| 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 miles) the River Towy (Welsh: Afon Tywi) is the longest river flowing entirely within Wales, and is noted for its trout and salmon fishing.
The river rises within 15 km (8 miles) 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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Damming of the Towy
10 km (6 miles) 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 Nant Garedig 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.
Fish species
Although most famous for its fishing, the Towy, like its Cambrian sister the Teifi is also home to some rare fish species, the Allis and Twait shads, small members of the herring family, and as a result it has been proposed as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The shad spawn in only a few rivers in the UK (including the Wye and the Usk) but are becoming rare due to fishing, pollution and their inability to negotiate weirs. But the Towy has been home to some fishy giants in its time as well. In 1933 a salmon fisherman landed a nine foot long, 388 lb (176 kg) sturgeon the largest fish ever caught without a net in Britain - near White Mill about three miles (5 km) east of Carmarthen.
The Towy, like the Teifi, was formerly home to a fleet of coracles of a design unique to the river that were used to fish for salmon and sea-trout. Unfortunately, the fishing industry on the river has suffered the same fate as that of the Teifi and, with few coracles left, the salmon and sea-trout now provide sport primarily for anglers.
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 you'll also find 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.
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 Llandeilo into the flooded river.
References
ANON. BBC - South West Wales Nature - Features Tywi Journey. BBC, 2009
Notes
Further reading
- Lillicrap, R. J. The Llyn Brianne Dam and the River Towy Scheme. Llandovery: Llandovery Publications, 1998.
See also
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