River Towy
| River Tywi (Towy) | |
|---|---|
 Course of the River Tywi |
|
| Origin | Cambrian Mountains (SN802631) |
| Mouth | Carmarthen Bay |
| Basin countries | Wales (Llandovery, Llandeilo, Carmarthen) |
| Length | 75 mi (121 km) |
| Source elevation | 1,601 ft (488 m) |
| Avg. discharge | 1,589 ft³/s (45 m³/s) |
| Basin area | 515 mi² (1,333 km²) |
With a total length of 121 km (75 mi) the River Towy (Welsh: Afon Tywi) is the longest river flowing entirely within Wales, and is noted for its sea trout and salmon fishing.
The river rises within 15 km (9.3 mi) of the Teifi on the lower slopes of Crug Gynan in the Cambrian Mountains (grid reference SN802631) and, flowing through the Towy Forest, forms the border between Ceredigion and Powys. The river flows south-westwards through Carmarthenshire passing through the towns of Llandovery and Llandeilo. In Carmarthen it is joined by a substantial tributary, the Afon Gwili, at Abergwili. Finally the Towy flows into Carmarthen Bay east of the Pendine Sands in an estuary which it shares with the River Tâf and the two branches of the River Gwendraeth. The mouth of the Towy estuary is guarded by Llansteffan Castle, a 12th-century Norman castle.
The Towy's numerous tributaries include the Rivers Cothi, Gwili, Brân, and Doethie.
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[edit] Damming of the Towy
About 10 km (6.2 mi) from its source, the swift flow of the Towy is interrupted by the Llyn Brianne reservoir, created here in 1972 by damming a section of the river to store winter rain for release into the river during dry periods. The reservoir supports the new abstraction at Nantgaredig which supplies a large swathe of south-east Wales with drinking water. The flow in the River Towy would have been unable to sustain such an abstraction were it not for the release of water from the upland reservoir.
[edit] Fish species
The Towy is nationally known for its run of big sea trout (local name sewin), the sea-going form of the brown trout (Salmo trutta). These fish enter the river each spring and early summer to breed in the tributaries. Anglers and estuary netsmen have taken them to over 20lb (9kg) in weight. In summer and autumn there is also a substantial run of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). In May the Towy has a run of the rare and protected twaite shad (Alosa fallax) and allis shad (Alosa alosa). The Towy also contains brown trout, eels, pike, and a variety of small fish species. It is home to brook lampreys, river lampreys and sea lampreys. The Towy has the distinction of having accidentally produced by far the biggest fish ever taken on rod and line in Britain. This was a sturgeon (Acipenser sturio) weighing 388lb and nine feet two inches (2.75m) in length which was caught in the river near Nantgaredig by Alec Allen on July 28 1932. Its photograph can be seen in the Cresselly Arms at Pontargothi on the A40.
[edit] Animal life
The Towy has a thriving population of otters (Lutra lutra), as well as many commoner mammal species. Grey seals are common in the lower reaches and sometimes penetrate several miles upriver in pursuit of sea trout and salmon.
[edit] Bird life
The Towy and surrounding valley (Dyffryn Tywi) are home to a very large variety of water and wetland birds. Among the more distinctive species found along the river are sand martins, common sandpipers, little ringed plovers, dippers, kingfishers and grey wagtails. Red kites and buzzards are numerous. Goosanders and cormorants prey heavily on the young of the sea trout and salmon.
[edit] Plant life
The prevalence of oxbow lakes in the Towy valley provides some spectacular shows through the year. In summer at Bishop's Pond in Abergwili (actually a magnificent oxbow lake formed when the river flooded in 1802) there's a spectacular show of yellow water lilies on the pond when the water level drops and reed sweet-grass fringes the edges - a species also found nearby in the Teifi valley, further west in Pembrokeshire, on Gower, in Powys (especially along the Montgomery Canal), on Anglesey and in several other sites along the North Wales coast.
[edit] Other
On 19 October 1987, three days after the "hurricane" of October 1987, four people were killed when a train plunged off Glanrhyd Bridge near Llangadog into the flooded river.
[edit] References
ANON. BBC - South West Wales Nature - Features Tywi Journey. BBC, 2009 http://www.carmarthenshire.org.uk/Towy%20Salmon%20Action%20Plan/part_2.htm http://www.first-nature.com/waleswildlife/sw-intro.php http://www.ccw.gov.uk/about-ccw/newsroom/press-releases/protecting-shad-along-welsh-ri.aspx
[edit] Notes
[edit] Further reading
- Lillicrap, R. J. The Llyn Brianne Dam and the River Towy Scheme. Llandovery: Llandovery Publications, 1998.
- Day, Ken (2006). Beloved Tywi : A visual journey (First ed.). Llandysul: Gomer Press. ISBN 0-843-023651-6.
