Allt Ddu

Wood, Forest in Brecknockshire

Wales

Allt Ddu

Elan River Dam One of the huge dams in the Elan Valley that serves the people of Birmingham with its water supply — Elan River Dam Credit: paul wood

Allt Ddu, located in the county of Brecknockshire, is a picturesque wood and forest known for its natural beauty and diverse ecosystem. Spanning over a vast area, this enchanting woodland is a haven for nature enthusiasts and offers a serene retreat for visitors seeking tranquility.

The wood is characterized by its dense canopy of trees, comprising a mix of deciduous and coniferous species. Towering oak, beech, and ash trees dominate the landscape, providing shade and shelter to a variety of wildlife. The forest floor is adorned with a rich carpet of wildflowers, ferns, and mosses, creating a vibrant and colorful undergrowth.

Allt Ddu boasts a network of well-maintained trails that wind through the woods, offering hikers and walkers the opportunity to explore its hidden gems. Along these paths, one can discover bubbling streams, cascading waterfalls, and small ponds teeming with aquatic life. The sound of birdsong fills the air, with species such as the melodious song thrush and the elusive woodpecker often spotted amongst the trees.

The wood is also home to a diverse range of fauna. Red squirrels scurry through the branches, while badgers, foxes, and even the occasional deer can be spotted in the early morning or twilight hours. The forest is a mecca for birdwatchers, with rare and migratory species frequently sighted, including the majestic red kite and the charming pied flycatcher.

In summary, Allt Ddu in Brecknockshire is a captivating wood and forest that offers a unique blend of natural beauty, tranquility, and wildlife diversity.

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Allt Ddu Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 52.273982/-3.5602095 or Grid Reference SN9365. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

Elan River Dam

One of the huge dams in the Elan Valley that serves the people of Birmingham with its water supply

paul wood

Caban Coch Dam

Chris Andrews

Water Treatment Works, Elan

Chris Andrews

River Elan (Afon Elan) at Elan Valley Visitor Centre

Looking upstream from the visitor centre towards the Caban Coch Dam. The Elan Valley (Welsh: Cwm Elan) is a river valley situated to the west of Rhayader, famous for its picturesque scenery and sometimes known as the "Welsh Lake District". It covers 70 square miles (180 km2) of lake and countryside. Over 80% of the valley is designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest, and a popular cycle trail, the Elan Valley Trail, makes a loop from Rhayader around the reservoirs. Part of the trail overlaps with a spur of National Cycle Route 81 (Lon Cambria). A visitor centre is located below Caban Coch dam.

David Dixon

River Elan (Afon Elan) Bridge and Caban Coch Dam

Caban Coch dam is the lowest of a sequence of four the dams in built in the valley of the Elan River built by the Birmingham Corporation Water Department in the late 1890s to provide clean drinking water for the population of Birmingham. It is the simplest and most functional in appearance of all the dams, resembling a natural waterfall when the reservoir is full and the dam is in full spate with water pouring over the dam wall. The footbridge just below the dam wall connects two identical stone buildings on either side of the river which house electricity generating turbines and valves and sluices to adjust the amount of compensation water released downstream (Link

Visit Elan Valley).

David Dixon

Afon Elan (River Elan)

The Afon Elan (River Elan) is a tributary of the River Wye which runs through the wide expanse of upland moors, traditionally known as Elenydd, in central Wales. Its valley is the Elan Valley (Link

Visit Elan Valley). It rises in the wet moorland on the eastern flank of Pen y Deunant and enters the top of the Elan Valley Reservoirs at Craig Goch Reservoir which in turn discharges to Garreg-ddu Reservoir and then Caban-coch Reservoir. It emerges from this chain of reservoirs in a north-easterly direction and passes through Elan Village before turning south-east and making its confluence with the River Wye.

David Dixon

River Elan

The Afon Elan (River Elan) is a tributary of the River Wye which runs through the wide expanse of upland moors, traditionally known as Elenydd, in central Wales. Its valley is the Elan Valley (Link

David Dixon

Elan Valley, Caban Coch Dam and Visitor Centre

The Elan Valley (Welsh: Cwm Elan) is a river valley situated to the west of Rhayader, famous for its picturesque scenery and sometimes known as the "Welsh Lake District". It covers 70 square miles (180 km2) of lake and countryside. Over 80% of the valley is designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest, and a popular cycle trail, the Elan Valley Trail, makes a loop from Rhayader around the reservoirs. Part of the trail overlaps with a spur of National Cycle Route 81 (Lon Cambria). The visitor centre is located below Caban Coch dam and can be seen in this photograph.

David Dixon

Craig-Y-Foel

Distinctively shaped hill overlooking the Elan Valley (see small watercolour by Joseph Mallord William Turner, now in the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford Link

- Tate Galleries).

David Dixon

Shelley Sculpture at Elan Valley Visitor Centre

This sculpture dedicated to the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley Link

was created by sculptor Christopher Kelly in 1988. An information board records that Shelley, one of the major English Romantic poets, stayed in the Elan Valley for several weeks in 1811 and 1812. It also suggests that the sculpture is inspired by “Prometheus Unbound” with the central figure of Shelley in deep, creative thought. Nymph-like female figures dance on either side representing the poet’s muse. The statue stands in the grounds of the Elan Valley visitor centre, beside the River Elan.

David Dixon

Navvy Statue at Entrance to the Elan Valley Visitor Centre

This statue was installed in 2004 to commemorate the centenary of the official opening of the Elan Valley reservoirs by King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra on 21 July 1904 Link

. It depicts one of the thousands of navvies and labourers who lived with their families in the purpose-built Elan Village during the construction of the first four dams and without whom the project couldn't have been achieved.

David Dixon

Stones Behind the Elan Valley Visitor Centre

I couldn't see anything to explain the purpose or meaning of these stone but a nearby plaque (SN9264 : Plaque that tells all) carries the title "Maesyfed 2000 Radnor" and each of these stones carries a plaque with a place name. Perhaps they represent places or districts in Radnorshire (Maesyfed is the Welsh version of "Radnor") and the whole collection is a commemoration of the millennium?

David Dixon

Generator Housing Beneath Caban Coch Reservoir

One of two identical stone buildings on either side of the river which house electricity generating turbines and valves and sluices to adjust the amount of compensation water released downstream (Link

Visit Elan Valley).

David Dixon

Bridge and Generator Buildings Below Caban Coch Reservoir

Caban Coch dam is the lowest of a sequence of four the dams in built in the valley of the Elan River built by the Birmingham Corporation Water Department in the late 1890s to provide clean drinking water for the population of Birmingham. It is the simplest and most functional in appearance of all the dams, resembling a natural waterfall when the reservoir is full and the dam is in full spate with water pouring over the dam wall (see SN9264 : Caban Coch dam overflowing). The footbridge just below the dam wall connects two identical stone buildings on either side of the river which house electricity generating turbines and valves and sluices to adjust the amount of compensation water released downstream (Link

Visit Elan Valley).

David Dixon

Turbine Housing, River Elan

One of the two identical stone buildings on either side of the river which house electricity generating turbines and valves and sluices to adjust the amount of compensation water released downstream (Link

Visit Elan Valley).They are connected by a footbridge just below the Caban Coch dam wall.

David Dixon

Caban Coch Dam

Caban Coch dam is the lowest of a sequence of four the dams in built in the Elan Valley by the Birmingham Corporation Water Department in the late 1890s to provide clean drinking water for the population of Birmingham. It is the simplest and most functional in appearance of all the dams, resembling a natural waterfall when the reservoir is full and the dam is in full spate with water pouring over the dam wall (see SN9264 : Caban Coch dam overflowing). The footbridge just below the dam wall connects two identical stone buildings on either side of the river which house electricity generating turbines and valves and sluices to adjust the amount of compensation water released downstream (Link

Visit Elan Valley).

David Dixon

Caban Coch Reservoir

The mirror-like surface of Caban Coch Reservoir reflects the surrounding hills. Caban Coch is the most southerly, and lowest, of the Elan Valley Reservoirs which are a chain of man-made lakes and reservoirs built to supply water to the City of Birmingham. The six lakes/reservoirs and their picturesque stone dams are amongst the most scenic areas of mid-Wales set within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Welsh Lake District".

David Dixon