Afon Cadnant
Encyclopedia
The Afon Cadnant is a small river
on Anglesey
, North Wales
draining to the Menai Strait
about 1 km north-east of the Menai Suspension Bridge
. The river drains a largely agricultural area from Llandegfan
to Llansadwrn
and beyond with feeder tributaries extending up towards Pentraeth forest
.
Within the catchment are some artificial fishing ponds and a number of beef and dairy farms.
More notable are the remains and ruins of a number of water mills, especially in the lower section before the river enters the strait
. Up until the end of the 18th century it appears that great efforts were made to extract all the energy from the river to grind corn. This reflects the history of Anglesey as the bread-basket of Wales.
The lower section known as Cadnant Dingle is a steep sided densely wooded valley with very restricted access. It is a designated SSSI
as a great example of the Brachypodium sylvaticum, Oak
/ Ash (slender falsebrome oak/ash) group of broadleaved woodlands.
At the mouth of the river there is a small group of houses called Cwm Cadnant below which is a modern bridge carrying the main road to Beaumaris. Before the construction of the Menai Suspension Bridge, this was an important landing stage for boats carrying milled corn to the mainland. It was also the staging place for the Bishop of Bangor
as he moved between his palace at Glyn Garth on Anglesey and his Cathedral
at Bangor.
Further upstream from the old bridge there is an old smithy, a few workers cottages and a slate mill dating from 1820.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
on Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
draining to the Menai Strait
Menai Strait
The Menai Strait is a narrow stretch of shallow tidal water about long, which separates the island of Anglesey from the mainland of Wales.The strait is bridged in two places - the main A5 road is carried over the strait by Thomas Telford's elegant iron suspension bridge, the first of its kind,...
about 1 km north-east of the Menai Suspension Bridge
Menai Suspension Bridge
The Menai Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge between the island of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales. Designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826, it was the first modern suspension bridge in the world.-Construction:...
. The river drains a largely agricultural area from Llandegfan
Llandegfan
Llandegfan is a village on the south of Anglesey, North Wales.The original village Hen Llandegfan was on the ancient way from the crossing of the Menai Strait at Porthaethwy via Pentraeth to Beaumaris...
to Llansadwrn
Llansadwrn
Llansadwrn is a small village in Carmarthenshire, Wales.It is located in the countryside of the River Tywi river valley, about half way between Llanymddyfri to the north-east, and Llandeilo to the south-west, just off the A40 road....
and beyond with feeder tributaries extending up towards Pentraeth forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
.
Within the catchment are some artificial fishing ponds and a number of beef and dairy farms.
More notable are the remains and ruins of a number of water mills, especially in the lower section before the river enters the strait
Strait
A strait or straits is a narrow, typically navigable channel of water that connects two larger, navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not...
. Up until the end of the 18th century it appears that great efforts were made to extract all the energy from the river to grind corn. This reflects the history of Anglesey as the bread-basket of Wales.
The lower section known as Cadnant Dingle is a steep sided densely wooded valley with very restricted access. It is a designated SSSI
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
as a great example of the Brachypodium sylvaticum, Oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
/ Ash (slender falsebrome oak/ash) group of broadleaved woodlands.
At the mouth of the river there is a small group of houses called Cwm Cadnant below which is a modern bridge carrying the main road to Beaumaris. Before the construction of the Menai Suspension Bridge, this was an important landing stage for boats carrying milled corn to the mainland. It was also the staging place for the Bishop of Bangor
Bishop of Bangor
The Bishop of Bangor is the Ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Bangor.The diocese covers the counties of Anglesey, most of Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire and a small part of Montgomeryshire...
as he moved between his palace at Glyn Garth on Anglesey and his Cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
at Bangor.
Further upstream from the old bridge there is an old smithy, a few workers cottages and a slate mill dating from 1820.