Elan Valley
Encyclopedia
River Valley
River Valley is the name of an urban planning area within the Central Area, Singapore's central business district.The River Valley Planning Area is defined by the region bounded by Orchard Boulevard, Devonshire Road and Eber Road to the north, Oxley Rise and Mohamed Sultan Road to the east, Martin...
situated to the west of Rhayader
Rhayader
Rhayader is a market town and community in Powys, Mid Wales. It has a population of 2,075, and is the first town on the banks of the River Wye, from its source on the Plynlimon range of the Cambrian Mountains....
, in Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, sometimes known as the "Welsh Lake District". It covers 70 square miles (181.3 km²) of lake and countryside.
The valley contains the Elan Valley Reservoirs
Elan Valley Reservoirs
The Elan Valley Reservoirs are a chain of man-made lakes and reservoirs in the Elan Valley in Powys, Mid Wales , using the rivers Elan and Claerwen...
and Elan Village, designed by architect Herbert Tudor Buckland
Herbert Tudor Buckland
Herbert Tudor Buckland was a British architect, best known for his seminal Arts and Crafts houses , the Elan Valley model village, educational buildings such as the campus of the Royal Hospital School in Suffolk and St Hugh's College in Oxford.-Biography:Buckland was born in...
as part of the same scheme. Elan Village is the only purpose-built Arts and Crafts
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
"Model Village" in Wales.
It is also famous for its picturesque scenery. Over 80% of the valley is designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest
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...
, and a popular cycle trail, the Elan Valley Trail, makes a loop from Rhayader
Rhayader
Rhayader is a market town and community in Powys, Mid Wales. It has a population of 2,075, and is the first town on the banks of the River Wye, from its source on the Plynlimon range of the Cambrian Mountains....
around the reservoirs. Part of the trail overlaps with a spur of National Cycle Route 81 (Lon Cambria).
External links
- Sustrans Routes2Ride: Cycling in the Elan Valley
- Sustrans map and description for Route 81, Lon Cambria
- Official site by Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water
- BBC article about the area
- Abandoned communities ..... Elan Valley
- From Shelley to the Dambusters
- www.geograph.co.uk : photos of the Elan Valley and surrounding area
- Photographs of the Elan Valley in Winter from the August 2009 Exhibition, The Beauty of Winter at the Elan Valley Visitor centre