River Mawddach
Encyclopedia
The River Mawddach is a river
in North Wales
which has its source in a wide area north of Dduallt
in Snowdonia
. The river is much branched and many of the significant tributaries are of a similar size to the main river. The catchment area is bounded to the east by the Aran Fawddwy
massif and to the west and north by the Harlech
dome which forms a watershed just south of Llyn Trawsfynydd
.
The main tributaries starting in the west and working clockwise are:
Below Dolgellau
the river enters a wide and sandy estuary of great beauty. At its mouth is the town of Barmouth
and its railway bridge
.
The Mawddach has been the site of significant industrialisation and land management. Gold mining and subsequently gold panning
have had major impacts but forestry, the preparation of animal skins, the storage of old munitions and the use of hill-sides as artillery ranges have all added to the legacy of pollution. The river is also very flashy - prone to very rapid rise and fall in level depending on rainfall. Rainfall can also be very heavy and it falls on very base-poor soils leading to episodes of strongly depressed pH
. Despite this, the river sustains an important salmon
and trout
fishery and the countryside through which it flows is some of the most spectacular and scenic in the UK.
The southern bank of the Mawddach estuary, along which used to run a section of the GWR
branch line from Ruabon
to Barmouth
, has now been designated the Mawddach Trail, an 8-mile cycle path running from Dolgellau to Morfa Mawddach, at the south side of the Barmouth railway bridge. It is managed by the Snowdonia National Park Authority as a leisure route for walkers and cyclists, and is part of the Sustrans
Cross-Wales Cycling Route.
The estuary of the Mawddach was a great centre of ship building in the 18th century and probably for some centuries before. There is no evidence remaining of this activity in the estuary today.
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 North 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...
which has its source in a wide area north of Dduallt
Dduallt
Dduallt is a mountain in central Snowdonia, North Wales. It is the sister peak of Rhobell Fawr.It lies north of the A494 between Dolgellau and Llanuwchllyn. Its eastern slopes are the source of the River Dee.-External links:* Dduallt is at coordinates *...
in Snowdonia
Snowdonia
Snowdonia is a region in north Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three National Parks in Wales, in 1951.-Name and extent:...
. The river is much branched and many of the significant tributaries are of a similar size to the main river. The catchment area is bounded to the east by the Aran Fawddwy
Aran Fawddwy
Aran Fawddwy is a mountain in southern Snowdonia, Wales, United Kingdom.The nearest urban centres to the mountain are Dinas Mawddwy to the south, Llanymawddwy to the southeast, Llanuwchllyn on the shores of Bala Lake to the north, and Rhydymain to the west. On the eastern slopes of Aran Fawddwy is...
massif and to the west and north by the Harlech
Harlech
Harlech is a town and seaside resort in Gwynedd, within the historical boundaries of Merionethshire in northwest Wales. Lying on Tremadog Bay and within the Snowdonia National Park, it has a population of 1,952, of whom 59% speak Welsh...
dome which forms a watershed just south of Llyn Trawsfynydd
Llyn Trawsfynydd
Llyn Trawsfynydd is a large man-made reservoir situated near the village of Trawsfynydd in Gwynedd, North Wales. With a total surface area of 4.8 km² the reservoir is slightly more extensive than Wales's largest natural lake, Llyn Tegid .Originally created in 1928 as the header reservoir for...
.
The main tributaries starting in the west and working clockwise are:
- Afon Cwm Mynach which drains Llyn Cwm Mynach on the RhinogyddRhinogyddThe Rhinogydd are a range of mountains located east of Harlech in North Wales....
. - Afon Gamlan which joins at GanllwydGanllwydGanllwyd is small village in southern Gwynedd, Wales through which the A470 passes. It lies in the Snowdonia National Park to the north of Dolgellau....
after following a tumultuous valley through ancient OakOakAn 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...
woods before descending towards the main river down Rhaeadr Ddu (Black waterfalls). This valley has one of the more important mossMossMosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...
and liverwortMarchantiophytaThe Marchantiophyta are a division of bryophyte plants commonly referred to as hepatics or liverworts. Like other bryophytes, they have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, in which cells of the plant carry only a single set of genetic information....
communities in the southern UK. - Afon Eden, its headwaters known as Afon Crawcwellt- a large tributary draining from below Llyn TrawsfynyddLlyn TrawsfynyddLlyn Trawsfynydd is a large man-made reservoir situated near the village of Trawsfynydd in Gwynedd, North Wales. With a total surface area of 4.8 km² the reservoir is slightly more extensive than Wales's largest natural lake, Llyn Tegid .Originally created in 1928 as the header reservoir for...
and closely following the A470A470 roadThe A470 is a major long-distance connective spine road in Wales, running from Cardiff on the south coast to Llandudno on the north coast. It covers approximately 186 miles , over a zig-zagging route through the entirety of the country's mountainous central region, including the Brecon Beacons and...
through the Coed-y-BreninCoed-y-BreninCoed-y-Brenin is a forest in the Snowdonia National Park, North Wales near Dolgellau at . It is well-known as a mountain bike resort and for its hiking trails...
forest. This tributary has been severely impacted by industrialisation in the past including GoldGoldGold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
mining and its use as an ordnanceWeaponA weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
range. - Afon Gain - a large tributary has also been impacted by similar problems to the Eden and is very acidic and peaty.
- Afon Wen which joins south of the Gain is similar but smaller.
- Afon Wnion is a major tributary joining from the east and which drains a large area out towards Aran FawddwyAran FawddwyAran Fawddwy is a mountain in southern Snowdonia, Wales, United Kingdom.The nearest urban centres to the mountain are Dinas Mawddwy to the south, Llanymawddwy to the southeast, Llanuwchllyn on the shores of Bala Lake to the north, and Rhydymain to the west. On the eastern slopes of Aran Fawddwy is...
Below Dolgellau
Dolgellau
Dolgellau is a market town in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It was the county town of the former county of Merionethshire .-History and economy:...
the river enters a wide and sandy estuary of great beauty. At its mouth is the town of Barmouth
Barmouth
Barmouth ; Y Bermo ) is a town in the county of Gwynedd, north-western Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Mawddach and Cardigan Bay.The town is served by Barmouth railway station.- History :...
and its railway bridge
Barmouth Bridge
The Barmouth Bridge is a single-track largely wooden railway viaduct that crosses the estuary of the Afon Mawddach river on the coast of Cardigan Bay between Morfa Mawddach and Barmouth in Gwynedd, Wales...
.
Gold panning
Gold panning, or simply panning, is a form of placer mining that extracts gold from a placer deposit using a pan. The process is one of the simplest ways to extract gold, and is popular with geology enthusiasts because of its cheap cost and the relatively simple and easy process involved. It is the...
have had major impacts but forestry, the preparation of animal skins, the storage of old munitions and the use of hill-sides as artillery ranges have all added to the legacy of pollution. The river is also very flashy - prone to very rapid rise and fall in level depending on rainfall. Rainfall can also be very heavy and it falls on very base-poor soils leading to episodes of strongly depressed pH
PH
In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...
. Despite this, the river sustains an important 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 trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
fishery and the countryside through which it flows is some of the most spectacular and scenic in the UK.
The southern bank of the Mawddach estuary, along which used to run a section of the GWR
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
branch line from Ruabon
Ruabon
Ruabon is a village and community in the county borough of Wrexham in Wales.More than 80% of the population of 2,400 were born in Wales with 13.6% speaking Welsh....
to Barmouth
Barmouth
Barmouth ; Y Bermo ) is a town in the county of Gwynedd, north-western Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Mawddach and Cardigan Bay.The town is served by Barmouth railway station.- History :...
, has now been designated the Mawddach Trail, an 8-mile cycle path running from Dolgellau to Morfa Mawddach, at the south side of the Barmouth railway bridge. It is managed by the Snowdonia National Park Authority as a leisure route for walkers and cyclists, and is part of the Sustrans
Sustrans
Sustrans is a British charity to promote sustainable transport. The charity is currently working on a number of practical projects to encourage people to walk, cycle and use public transport, to give people the choice of "travelling in ways that benefit their health and the environment"...
Cross-Wales Cycling Route.
The estuary of the Mawddach was a great centre of ship building in the 18th century and probably for some centuries before. There is no evidence remaining of this activity in the estuary today.
External links
- River Mawddach panorama
- Aerial photograph of Cadair Idris and the river Mawddach
- Mawddach Trail
- The Mawddach Trail - The 'Railway Walk' between Dolgellau and Barmouth
- The Mawddach Way: A 50km Circular Walk around the Mawddach Estuary
- Mawddachestuary.co.uk - Events and Activities along the Mawddach Estuary
- PhD thesis: An integrated Meteorological/Hydrological Model for the Mawddach Catchment. Graham Hall, Bangor University