This is a list ofrivers of Wales, organisedgeographically. It is taken anti-clockwise from theDee Estuary to theM48 Bridge that separates the estuary of theRiver Wye from theRiver Severn.
Tributaries are listed down the page in an upstream direction, starting with those closest to the sea. Themain stem (or principal) river of a catchment is given, left-bank tributaries are indicated by (L), and right-bank tributaries by (R). Note that, in general usage, the 'left (or right) bank of a river' refers to the left (or right) hand bank as seen when looking downstream. Where a named river is formed by the confluence of two differently named rivers, these are labelled as (Ls) and (Rs) for the left and right forks. A prime example is the formation of theRiver Taff from the Taf Fawr and the Taf Fechan atCefn Coed-y-cymmer.
The list includes more or less every watercourse named onOrdnance Survey mapping and thus many of themain rivers ofWales (as defined byNatural Resources Wales ). Difficulties arise otherwise in determining what should and what should not be included.[1]
Certain names are encountered frequently and particular care should be taken to differentiate between the various occurrences of Clydach, Clywedog and of Dulas for example as well as those whose names refer perhaps to the colour of their waters e.g. AfonGoch (red river), AfonDdu (black/dark river) and AfonWen (white/light river).
FromDee Estuary toGarth Pier,Bangor, Gwynedd
Anticlockwise fromMenai Bridge / Porthaethwy
The Afon Braint bifurcates nearLlanfairpwllgwyngyll to form two different watercourses.
Note "Afon Menai", known as the "Menai Strait" in English, is not technically a river, despite its Welsh name..
FromBangor Pier to the tip of theLlŷn Peninsula
From the tip of theLlŷn Peninsula toSt. David's Head
FromSt David's Head toSt. Govan's Head
FromSt. Govan's Head toM48 Bridge
With the exception of a small part of the Rea Brook, all tributaries of the Severn downstream of the confluence of the Severn and the Vyrnwy are wholly in England. For details seeList of rivers of England.
This is a table of the longest rivers wholly or partially in Wales.[2]Rivers only partly in Wales are included in this table initalics. Note that river lengths given by different authorities vary due to the different ways in which the measurement is made or indeed estimated. That rivers are partlyfractal in nature accounts for some variation and lengths can also vary slightly over time as meanders expand or are cut off where rivers run through broad flood-plains.
| River | Length | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (miles) | (km) | |||
| 1 | River Severn | 220 | 354 | Longest river in the United Kingdom; leaves Wales after 48 miles (77 km). |
| 2 | River Wye | 135 | 217 | Forms the Wales-England border for much of its length. |
| 3 | River Teme | 81 | 130 | Entirely in England after 12 miles (19 km). |
| 4 | River Usk | 78 | 126[3] | Longest river entirely in Wales according to some sources.[4] |
| 5 | River Tywi | 75 | 121 | |
| 6 | River Teifi | 73 | 117 | [5] |
| 7 | River Dee | 70 | 113 | |
| 8 | River Taff | 40 | 64 | |
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