Devil's Bridge (Ceredigion)
Devil's Bridge , also Pont-ar-Fynach ("The Bridge over the Mynach") is a bridge in Ceredigion ( Wales ). The structure serves the road connection between the places Llanidloes and Aberystwyth . The Hotel Hafod Arms, built by Thomas Johnes , is located in the village of the same name .
Location and history
The three bridges arranged one above the other span the river Mynach , a tributary of the Rheidol . The upper and newest bridge is an iron bridge from 1901; the middle and the lower, oldest, are stone arch bridges . The middle bridge was built in 1753 because the stability of the existing one was questioned. The original "Devil's Bridge" is said to have been constructed by monks from Strata Florida Abbey in 1087 (Account 1799, 22). It served as the basis for the auxiliary scaffolding for the construction of the middle bridge.
The river Mynach forms a waterfall at this point , which falls in five stages together about ninety meters into a gorge called Devil's Hole before it flows into the Rheidol (Account 1799, 30). The stone stairs that lead down from the lower bridge to the river are called " Jacob's Ladder ".
Legend has it that the oldest bridge was built by the devil because it was too difficult for mortals to cross a river. The devil negotiated the price for his efforts that the soul of the first living being to step on the bridge would succumb to him. But the devil was cheated out of his wages, because a dog was lured onto the bridge by a ruse. The devil is said to have been so ashamed of his shame that he never returned to Wales afterwards.
The bridge as a sight
The "Devil's Bridge" over the Mynach has been a destination for travelers for centuries. With the creation of the hiking trails on Thomas Johnes' Hafod Estate , interest in the wild and romantic Welsh landscape increased even further.
The spectacular bridge has been mentioned again and again in travel literature, including George Cumberland in his description of the landscape in the vicinity of Hafod (Cumberland 1796, 46). The author George Borrow also described a visit to the bridge in Wild Wales (1854).
In 1902, a narrow-gauge railway between Aberystwyth and Devil's Bridge opened ( Vale of Rheidol Railway ) . The Hotel Hafod Arms , built by Johnes, is now called the Ceilliau Hotel .
literature
- George Cumberland: An attempt to describe Hafod. Egerton, London 1796, pp. 46-49.
- A descriptive account of the Devil's Bridge, Hafod, Strata Florida Abbey, and other scenery in that district of Cardinganshire. 4th edition. Walker, Hereford 1799, pp. 20-34.
Web links
Coordinates: 52 ° 22 '36.6 " N , 3 ° 50' 59.2" W.