The River Vyrnwy (Welsh: Afon Efyrnwy, ) is a river which flows through northern Powys, Wales, and Shropshire, England.
The river used to be sourced from the many rivers and streams running off the mountains surrounding the Vyrnwy valley. However, since the Lake Vyrnwy dam was built in the 1880s, the river has flowed directly from the base of the dam. The river runs for 39.7 miles (63.9 km), and the last 8 miles (12.9 km) form part of the Welsh/English border between Powys and Shropshire. It eventually joins the River Severn near the village of Melverley.
The early stages of the river are predominantly Grade II white water with a few Grade III sections, most notably the Vyrnwy Gorge near the village of Dolanog. The river is paddled frequently by Kayakers and Canoeists. The other most prominent feature of the upper river is Dolanog Falls, a 20 feet (6 m) high man-made weir that requires a portage by both kayaks and canoes.
Much of the lower river below Pontrobert is Grade I and a good touring river.
Famous quotes containing the word river:
“I counted two and seventy stenches,
All well defined and several stinks!
Ye Nymphs that reign oer sewers and sinks,
The river Rhine, it is well known,
Doth wash your city of Cologne;
But tell me, Nymphs! what power divine
Shall henceforth wash the river Rhine?”
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge (17721834)