| Afon Dwyfor | |
|---|---|
 The Afon Dwyfor as it leaves Cwm Pennant | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | United Kingdom,Wales |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Cwm Dwyfor, Eifionydd Hills |
| • coordinates | 53°01′13″N4°10′41″W / 53.0204°N 4.1780°W /53.0204; -4.1780 |
| • elevation | 460 ft (140 m) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Tremadog Bay,Cardigan Bay |
• coordinates | 52°54′38″N4°15′38″W / 52.9105°N 4.2606°W /52.9105; -4.2606 |
• elevation | 0 ft (0 m) |
| Length | 12.5 mi (20.1 km) |
TheAfon Dwyfor is ariver inGwynedd, north-westWales, in total the river is12+1⁄2 miles (20.1 km) in length. It rises inCwm Dwyfor at the head ofCwm Pennant, gathers to itself numerous streams which drain the surrounding mountains fromMynydd Graig Goch in the west toMoel Hebog in the east, then flows southwest towardsDolbenmaen and out of theSnowdonia National Park.[1]
After a brief diversion west, it turns south, then southwest again, heading for the village ofLlanystumdwy. Beyond Llanystumdwy it heads for the coast andTremadog Bay. Its mouth has been diverted eastwards by almost one mile by a shingle spit resulting fromlongshore drift.[2]
Its principal tributaries are theAfon Henwy which enters on its left bank above Dolbenmaen, and theAfon Dwyfach which joins it as a right-bank tributary to the west of Llanystumdwy. The Dwyfach itself rises in an area of flat ground to the west of theA487 road betweenBryncir andLlanllyfni and flows in a generally southerly direction.[1]
'Afon Dwyfor' signifies the 'bigholy river' inWelsh, with 'for' being a corrupted form of 'fawr' (large), 'Dwyfawr' being a form recorded in 1838, whilst the 'Afon Dwyfach' is the 'little holy river'.[3] The legend ofDwyfan and Dwyfach has been attached to the two rivers.[4]
The river is bridged by numerous minor roads and paths but also by the A487, B4411 andA497 roads as well as the railway line betweenCriccieth andPwllheli.[5] At Dolbenmaen it is believed theRoman road toSegontium forded the river. Amotte-and-bailey castle, once the residence ofLlywelyn the Great, guarded the ford during theMiddle Ages.[6]
Thegrave ofDavid Lloyd George, prime minister from 1916-1922, stands beside the Dwyfor in Llanystumdwy.[7] A boulder marks the grave; there is no inscription; however a monument designed by the architect SirClough Williams-Ellis was subsequently erected around the grave,[8] bearing anenglyn (strict-metre stanza) engraved on slate in his memory composed by his nephew DrW. R. P. George.
Download coordinates as:
