River Ely
Encyclopedia
The River Ely is a river
in South Wales
flowing generally south east, from Tonyrefail
to the capital city
of Cardiff
.
, near the town of Tonyrefail
. The river's numerous sources rise in the eastern slopes of Mynydd Penygraig (Penygraig
) and Mynydd y Gilfach (Penrhiwfer
), and the western slopes of Mynydd Dinas (Williamstown
), whose eastern slopes feed the Rhondda
by Porth
. The source of the Ogwr Fach
lies just to the west.
The Ely flows through Tonyrefail
, and then through the grounds of the Royal Glamorgan Hospital
at Ynysmaerdy
, following the main A4119 (Tonypandy
to Cardiff Bay
) route through the valley pass formed between Mynydd Garthmaetwg (Llantrisant Forest), to the west and Llantrisant
, to the east. Flowing through Talbot Green
, the Ely is joined by the Afon Clun
at Pontyclun
, before heading east to Miskin
. Although numerous smaller streams join the river, the Clun is its only large tributary.
After turning south once more, the Ely reaches the western edge of the rural lowlands of City and County of Cardiff
immediately south of Junction 34 of the M4 motorway
. It passes the Museum of Welsh Life
at St. Fagans
and then continues through residential Cardiff
suburbs such as Pentrebane
and Caerau
and Ely
before flowing into Cardiff Bay, by Penarth Marina
.
Despite it being close to these densely populated settlements, major roads like the M4 motorway, and the busy South Wales Main Line
, it still retains a rural feel.
and Rhiwsaeson, the quality of the effluent continued to cause pollution until the late 1980s.
These problems were exacerbated by the highly polluting discharge from Coedely
coke oven
s. At the mouth of the river, the effluent a large paper mill
rendered large parts of the estuary anoxic
for most of the tidal cycle preventing the passage of migratory fish. The recovery of the river since that time owes much to the regulatory effort of the NRA
, and more lately the Environment Agency Wales
, and to the massive capital investment made by Dŵr Cymru / Welsh Water
.
, Brown trout
, perch
, chub
, eel
, grayling
, sea trout and salmon
and more recently some barbel
.
and Cardiff Council
are developing a cycleway beside the river known as the Ely Trail. The intended benefits are to allow people from urban western Cardiff easier access to the countryside, and for people in rural areas to have another commuting option into the city centre. Parts of this trail are now open.
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...
in South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
flowing generally south east, from Tonyrefail
Tonyrefail
Tonyrefail is a village and community in Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough, Wales. It is situated north west of Llantrisant at the head of the Ely Valley, south of the Rhondda, being around from Trebanog and around from Williamstown. It is also around from the village of Gilfach Goch...
to the capital city
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
of Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
.
Course of the river
The river is about 24 miles, or 39 kilometres, long. Its source lies in the mountains to the south of TonypandyTonypandy
Tonypandy is a town in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying in the Rhondda Fawr Valley. A former industrial coal mining town, today Tonypandy is best known as the site of the Tonypandy Riots....
, near the town of Tonyrefail
Tonyrefail
Tonyrefail is a village and community in Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough, Wales. It is situated north west of Llantrisant at the head of the Ely Valley, south of the Rhondda, being around from Trebanog and around from Williamstown. It is also around from the village of Gilfach Goch...
. The river's numerous sources rise in the eastern slopes of Mynydd Penygraig (Penygraig
Penygraig
Penygraig is a village and community in the Rhondda Valley in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales...
) and Mynydd y Gilfach (Penrhiwfer
Penrhiwfer
Penrhiwfer is a village located in the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.There is one shop, one church and one community centre. Three mildly residentially segregated communities exist within this settlement; these regions are locally referred to as the Back-Lanes, the New Houses and the...
), and the western slopes of Mynydd Dinas (Williamstown
Williamstown, Rhondda Cynon Taff
Williamstown is a village in the Rhondda Valley in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales...
), whose eastern slopes feed the Rhondda
Rhondda
Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley , is a former coal mining valley in Wales, formerly a local government district, consisting of 16 communities built around the River Rhondda. The valley is made up of two valleys, the larger Rhondda Fawr valley and the smaller Rhondda Fach valley...
by Porth
Porth
Porth is a town and a community in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying in the Rhondda Valley and is regarded as the gateway to the Rhondda Fawr and Rhondda Fach valleys because both valleys meet at Porth...
. The source of the Ogwr Fach
River Ogmore
The River Ogmore is a river in South Wales popular with anglers. It runs generally from north to south from the Ogmore Vale and Pentre, past Bridgend and Ogmore...
lies just to the west.
The Ely flows through Tonyrefail
Tonyrefail
Tonyrefail is a village and community in Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough, Wales. It is situated north west of Llantrisant at the head of the Ely Valley, south of the Rhondda, being around from Trebanog and around from Williamstown. It is also around from the village of Gilfach Goch...
, and then through the grounds of the Royal Glamorgan Hospital
Royal Glamorgan Hospital
The Royal Glamorgan Hospital , is a District General Hospital in Ynysmaerdy, Talbot Green, near Llantrisant, Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales. The Hospital is operated and maintained by Cwm Taf NHS Trust and has around 570 beds....
at Ynysmaerdy
Ynysmaerdy
Ynysmaerdy is a village in Talbot Green, near Llantrisant in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is home to the Royal Glamorgan Hospital....
, following the main A4119 (Tonypandy
Tonypandy
Tonypandy is a town in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying in the Rhondda Fawr Valley. A former industrial coal mining town, today Tonypandy is best known as the site of the Tonypandy Riots....
to Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Bay is the area created by the Cardiff Barrage in South Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The regeneration of Cardiff Bay is now widely regarded as one of the most successful regeneration projects in the United Kingdom. The Bay is supplied by two rivers to form a freshwater lake round the...
) route through the valley pass formed between Mynydd Garthmaetwg (Llantrisant Forest), to the west and Llantrisant
Llantrisant
Llantrisant is a town in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf in Wales, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying on the River Ely and the Afon Clun. The town's name translates as The Parish of the Three Saints. The three saints in question are St Illtyd, St Gwynno and St...
, to the east. Flowing through Talbot Green
Talbot Green
Talbot Green is a village just north of the M4 motorway, in the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales in the United Kingdom...
, the Ely is joined by the Afon Clun
Afon Clun
The Afon Clun is a long tributary of the River Ely , in the counties of Cardiff and Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales. Its bedrock is predominantly of sandstone...
at Pontyclun
Pontyclun
Pontyclun is a village in the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is served by the South Wales Main Line and has its own local rugby union club...
, before heading east to Miskin
Miskin
Miskin is a village approximately 2 miles south of Llantrisant in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.The origin of the village was a small hamlet known as New Mill, which grew up around New Mill farm...
. Although numerous smaller streams join the river, the Clun is its only large tributary.
After turning south once more, the Ely reaches the western edge of the rural lowlands of City and County of Cardiff
Cardiff Council
The County Council of the City and County of Cardiff is the governing body for Cardiff, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. The council consists of 75 councillors, representing 29 electoral wards. The authority is properly styled as The County Council of the City and County of Cardiff or in...
immediately south of Junction 34 of the M4 motorway
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
. It passes the Museum of Welsh Life
St Fagans National History Museum
St Fagans National History Museum , commonly referred to as St Fagans after the village where it is located, is an open-air museum in Cardiff chronicling the historical lifestyle, culture and architecture of the Welsh people...
at St. Fagans
St. Fagans
St Fagans is an area in the west of the city of Cardiff, capital of Wales.To the south lies the village of Michaelston-super-Ely, and to the east the suburb of Fairwater. St Fagans lies on the River Ely, and previously had a railway station on the South Wales Main Line, and currently there is a...
and then continues through residential Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
suburbs such as Pentrebane
Pentrebane
Pentrebane is a district in the west of Cardiff, capital of Wales.Pentrebane sits on the top of the hill overlooking the adjacent suburbs of Fairwater and Llandaff, and on the cusp of St. Fagans and the Vale of Glamorgan...
and Caerau
Caerau, Cardiff
Caerau is a community in the west of Cardiff, capital city of Wales. Heol Trelai is the main road or avenue which is very much lined with large trees and shrubbery. Dominated mostly by council housing, it has the Western Leisure Centre, supermarkets, schools, churches and an Ely Police Station...
and Ely
Ely, Cardiff
Ely is a community primarily dominated by council housing in western Cardiff, capital of Wales.-The Roman era:In Roman times, Ely was the site of a Roman villa, near the old racecourse...
before flowing into Cardiff Bay, by Penarth Marina
Penarth Marina
Penarth Marina is situated in the sheltered waters of Cardiff Bay, near Cardiff, the capital city of Wales.Penarth Marina is built around the basin of the historic Penarth Docks and has 350 berths....
.
Despite it being close to these densely populated settlements, major roads like the M4 motorway, and the busy South Wales Main Line
South Wales Main Line
The South Wales Main Line , originally known as the London, Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway or simply as the Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway, is a branch of the Great Western Main Line in Great Britain...
, it still retains a rural feel.
Quality
The Ely has had a long history of moderate to severe pollution from which it is now recovering. Prior to the 1980s it had received large volumes of poorly treated or untreated sewage from the urban areas in the valleys. Even after the construction of sewage treatment works at MiskinMiskin
Miskin is a village approximately 2 miles south of Llantrisant in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.The origin of the village was a small hamlet known as New Mill, which grew up around New Mill farm...
and Rhiwsaeson, the quality of the effluent continued to cause pollution until the late 1980s.
These problems were exacerbated by the highly polluting discharge from Coedely
Coed-Ely
Coed-Ely is a small village located to the south of Tonyrefail in south Wales and is located in the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf. The name Coed-Ely is a derivative of the Welsh words Coed-Elái which can be loosely translated into English as Ely Woods....
coke oven
Coke (fuel)
Coke is the solid carbonaceous material derived from destructive distillation of low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. Cokes from coal are grey, hard, and porous. While coke can be formed naturally, the commonly used form is man-made.- History :...
s. At the mouth of the river, the effluent a large paper mill
Paper mill
A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags and other ingredients using a Fourdrinier machine or other type of paper machine.- History :...
rendered large parts of the estuary anoxic
Hypoxia (environmental)
Hypoxia, or oxygen depletion, is a phenomenon that occurs in aquatic environments as dissolved oxygen becomes reduced in concentration to a point where it becomes detrimental to aquatic organisms living in the system...
for most of the tidal cycle preventing the passage of migratory fish. The recovery of the river since that time owes much to the regulatory effort of the NRA
National Rivers Authority
The National Rivers Authority was one of the forerunners of the Environment Agency of England and Wales, existing between 1989 and 1996. Before 1989 the regulation of the aquatic environment had largely been carried out by the ten Regional Water Authorities...
, and more lately the Environment Agency Wales
Environment Agency Wales
Environment Agency Wales is an Assembly Sponsored Public Body. It is that part of the Environment Agency that covers Wales. The Regional divisions of the Environment Agency are based on the concept of catchment management and administrative boundaries therefore follow the watersheds of major rivers...
, and to the massive capital investment made by Dŵr Cymru / Welsh Water
Welsh Water
Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water is a company which supplies drinking water and wastewater services to most of Wales and parts of western England.It is regulated under the Water Industry Act 1991.-History:...
.
Ecology
As the pollution of the river abated, so fish populations slowly returned to the river from the many small tributaries. RoachRoach (fish)
The Common Roach is a freshwater and brackish water fish native to most of Europe and western Asia...
, Brown trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
, perch
Perch
Perch is a common name for fish of the genus Perca, freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which there are three species in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Perciformes, from the Greek perke meaning spotted, and the...
, chub
European chub
The European chub , sometimes called the round chub, fat chub, chevin, pollard or simply "the" chub, is a freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae...
, eel
Eel
Eels are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 20 families, 111 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators...
, grayling
Grayling (genus)
Thymallus is a genus of freshwater fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes; it is the only genus of subfamily Thymallinae. The type species is T. thymallus, the grayling. The genus's five distinct species are generically called graylings, but without qualification this also refers...
, sea trout and salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
and more recently some barbel
Barbus barbus
Barbus barbus is a species of freshwater fish in the Cyprinidae family of minnows and carps. It shares the common name "barbel" with its many relatives in the genus Barbus and is properly known as the Common Barbel.B...
.
Ely Valley Trail
The Countryside Council for WalesCountryside Council for Wales
The Countryside Council for Wales is an Assembly Government Sponsored Body. It is the Welsh Assembly Government's wildlife conservation authority for Wales...
and Cardiff Council
Cardiff Council
The County Council of the City and County of Cardiff is the governing body for Cardiff, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. The council consists of 75 councillors, representing 29 electoral wards. The authority is properly styled as The County Council of the City and County of Cardiff or in...
are developing a cycleway beside the river known as the Ely Trail. The intended benefits are to allow people from urban western Cardiff easier access to the countryside, and for people in rural areas to have another commuting option into the city centre. Parts of this trail are now open.
See also
- Pont y WerinPont y WerinPont y Werin is a pedestrian and cyclist bridge spanning the River Ely between Cardiff Bay and Penarth, Wales....