On a cold winter's day, this is Penmachno Bridge covered by snow in late 2000. There is a famous stone in the middle of the bridge, inscribed with some poetry by Sion Owen.

Penmachno Bridge

Penmachno Bridge

A picture of Penmachno Bridge taken from the air. This was the bridge built to replace the bridge swept away by the great flood of 1779. On the 20th of June that year, the day before the fair at Llanrwst, a tremendous storm blew up, and many people from Meirionydd, travelling to the fair to sell their wool, had to settle in Penmachno. They sheltered their horses in the stables, but the stables were hit by lightning, and six of the horses were killed.

Below the bridge was a weir, but severe floods in the 1960's swept it away. This was a blessing in disguise for the nearby houses, as the flood threat from the river had now been reduced. The falls were erected in order to divert the water to the Mill's stream, so that the mill would receive a water supply to turn its wheel.

Gro Mawr Falls

A Spout from Glasgwm River

This is the source of the Glasgwm River. The source is not far from Wybrnant, in the midst of the wilderness of the forest.

In the middle of the forest, a few yards from the small spout, you can see the ditch that starts Glasgwm River. The ditch meanders its way down the side of the mountain.

In the Woodlands

Transformation

Further down the mountain, the ditch begins to turn into a proper stream. The total length of Glasgwm River is three miles.

Another little spout, this time in the higher reaches of the river, running down to unite with the Glasgwm River. The river's bed consists mainly of blue stone - is there slate material here??

Another Spout

Ro-Lwyd Stream

This is where Ro-Lwyd stream unites with the Glasgwm River. The fish are quite scarce here, and this is how it has always been because of the nature of the river itself.

At one time, this was a small farm, keeping some cows. Today it is a summer home, standing near the Glasgwm River, with the forest surrounding it.

Llugallt Cottage

Dolgochyn Bridge

In the past, there used to be a wood mill near Dolgochyn Bridge. During the storm of 1779, the mill was washed away by the floods.

Further down the river is the Rectory Bridge. This bridge forms part of the route to Ty Mawr Wybrnant, where William Morgan, the first translator of the Bible from English into Welsh (in 1588), was born.

Rectory Bridge

Ceunant Bridge

This is the lower side of the bridge shown above. If you look closely, you can see some trees that have fallen into the river after a stormy night. Plenty of trees must have fallen into the river over the course of time.

This is the final bridge on the Glasgwm River. This is also the newest bridge in Penmachno at this point in time - the old bridge had become too narrow for modern vehicles to navigate. This is also the bridge that leads to the football field.

Ty'n-y-Ddôl Bridge

A View of the Valley

Before leaving the Glasgwm River, let us take a brief look at the valley. At various times during the year, car rallies thunder round the surrounding mountains, sometimes including the prestigious RAC Rally.

At this location, at the bottom of the playing fields, the Glasgwm River unites with the River Machno. In Betws-y-Coed, they refer to the "meeting of the two rivers" and make a big fuss about it - this is Penmachno's version!

Uniting the Rivers