Pistyll Rhaeadr

Pistyll Rhaeadr (Llanrhader waterfall)
Pistyll Rhaeadr. Note the natural arch in the middle.
Pistyll Rhaeadr is located in Wales
Pistyll Rhaeadr
Map
LocationLlanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, Powys, Wales
OS gridSJ 0726 2951
Coordinates52°51′17.97″N 3°22′42.74″W / 52.8549917°N 3.3785389°W / 52.8549917; -3.3785389
TypePlunge
Total height240 ft (73 m)

Pistyll Rhaeadr (Welsh pronunciation: [pɪstɨ̞ɬ r̥eɨ̯adr], meaning "waterfall (of) Rhaeadr"[Note 1]) is a waterfall 4 miles (6 kilometres) from the village of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant in Powys, Wales, and 16 miles (26 kilometres) west of Oswestry.

Description

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Pistyll Rhaeadr is formed by the Afon Disgynfa (disgynfa also means "waterfall") falling, in three stages, over a 240-foot (73 m)[1] Silurian cliff-face, below which the river is known as the Afon Rhaeadr. The tallest stage is estimated at 40 metres (130 ft).[2] It is counted as one of the Seven Wonders of Wales and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The 19th-century author George Borrow, in his book Wild Wales, remarked of the waterfall: "What shall I liken it to? I scarcely know, unless it is to an immense skein of silk agitated and disturbed by tempestuous blasts, or to the long tail of a grey courser at furious speed. I never saw water falling so gracefully, so much like thin, beautiful threads as here."

There is car-parking space near the foot of the waterfall for people who want to explore the waterfall, with a café and a B&B alongside.

The waterfall is often referred to by the media,[3][4] government sources,[5] and other sources[6] as the tallest in Wales or the tallest single drop in the United Kingdom.[7] However, it is not a single drop, and both its single drop height and its total height are surpassed by both the Devil's Appendix and Pistyll y Llyn, as well as several other waterfalls.[8][9]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ i.e. the waterfall at the head of the Rhaeadr. The river name itself is from rhaeadr = "waterfall".

References

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  1. ^ "Kerry Ridgeway" (PDF). Walking in Mid-Wales and the Brecon Beacons. Powys County Council Tourism Services Unit. p. 27. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
  2. ^ "Wales 2008". Retrieved 9 September 2009.
  3. ^ "Waterfall 1000th on protected list". BBC News. 22 May 2000. Retrieved 9 September 2009.
  4. ^ "Times Walks: Pistyll Rhaeadr, Wales". Times Online. London. 25 April 2009. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2009.
  5. ^ "Kerry Ridgeway" (PDF). Walking in Mid-Wales and the Brecon Beacons. Powys County Council Tourism Services Unit. p. 27. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
  6. ^ "Pistyll Rhaeadr". Archived from the original on 31 January 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2009.
  7. ^ "Pistyll Rhaeadr". Retrieved 9 September 2009.
  8. ^ Des Marshall (2009). Walking to Mid Wales' Waterfalls. Machynlleth, Wales: Kittiwake. pp. 1, 2. ISBN 978-1-902302-69-0.
  9. ^ "The tallest waterfalls in Wales". Retrieved 4 February 2010.
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