River Dyfi

The River Dyfi (Welsh: Afon Dyfi; Welsh pronunciation: [ˈdəviː]), also known as the River Dovey (/ˈdʌviː/; DUH-vee), is an approximately 30-mile (48-kilometre) long river in Wales.[1]

For other uses, see Dyfi (disambiguation).

River Dyfi
River Dovey
The river viewed upstream
from the Jubilee Bridge near Mathafarn
Native nameAfon Dyfi (Welsh)
Location
CountryWales
Physical characteristics
SourceCreiglyn Dyfi
 • elevation1,900 ft (580 m)
Mouth 
 • location
Irish Sea
Length30 miles (48 km)

Its large estuary forms the boundary between the counties of Gwynedd and Ceredigion, and its lower reaches have historically been considered the border between North Wales and South Wales.[2][3]

Name

Nowadays the Welsh spelling Dyfi is widely used locally and by the Welsh Government,[4] Natural Resources Wales[5] and the BBC.[6] The anglicised spelling Dovey continues to be used by some entities.[7][8][9][10][11]

Sources

The River Dyfi rises in the small lake Creiglyn Dyfi at about 1,900 feet (580 m) above sea level, below Aran Fawddwy,[12] flowing south to Dinas Mawddwy and Cemmaes Road (Welsh: Glantwymyn), then south west past Machynlleth to Cardigan Bay (Welsh: Bae Ceredigion) at Aberdyfi. It shares its watershed with the River Severn (Welsh: Afon Hafren) and the River Dee (Welsh: Afon Dyfrdwy)[13] before flowing generally south-westwards down to a wide estuary. The only large town on its route is Machynlleth.

The river is prone to flooding and some roads in the lower catchment can become impassable during very wet weather. It has been a relatively pristine river with few polluting inputs. The catchment area is notable for its now-defunct lead mines and slate quarries, especially around Corris and Dinas Mawddwy, and is notable for its salmon and sea trout (migratory brown trout).[14]

Tributaries

The main tributaries of the River Dyfi are:

Dyfi Bridge
Main article: Dyfi Bridge

The road bridge which crosses the river north of Machynlleth is a landmark.[15]

Dyfi Biosphere
Main article: Dyfi Biosphere

The area around Aberystwyth and the Dyfi Valley is known as the Dyfi Biosphere (Welsh: Biosffer Dyfi). It was UNESCO-designated in 1978.[16][17] Within the biosphere are a number of Special Areas of Conservation and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (Cors Fochno, Coed Cwm Einion and Pen Llŷn a’r Sarnau).

In March 2021, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) granted Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust a licence to release up to six beavers in the Dyfi Valley, the first official beaver release in Wales.[18]

The estuary is known for its saltmarshes.[19][20]

Film Location

The Dyfi estuary was used as a location shot in Led Zeppelin's 1976 film The Song Remains the Same. The segment of the film is where Robert Plant comes ashore on a boat, after which he rides a horse, making his way to Raglan Castle. The band's Bron-Yr-Aur cottage is located on the edge of Machynlleth.

In Print

In 2022 Jim Perrin published an essay on the River Dyfi in “Rivers of Wales” (Gwasg Garreg Gwalch).[21]

See also

References
  1. Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. C. Knight. 1839. pp. 111–. Retrieved 22 October 2023 – via archive.org.
  2. Alex Kendall (30 March 2017). The Snowdonia Way: A walking route through Snowdonia from Machynlleth to Conwy. Cicerone Press. pp. 37–. ISBN 978-1-78362-455-3. Retrieved 22 October 2023 – via books.google.com.
  3. John Murray (publishers.) (1861). Handbook for travellers in North Wales. pp. 142–. Retrieved 22 October 2023 – via books.google.com.
  4. "A487: new Dyfi bridge (overview)". Welsh Government. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  5. "Natural Resource Management in the Dyfi". Natural Resources Wales. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  6. "Dinas Mawddwy bridge reopens after safety fear closure". BBC News. 4 August 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  7. "Aberdyfi (scroll down south)". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  8. "Dovey Junction (DVY) station details". National Rail Enquiries. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  9. "The Dovey Valley Hotel". Yell.com. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  10. "BE IN TOUCH..." Dovey Marine. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  11. "Contact". Dovey Yacht Club. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  12. Stuart Fisher (5 January 2012). Rivers of Britain: Estuaries, Tideways, Havens, Lochs, Firths and Kyles. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 47–. ISBN 978-1-4081-5931-6. Retrieved 22 October 2023 – via books.google.com.
  13. Royal Commission on Land in Wales and Monmouthshire (1896). Reports: With Minutes of Evidence and Appendices. H. M. Stationery Office. pp. 27–28.
  14. Erichsen Jones, J. R. (May 1941). "The Fauna of the River Dyfi, West Wales". Journal of Animal Ecology. British Ecological Society. 10 (1): 12–24. doi:10.2307/1339. JSTOR 1339.
  15. "Pont ar Ddyfi Bridge, Machynlleth". Gwynedd Archaeological Trust. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  16. Danielle Sinnett; Nick Smith; Sarah Burgess (27 November 2015). Handbook on Green Infrastructure: Planning, Design and Implementation. Edward Elgar Publishing. pp. 359–. ISBN 978-1-78347-400-4. Retrieved 22 October 2023 – via books.google.com.
  17. "The Dyfi Biosphere website". www.dyfibiosphere.wales. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  18. Grug, Mari (30 March 2021). "Licensed beavers released in Wales for the first time". BBC News. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  19. Richard Henry Yapp; D. Johns; O. T. Jones (1916). "The Salt Marshes of the Dovey Estuary" (PDF). Journal of Ecology. 4 (1): 27–42. doi:10.2307/2255448. ISSN 0022-0477. JSTOR 2255448. Wikidata Q101668938.
  20. Richard Henry Yapp; D. Johns; O. T. Jones (1917). "The Salt Marshes of the Dovey Estuary" (PDF). Journal of Ecology. 5 (2): 65–103. doi:10.2307/2255644. ISSN 0022-0477. JSTOR 2255644. Wikidata Q101668944.
  21. Perrin, Jim (22 July 2022). "Rivers of Wales".

52.6004°N 3.8567°W / 52.6004; -3.8567

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