoir and, with the support of landowners, will involve soil sampling and nutrient management. The project is being run in collaboration with
Welsh Water 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 peopl ...
and
Natural Resources Wales Natural Resources Wales ( cy, Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru) is a Welsh Government sponsored body, which became operational from 1 April 2013, when it took over the management of the natural resources of Wales. It was formed from a merger of the Count ...
(NRW). As well as farming, the project will also consider the impact of sewage and forestry on the study area as well as water quality and invertebrate populations. Over the winter of 2013-14 Pembrokeshire Rivers Trust monitored riverflies at Gelli Bridge as part of a wider study of the Eastern Cleddau catchment area. They found fewer numbers than usual, but that most sensitive species were present.


Pollution

A pollution incident in 1999 where trade effluent was discharged into the river causing the death of an estimated 1,000 brown trout resulted in a fine of £2,500 and £13,021 costs when the case went to court the following year.


World War 2

During the war the railway at Glan Syfynwy, near Rosebush, was used for bombing practice by the RAF and USAF.


See also

* List of rivers of Wales#Cleddau catchment *
List of bridges in Wales This list of bridges in Wales lists bridges of particular historical, scenic, architectural or engineering interest in Wales. Road and railway bridges, viaducts, aqueducts and footbridges are included. List Bridges are listed under the names us ...


References


External links

{{authority control Syfynwy