Devil's Bridge (, lit. "The bridge on the Mynach") is a village and

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

Ceredigion Ceredigion (), historically Cardiganshire (, ), is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the West Wales, west of Wales. It borders Gwynedd across the River Dyfi, Dyfi estuary to the north, Powys to the east, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire t ...

, Wales. Above the River Mynach on the edge of the village is a series of three stacked bridges, constructed hundreds of years apart, from which the village gets its English name. The village is on the A4120 road, about east of

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth (; ) is a University town, university and seaside town and a community (Wales), community in Ceredigion, Wales. It is the largest town in Ceredigion and from Aberaeron, the county's other administrative centre. In 2021, the popula ...

. The population of Pontarfynach community at the 2011 census was 455. The mid-2016 estimate suggests that the population had dropped slightly to 429.

The bridges

The village is best known for the three bridges that span the Afon Mynach, a

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the Rheidol. The bridge is unique in that three separate bridges are coexistent, each one built upon the previous bridge. The previous structures were not demolished. The river has been bridged since at least the 12th century, with a wooden bridge built . According to legend, it was built after an old woman lost her cow and saw it grazing on the other side of the river. The

Devil A devil is the mythical personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conce ...

appeared and agreed to build a bridge in return for the

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

of the first living thing to cross it. When the bridge was finished, the old woman threw a crust of bread over the river, which her dog crossed the bridge to retrieve, thus becoming the first living thing to cross it. The devil was left with only the soul of the dog. The lowest arch of the current bridge is ancient, possibly

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

. It is a stone arch, and the oldest part of the structure that is still standing. In 1753, the bridge was repaired, and a second stone arch was added when the original bridge was thought to be unstable. The builders used the original bridge to support

scaffolding Scaffolding, also called scaffold or staging, is a temporary structure used to support a work crew and materials to aid in the construction, maintenance and repair of buildings, bridges and all other human-made structures. Scaffolds are widely u ...

during construction and added a second arch. In 1901, an iron bridge was erected above the older arches, and eliminated the slope in the roadway. In 1971, the steelwork and railings were repaired and the bridge was strengthened. The bridge is at a point where the River Mynach drops in five steps down a steep and narrow

ravine A ravine is a landform that is narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streambank erosion. Ravines are typically classified as larger in scale than gullies, although smaller than valleys. Ravines may also be called a cleuch, dell, ...

before it meets the River Rheidol. The set of stone steps, known as

Jacob's Ladder Jacob's Ladder () is a ladder or staircase leading to Heaven that was featured in a dream the Biblical Patriarch Jacob had during his flight from his brother Esau in the Book of Genesis (chapter 28). The significance of the dream has been de ...

, a circular walk for tourists, leads down to a modern metal bridge below the waterfalls.

History

The name in 1629 was or , meaning "Bridge over the Mynach". The word is Welsh for monk; one theory is that the river got its name from the fact that it was near land owned by a monastery. The first mention of the structure using the English name Devil's Bridge, in historical records, is from 1734. The bridges that the village is named after were Grade II Listed on 21 January 1964, "as a remarkable succession of three superimposed bridges, one of the best known picturesque sites in Wales" and the listing was updated in 2005.

Tourism and notable sites

Devil's Bridge has been a tourist attraction for centuries. Records indicate that tourists were coming to this area by the mid-1700s and that an inn or hotel has existed nearby since before 1796. The area was once part of the Hafod Estate, owned by Thomas Johnes who built a small hunting lodge on the estate which was eventually expanded into an inn. The building burned down and was rebuilt. Significant renovations were completed in 1837–1839 and in the 1860s. After several expansions and upgrades, it has been operated as the ''Hafod Hotel'', using this name since the 1860s. In 2017, new owners had arranged for a survey in preparation for a major renovation; they intended to maintain much of the historical character of the building. Some interior renovation work had been completed by September 2017. The artist

J. M. W. Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbu ...

sketched the bridge; this work is at the

Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the UK ...

Gallery, London. He also produced two watercolours of the area in 1795. In 1824,

William Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poetry, Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romanticism, Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Balla ...

published a poem, ''To the Torrent at the Devil’s Bridge, North Wales''. The celebrated English author

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 ...

wrote ''Wild Wales'' (1854), which includes a lively, humorous account of his visit to Pontarfynach. The George Borrow Hotel, a 17th-century inn where he reputedly stayed, is nearby; it is located between Devil's Bridge and Pontrhydygroeis Hafod Uchtryd. Tourism to the area increased after the bridge and the Hafod building were featured in the ''Hinterland'' TV series, which has been broadcast in numerous countries. The hotel was presented, using flashbacks, as a children's home that had been closed down and turned into a guest house. Some tourists also enjoy the nearby nature trail, waterfalls and the historic steam railway. Other places of interest and attractions are located a short drive from the area, some in Aberystwyth. Mary Lloyd Jones (born 1934), a Welsh painter and printmaker based in Aberystwyth was born in Devil's Bridge. The address for the Devil's Bridge area is Woodlands (referring to the caravan park where free parking is available), Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion, Wales, SY23 3JW. The bridge is on the A4120, with sign posts providing guidance from the village centre.

Transport

Devil's Bridge railway station Devil's Bridge railway station is a railway station serving Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion, Devil's Bridge in Ceredigion in Mid-Wales. It is the eastern terminus of the preserved Vale of Rheidol Railway. Facilities The station has two platforms a ...

is the upper terminus of the historic narrow-gauge

Vale of Rheidol Railway The Vale of Rheidol Railway () is a Narrow gauge railway, narrow gauge heritage railway in Ceredigion, Wales, between Aberystwyth and Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion, Devil's Bridge; a journey of . It opened in 1902 and, from the Withdrawal of ste ...

, which opened between

and Devil's Bridge in 1902. The village is served by one bus route, the 522, which runs between

Tregaron Tregaron ( "town of St Caron") is an ancient market town in Ceredigion, Wales. It is sited astride the River Brenig, a tributary of the River Teifi, and is north-east of Lampeter. According to the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census, the po ...

and

; there is one service daily in each direction on weekdays and it is operated by Mid Wales Travel.

Popular culture

Devil's Bridge and the hotel building are featured prominently in the opening two episodes of the first series of the 2013 Welsh-language crime noir, Ceri Radford (28 April 2014
"Hinterland, BBC Four, review: 'a corker'"
, ''The Daily Telegraph''. Retrieved 14 April 2017. (episodes titled in English "Devil's Bridge" and "Night Music"), shown on

S4C S4C (, ''Sianel Pedwar Cymru'', meaning ''Channel Four Wales'') is a Welsh language free-to-air public broadcast television channel. Launched on 1 November 1982, it was the first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speakin ...

and subsequently on

BBC4 BBC Four is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

as ''Hinterland''. Both are featured again in series 3 of the programme. The three series are streamed on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

in Canada and the US and also in Japan, Taiwan, India, South Africa, South America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

References

External links

* *
Devil's Bridge, famous thrice over.

Photos of Devil's Bridge and surrounding areaVideo footage of the Devil's Bridge and Afon Mynach Gorge
* {{authority control Villages in Ceredigion Bridges in Ceredigion Bridges completed in 1901 Bridges completed in 1753 Buildings and structures completed in 1200 Vale of Rheidol Railway Tourist attractions in Ceredigion Grade II* listed bridges in Wales Grade II* listed buildings in Ceredigion Bridges completed in the 13th century