The Ystwyth looking upstream from its confluence with the Rheidol just before their combined estuary. On the left is Pendinas Hill and on the right is Tanybwlch Beach
The River Ystwyth (Welsh: Afon Ystwyth; [ˈəstʊɨ̯θ]; lit.'winding river'[1]) is a river in Ceredigion, Wales. The length of the main river is 20.5 miles (33.0 km). Its catchment area covers 75 square miles (190 km2).[2] Its source is a number of streams that include the Afon Diliw, located on the west slopes of Plynlimon on the border of Ceredigion and Powys in the Cambrian Mountains.[3] The Ystwyth flows westwards before its confluence with the Afon Rheidol and the estuary at Aberystwyth to drain into Cardigan Bay.[4]
The Ystwyth valley is sparsely populated with villages, namely Ysbyty Ystwyth, Cwm Ystwyth, Pont-rhyd-y-groes, Llanilar and Llanfarian.[4] In previous centuries, the valley was relatively densely populated due to its mineral wealth. Silver, lead and zinc have been mined in the valley since Roman times, an activity that reached its peak in the 18th century. The largest of the very many mines was Cwm Ystwyth Mine. It is reputed that the average age at death of the miners in Cwm Ystwyth was 32, largely because of acute lead poisoning. There is no active metal mining in the Ystwyth valley today.[5]
Hafod Uchtryd was a mansion built by Thomas Johnes from 1783, part of it being designed by John Nash. The landscaped gardens were formed by blasting away parts of hills to create vistas. Roadways and bridges were built and hundreds of thousands of trees were planted. The result was a landscape that became famous and attracted many visitors including Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and it is believed to have inspired a passage in his poem Kubla Khan. The house was demolished in 1955, but the landscape remains today.[6]
The River still carries elevated levels of lead, zinc and silver in its water, mostly due to seepage from abandoned mine tailings and discharges from mine adits. At the Frongoch mine near Pont-rhyd-y-groes, Natural Resources Wales has introduced a new technique for reducing the pollution. Water is drawn away from the mine in a leat to a wetland area, where biological processes involving the vegetation immobilise much of the pollutants. A similar approach is being used at Cwm Rheidol mine, near Aberystwyth. These remedies are considered important because the area supports a rich variety of wildlife, as well as bringing anglers and tourists to the area.[7]
^Mills, A. D. (2003). A Dictionary of British Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198527589.
^"First Water Resources Survey : Report", South West Wales River Authority, Published 1970, Page 41; Table 1
^Brooker M.P.; Morris D.L. "A survey of the macroinvertebrates of the Rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol" (PDF). Retrieved 2 May 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ abConcise Road Atlas: Britain. AA Publishing. 2015. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-7495-7743-8.
^Jones, J.R. Erichsen (1958). "A Further Study of the Zinc-Polluted River Ystwyth". Journal of Animal Ecology. 27 (1): 1–14. doi:10.2307/2169. JSTOR 2169.
^Keen, Richard & Burgum, Ian Wales, p. 88.
^"River Ystwyth pollution from Pontrhydygroes mine cut". BBC News. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
The RiverYstwyth (Welsh: Afon Ystwyth; [ˈəstʊɨ̯θ]; lit. 'winding river') is a river in Ceredigion, Wales. The length of the main river is 20.5 miles...
Ystwyth may refer to: RiverYstwyth, a river in West Wales, which drains into Cardigan Bay at Aberystwyth Ystwyth valley, a location in Wales drained...
the RiverYstwyth declined from 0.4 mg/L in 1919 to below 0.05 mg/L in 1939, with fish populations returning to most of the river by 1975. Cwm Ystwyth is...
Wales, near the confluence of the RiverYstwyth and Afon Rheidol. Following the reconstruction of the harbour, the Ystwyth skirts the town. The Rheidol passes...
Cwmystwyth (also Cwm Ystwyth, Welsh pronunciation: [kʊmˈəstʊɨθ]; English: "valley of the RiverYstwyth") is a village in Ceredigion, Wales near Devil's...
secondary dam at the head of the RiverYstwyth valley and piping water from the high head generated into the River Severn and subsequently transferring...
strimmers, to largely eradicate Himalayan balsam from reaches of the RiverYstwyth. Himalayan balsam, Bank Hall, Bretherton, Lancashire, England Fruits...
(2,467 ft). The mountains are the source of the county's main rivers: the Rheidol, Ystwyth, Aeron and Teifi; the last of these is Ceredigion's boundary...
valley of the River Mawddach and its tributaries. The principal areas were centred on the upland areas of the RiverYstwyth and River Rheidol with some...
in river waters are commonly found together and associated with lead mining. Impacts from very old mines can be very long-lived. In the RiverYstwyth in...
of Ceredigion from Maelgwn and to give the lands between the RiverYstwyth and the River Aeron to the sons of Gruffydd. Maelgwn helped King John to force...
Aberystwyth. Llanfarian village lies above the banks of the riverYstwyth in the Ystwyth Valley. The community – which includes the villages of Rhydyfelin...
"bent, curved, flexible, supple" has also been suggested (Welsh ystwyth, see RiverYstwyth). 'Water' is Old English wæter, "water" the dominant term for...
marked trails. Boasting a commanding position at the confluence of the RiverYstwyth and Afon Rheidol, it has been described as "the pre-eminent hillfort...
supply Falcondale Lake River Teifi SN569499 amenity Llyn Frongoch RiverYstwyth SN721752 lead mining ?/ natural Llyn Fyrddon Fach River Severn SN796701 natural...
and adjoining Forestry Commission woodlands and fishing rights on the RiverYstwyth and Teifi. The house is set in listed parkland and gardens and is 8...
(English: Uchtryd summer mansion) is a wooded and landscaped estate in the Ystwyth valley in Ceredigion, Wales. Near Devil's Bridge, Cwmystwyth and Pont-rhyd-y-groes...
zinc were mined in the upland areas of the riversYstwyth and Rheidol and in the headwaters of the River Severn for centuries and smaller deposits were...
Croyddin and Lower Llanfihangel y Croyddyn. This parish is situated on the riversYstwyth, Mynach and Rheidol and intersected by various other streams. An ancient...
The River Teifi (English: /ˈtaɪvi/; Welsh: Afon Teifi, pronounced [ˈavɔn ˈtei̯vi])[citation needed] in Wales forms the boundary for most of its length...
hill fort of Pen Dinas, and between the sea at Tan Y Bwlch beach, the RiverYstwyth and the Rheidol. Penparcau has the only UNESCO Biosphere reserve in...
Teifi, Afon Cothi, Afon Tywi, Afon Irfon, Elan Valley, Afon Gwy, Afon Ystwyth, Afon Mynach, Afon Rheidol Elenydd Monbiot, George (2013). Feral. London:...
Ysbyty Ystwyth (Welsh pronunciation: [əsˈbəti ˈəstʊi̯θ]) is a small village and community in Ceredigion, Wales, 11 mi (18 km) southeast of Aberystwyth...
The present village was built along the southern side of the scenic RiverYstwyth and contains a parish church, Nonconformist chapel, primary school,...
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