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Rhayader ( - meaning Wye Falls) is a busy and historic market town
Market town

Market town or market right is a law term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host Market, distinguishing them from villages and city....
 in Powys
Powys

Powys is a local-government Principal areas of Wales and preserved counties of Wales in Wales....
, Wales
Wales

native_name = Cymru|conventional_long_name = Wales|common_name = Wales|image_flag = Flag of Wales 2.svg|national_motto = ...
. Until the creation of Powys in 1974, the town lay in the former county of Radnorshire
Radnorshire

Radnorshire is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales and former administrative counties of Wales. It is represented by the Radnorshire area of Powys, which according to the 2001 census, had a population of 24,805....
. It is the first town lying on the River Wye
River Wye

:See River Wye for other rivers called Wye.The River Wye is the Rivers of Great Britain#Longest rivers in the United Kingdom in the United Kingdom and for parts of its length forms part of the border between England and Wales....
.

Transport
A station
Rhayader railway station

Rhayader railway station was a station serving the town of Rhayader, Powys, on the Mid Wales Railway line.It was opened in 1864 in Cwmdauddwr, a village on the opposite bank of the River Wye....
 on the Mid Wales Railway
Mid Wales Railway

|}The Mid Wales Line was a standard gauge railway line that opened in 1864 as a North-South route serving central Wales towns including Llanidloes, Rhayader, Builth Wells and Brecon....
 line served the town until 1963, but was closed under the 'Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe

The Beeching Axe is an informal name for the HM Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom....
' programme of modernisation.






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Encyclopedia


Rhayader ( - meaning Wye Falls) is a busy and historic market town
Market town

Market town or market right is a law term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host Market, distinguishing them from villages and city....
 in Powys
Powys

Powys is a local-government Principal areas of Wales and preserved counties of Wales in Wales....
, Wales
Wales

native_name = Cymru|conventional_long_name = Wales|common_name = Wales|image_flag = Flag of Wales 2.svg|national_motto = ...
. Until the creation of Powys in 1974, the town lay in the former county of Radnorshire
Radnorshire

Radnorshire is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales and former administrative counties of Wales. It is represented by the Radnorshire area of Powys, which according to the 2001 census, had a population of 24,805....
. It is the first town lying on the River Wye
River Wye

:See River Wye for other rivers called Wye.The River Wye is the Rivers of Great Britain#Longest rivers in the United Kingdom in the United Kingdom and for parts of its length forms part of the border between England and Wales....
.

Location


The town serves a wide rural catchment area. It is situated roughly midway between North
North Wales

File:North Wales .pngNorth Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales, bordered to the south by Mid Wales and to the east by England....
 and South Wales
South Wales

South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west....
 on the A470
A470 road

The A470 is a major long-distance connective spine road in Wales, running from Cardiff on the south coast to Llandudno on the north coast. It covers approximately 186 miles , over a zig-zagging route through the entirety of the country's mountainous central region, including the Brecon Beacons and much of Snowdonia National Park....
, 13 miles North of Builth Wells
Builth Wells

Builth Wells is a town in the modern day Preserved counties of Wales of Powys, in what was the historic counties of Wales of Brecknockshire, mid Wales, lying on the River Wye in the Welsh or upper section of the Wye Valley....
 and 30 miles East of Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth

Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. It is often colloquially known as Aber, and is located at the confluence of the Rivers River Ystwyth and River Rheidol....
 on the A44
A44 road

The A44 is a major road in the United Kingdom that runs from Oxford in southern England to Aberystwyth in west Wales....
. Due to the volume of traffic generated by two of Wales's most important trunk roads, the construction of a bypass
Bypass

Bypass may refer to: Bypass , where gas is expelled through anus during the event of a voluntary fecal restriction, thus the gas bypassed through the fecal matter and released via anus....
 to relieve congestion at the town centre crossroads
Junction (road)

A road junction is a location where vehicular traffic going in different directions can proceed in a controlled manner designed to minimize accidents....
 has been an ongoing debate for many years.

Transport


A station
Rhayader railway station

Rhayader railway station was a station serving the town of Rhayader, Powys, on the Mid Wales Railway line.It was opened in 1864 in Cwmdauddwr, a village on the opposite bank of the River Wye....
 on the Mid Wales Railway
Mid Wales Railway

|}The Mid Wales Line was a standard gauge railway line that opened in 1864 as a North-South route serving central Wales towns including Llanidloes, Rhayader, Builth Wells and Brecon....
 line served the town until 1963, but was closed under the 'Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe

The Beeching Axe is an informal name for the HM Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom....
' programme of modernisation. The nearest station is now at Crossgates
Pen-y-Bont railway station

Pen-y-Bont railway station is a railway station serving the village of Penybont, in mid Wales. It is situated on the Heart of Wales Line. The station is located closer to the villages of Crossgates, Powys and Fron, Wales than it is to Penybont itself, and is now the closest station to the town of Rhayader, though that is some distance away....
 on the Heart of Wales Line
Heart of Wales Line

|}File:ATW-153361-HeartofWales-02.jpgFile:Pantyffynnon railway station.jpgThe Heart of Wales Line is the railway line from Llanelli in South Wales to Craven Arms in Shropshire and runs through, as the name suggests, some of the heartlands of Wales....
, though connections are usually made at the more accessible Llandrindod railway station
Llandrindod railway station

Llandrindod railway station serves the town of Llandrindod Wells in Mid Wales. It is located on the Heart of Wales Line and is served by four trains each way on Mondays to Saturdays, two each way on Sundays....
 a similar distance away.

An extensive bus
Bus

A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. A bus can generally seat a maximum of anywhere from 8 to 200 passengers; many more passengers than a minivan....
 service connects with outlying villages and neighbouring towns, with two-hourly daytime departures to Builth Wells
Builth Wells

Builth Wells is a town in the modern day Preserved counties of Wales of Powys, in what was the historic counties of Wales of Brecknockshire, mid Wales, lying on the River Wye in the Welsh or upper section of the Wye Valley....
, Llandrindod Wells
Llandrindod Wells

Llandrindod Wells , known locally as "Llandod", is a town in Powys, Wales. It was developed as a spa town in the 19th century, with a boom in the late 20th century as a centre of local government....
, Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth

Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. It is often colloquially known as Aber, and is located at the confluence of the Rivers River Ystwyth and River Rheidol....
 and Newtown
Newtown

Newtown may refer to:...
, with connections to Hereford
Hereford

Hereford is a cathedral city City status in the United Kingdom, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester....
, Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is home to 70,689 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement of the borough of Shrewsbury and Atcham, which has a population of 95,850....
, Cardiff
Cardiff

Cardiff is the Capital , largest city and most populous Unitary authority#Wales in Wales. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for many national cultural and sport institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of Welsh Assembly Government ....
 and further afield.

The town is also a popular cycling
Cycling

Cycling is the use of bicycles, or - less commonly - unicycles, tricycles, Quadracycle s and other similar wheeled human powered vehicles as a means of transport, a form of recreation or a sport....
 centre and is on Route 8 of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 National Cycle Network
National Cycle Network

The National Cycle Network is a network of bicycle routes in the United Kingdom.The National Cycle Network was created by the charity Sustrans , and aided by a ?42.5 million National Lottery grant....
 - Lôn Las Cymru
Lôn Las Cymru

'L?n Las Cymru' is the Welsh National Cycle Route which runs largely north-south from Holyhead to Cardiff and Chepstow. In total it measures some in length, and is Route 8 of the United Kingdom National Cycle Network....
.



History & amenities


Tourism and agriculture are the most important industries locally. Walkers and cyclists are drawn to Rhayader for the abundance of trails and bridleways surrounding the town, which is the gateway to a massive complex of reservoirs and dams
DAMS

Driot-Arnoux Motorsport is a racing team from France, involved in many areas of motorsports. DAMS was founded in 1988 by Jean-Paul Driot and former Formula One driver Ren? Arnoux....
 (The Elan Valley
Elan Valley

The Elan Valley is a river valley situated to the west of Rhayader, in Powys, Wales, sometimes known as the "Welsh Lake District". It covers of lake and countryside....
), known as the 'Lakeland of Wales'. This vast area was flooded in 1893-1904 to supply water to Birmingham
Birmingham

Birmingham is a city status in the United Kingdom and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. Birmingham is the most populous of England's English Core Cities Group, and is the List of United Kingdom cities by population British city after London, with a population of 1,010,200 ....
, and is home to some of Britain's rarest wildlife and plants, along with magnificent feats of engineering.

The town itself is known as a centre of the anti-toll gate Rebecca riots
Rebecca Riots

The Rebecca Riots took place between 1839 and 1842 in South Wales and Mid Wales. They were a protest against the high Toll road which had to be paid on the local Turnpike roads....
 and for the red kite
Red Kite

The Red Kite is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal Bird of preys such as eagles, buzzards and harrier s....
s which live nearby.

There are a number of hotels, bed and breakfasts and campsites to accommodate the large amount of visitors that travel to the area all year round. Rhayader is also home to a museum, a leisure centre
Leisure centre

A leisure centre in the United Kingdom and Canada is a purpose built building or site, usually owned and operated by the borough council or district Non-metropolitan district, where people go to keep fit or relax through using the facilities....
, numerous parks and all the amenities expected of a larger town. There are an abundance of shops, banks, restaurants, takeaways and supermarkets catering to both the local population and visitors to the area. Rhayader is also renowned for being the town with the highest concentration of pubs and drinking establishments, per capita
Per capita

Per capita is a Latin phrase meaning per head with per meaning "through" or "by" and capita meaning "heads." Both words together equate to the phrase "for each head."...
, in the UK with one to each 173 people.

In nearby Llanwrthwl
Llanwrthwl

Llanwrthwl is a village near Rhayader in Powys, Mid Wales.Llanwrthwl churchyard has a prehistoric standing stone about 1.75m high near the south porch....
 the Living Willow Theatre
Living Willow Theatre

The Living Willow Theatre is an open air community theatre in Powys, Mid Wales.It is a scaled down version of the Globe Theatre in London, about a third of its size in diameter and similar to the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park in London....
, an open air theatre constructed of living willow trees, was opened in 2007.

A carnival week is held every July.

Sport


The town's Rugby Union
Rugby union

Rugby union is a competitive outdoor contact sport, played with an oval ball, by two teams of 15 players. It is one of the two main codes of rugby football, the other being rugby league....
 team play in Asda League 5 North. Its football
Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players, and is widely considered to be the most popular sport in the world....
 club, Rhayader Town F.C.
Rhayader Town F.C.

Rhayader Town FC are a Wales football team playing in the Mid Wales League. The club dates from around 1884 and their ground is called Y Weirglodd, which accommodates 435 seating spectators....
, ceased to exist in the summer of 2006 despite previously having some success. The team played in the League of Wales
League of Wales

The Welsh Premier League is the national Football league for Wales and is at the top of the Welsh football league system. Prior to 2002, the league was known as the League of Wales, but changed its name as part of a sponsorship deal....
 - the top-tier of domestic Welsh football between 1997 and 2002. The club have since reformed, and in its inaugural season gained promotion into the Spar Mid Wales League
Mid Wales League

The Mid Wales League, currently styled as the Spar Mid Wales League under a sponsorship deal, is a association football league in Wales, consisting of 18 teams....
. There is also a cricket
Cricket

Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games team sport that originated in southern England. The earliest definite reference is dated 1598, and it is now played in more than 100 countries....
 club and thriving local darts
Darts

Darts refers to a variety of related sports, in which dart are thrown at a circular target hung on a wall. Though various different boards and games have been used in the past, the term 'darts' usually now refers to a standardized game involving a specific board design and set of rules....
, dominos and pool
Pocket billiards

Pocket billiards, most commonly referred to as pool. It is the general term for a cue sport played on a specific class of billiards table, having 6 receptacles called pockets along the rails, in which billiard ball are deposited as the main goal of play....
 leagues.

The town is also well known by motocross
Motocross

Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. Motocross is derived from the French language, and traces its origins to uk Motocross#History competitions....
 fans. Every summer a series of events take place at the nearby Cwmythig Hill
Cwmythig Hill

Cwmythig Hill is a motocross circuit situated approximately from the town of Rhayader, Powys. As the name suggests, the circuit is predominantly a hillside circuit, with steep, natural hills mixed with man-made supercross inspired table-top jumps, along with a spectacular 'wall of death' banked hairpin turn....
 circuit, with many of Britain's top riders taking part. The race series regularly attracts over 5,000 spectators.

External links