Tawe
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Tawe Afon Tawe, River Tawe |
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 The Tawe River at Pontardawe: The view upstream |
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| Data | ||
| location | South Wales , UK | |
| River system | Tawe | |
| River basin district | Western Wales | |
| source | below Moel Feity in the Old Red Sandstone Hills of the western Brecon Beacons 51 ° 53 ′ 12 ″ N , 3 ° 41 ′ 32 ″ W |
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| Source height | approx. 550 m | |
| muzzle | at Swansea in the Bristol Channel Coordinates: 51 ° 36 '37 " N , 3 ° 55' 36" W 51 ° 36 '37 " N , 3 ° 55' 36" W. |
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| Mouth height | 0 m ASL | |
| Height difference | approx. 550 m
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 Marina at the mouth of the Tawe |
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The River Tawe ( Welsh : Afon Tawe ) is a river in South Wales . Its river valley is one of the South Wales Valleys .
The Tawe flows in a mainly south-westerly direction 30 miles from its source below Moel Feity in the Old Red Sandstone hills of the western Brecon Beacons in the Bristol Channel near Swansea . The main tributaries are the right bank: Upper , Lower Clydach River and Afon Twrch . The Tawe flows through a number of villages and towns including Ystradgynlais , Ystalyfera , Pontardawe , and Clydach and empties into the sea at Swansea Bay . The Tawe Valley ( Welsh : Cwm Tawe ) is also known as the Swansea Valley .
The lower part of the valley was intensively industrialized in the 18th and 19th centuries, mainly through metal finishing and work and, to a much lesser extent, porcelain manufacture . Large areas of the lower valley are still contaminated with industrial residues such as copper , lead , nickel and zinc . The only significant surviving holdover from the period is an important nickel refinery in Clydach, part of the Canadian company Vale Inco . The quality of the water in the river has now improved a lot. Large schools of salmon and trout swim up the river to spawn .
In 1992 a dam was built at the mouth of the river.
National Cycle Route 43 follows the river for most of its course.
Bridges and crossings
Bridges across the Tawe within the city and county of Swansea , north to south:
- A4067 (Ffordd Cwm Tawe) road bridge
- B4291 road bridge near Glais
- A4067 road bridge (second intersection)
- Former rail access Vale Inco near Clydach
- unused railway bridge (former GWR road from Felin Fran to Clydach)
- A4067 road bridge (third intersection)
- Park Road Bridge at Clydach
- M4 motorway bridge
- Railway Bridge ( Swansea District Line )
- Swansea Vale Road Bridge
- A48 Morriston Road Bridge - left Morriston center of Swansea Enterprise Park
- Beaufort Bridge - historic access point from Beaufort Road to today's Enterprise Park area.
- Mannesmann pedestrian and bicycle bridge - Enterprise Park on the left at Beaufort Road in Plasmarl
- southern Beaufort road bridge (no name)
- Landore Railway Viaduct ( South Wales Main Line )
- Morfa Footbridge - on the left the Morfa Retail Park at Liberty Stadium
- White Rock Bridge - pedestrian and road bridge connecting Landore District to Bon-y-maen District.
- Pedestrian and road bridge - Parc Tawe Bridge Parc Tawe with St Thomas combines
- Quay Parade Bridge - pedestrian and road bridge, connecting Quay Parade with Fabian Way
- Old Swansea Bridge - Former Railway Bridge: The bridge deck no longer exists, but the piers remained
- Sail Bridge - a pedestrian and bicycle bridge connecting the maritime district near Sainsbury's Wholesale Market with the SA1 Swansea Waterfront construction area
- Trafalgar Bridge - a pedestrian and bicycle bridge, near the Swansea Dam : the construction cost was £ 1.2 million. It crosses the dam barrier and part of the bridge swings with the lock gates
Construction project s
There are plans for more settlements on both east and west banks of the Tawe River and a proposal to operate river taxis along the river.
