The
River Ogmore (
Afon Ogwr in
WelshWelsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic spoken natively in Wales, in England by some along the Welsh border and in the Welsh immigrant colony in the Chubut Valley in Argentine Patagonia....
) is a
riverA river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing toward an ocean, a lake, a sea or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water...
in
South WalesSouth 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. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
popular with anglers. It runs generally from north to south from the Ogmore Vale and Pentre, past
BridgendBridgend is a town in the County Borough of Bridgend in Wales. It is roughly equidistant between the cities of Cardiff and Swansea. The river crossed by the original bridge, which gave the town its name, is the River Ogmore but the River Ewenny also passes to the south of the town...
and
OgmoreOgmore could refer to several places in south and southwest Wales:*Ogmore-by-Sea, a village in southwest Wales.*River Ogmore, a river in south Wales.*Ogmore Castle, a castle in south Wales.*Ogmore , south Wales....
. The river Ogmore is generally considered to start near the
cemeteryA cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term cemetery implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are the place where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
mountain, north of
TreorchyTreorchy is a village, although it used to be and still has characteristics of a town, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, lying in the Rhondda Fawr valley...
, although it is known as the Ogwr Fach, with the Ogwr Fawr, coming from
GilfachGilfach Goch is a village in Rhondda Cynon Taff, Wales.Gilfach Goch is a small, ex coal mining, village near the larger community of Tonyrefail, and is located in the Ogmore Valley, South Wales....
to the east merging near Blackmill. The River Llynfi, the River Garw and finally the River Ewenny in its
estuaryAn estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries are thus subject to both marine influences, such as tides, waves, and the influx of saline water; and riverine influences, such as flows of...
are all tributaries of the Ogmore which flows into the sea between
Ogmore-by-SeaOgmore-by-Sea is a seaside village in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It lies on the western limit of the Glamorgan Heritage Coastline of south Wales....
and the
Merthyr MawrMerthyr Mawr is a village about 2½ miles from the centre of Bridgend in the county borough of Bridgend, Wales.- Buildings and landmarks of note :...
sand-dunes.
Most of the headwaters flow over
carboniferousThe Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Ma , to the beginning of the Permian period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Ma ....
coalCoal is a readily combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock normally occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
measures overlain by glacial drift and
fluvialFluvial is used in geography and Earth science to refer to the processes associated with rivers and streams and the deposits and landforms created by them...
gravelGravel is rock that is of a specific particle size range. Specifically, it is any loose rock that is larger than two millimeters in its smallest dimension and no more than . The next smaller size class in geology is sand, which is > in size. The next larger size is cobble, which is >. Gravel can...
s.
The
River Ogmore (
Afon Ogwr in
WelshWelsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic spoken natively in Wales, in England by some along the Welsh border and in the Welsh immigrant colony in the Chubut Valley in Argentine Patagonia....
) is a
riverA river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing toward an ocean, a lake, a sea or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water...
in
South WalesSouth 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. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
popular with anglers. It runs generally from north to south from the Ogmore Vale and Pentre, past
BridgendBridgend is a town in the County Borough of Bridgend in Wales. It is roughly equidistant between the cities of Cardiff and Swansea. The river crossed by the original bridge, which gave the town its name, is the River Ogmore but the River Ewenny also passes to the south of the town...
and
OgmoreOgmore could refer to several places in south and southwest Wales:*Ogmore-by-Sea, a village in southwest Wales.*River Ogmore, a river in south Wales.*Ogmore Castle, a castle in south Wales.*Ogmore , south Wales....
. The river Ogmore is generally considered to start near the
cemeteryA cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term cemetery implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are the place where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
mountain, north of
TreorchyTreorchy is a village, although it used to be and still has characteristics of a town, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, lying in the Rhondda Fawr valley...
, although it is known as the Ogwr Fach, with the Ogwr Fawr, coming from
GilfachGilfach Goch is a village in Rhondda Cynon Taff, Wales.Gilfach Goch is a small, ex coal mining, village near the larger community of Tonyrefail, and is located in the Ogmore Valley, South Wales....
to the east merging near Blackmill. The River Llynfi, the River Garw and finally the River Ewenny in its
estuaryAn estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries are thus subject to both marine influences, such as tides, waves, and the influx of saline water; and riverine influences, such as flows of...
are all tributaries of the Ogmore which flows into the sea between
Ogmore-by-SeaOgmore-by-Sea is a seaside village in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It lies on the western limit of the Glamorgan Heritage Coastline of south Wales....
and the
Merthyr MawrMerthyr Mawr is a village about 2½ miles from the centre of Bridgend in the county borough of Bridgend, Wales.- Buildings and landmarks of note :...
sand-dunes.
Geology and Geography
Most of the headwaters flow over
carboniferousThe Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Ma , to the beginning of the Permian period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Ma ....
coalCoal is a readily combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock normally occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
measures overlain by glacial drift and
fluvialFluvial is used in geography and Earth science to refer to the processes associated with rivers and streams and the deposits and landforms created by them...
gravelGravel is rock that is of a specific particle size range. Specifically, it is any loose rock that is larger than two millimeters in its smallest dimension and no more than . The next smaller size class in geology is sand, which is > in size. The next larger size is cobble, which is >. Gravel can...
s. The valleys are reasonably broad for a small river and many of the tributaries meandered through their valleys in the past. The considerable urbanisation, especially in the 19th century confined most rivers to rather narrow artificial channels bordered in places such as
BridgendBridgend is a town in the County Borough of Bridgend in Wales. It is roughly equidistant between the cities of Cardiff and Swansea. The river crossed by the original bridge, which gave the town its name, is the River Ogmore but the River Ewenny also passes to the south of the town...
with concrete flood protection walls.
River Llynfi
The
River LlynfiThe River Llynfi, otherwise referred to as the Llynfi River or Afon Llynfi in Welsh , is one of three main tributaries of the River Ogmore or Afon Ogwr....
, otherwise referred to as the
Llynfi River or
Afon Llynfi in
WelshWelsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic spoken natively in Wales, in England by some along the Welsh border and in the Welsh immigrant colony in the Chubut Valley in Argentine Patagonia....
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/53546, runs for around 10
mileA mile is a unit of length in a number of different systems. In contemporary English, mile most commonly refers to the statute mile of 1,609.344 meters or the nautical mile of 1,852 meters...
s from its source north of
MaestegMaesteg is a town in the County Borough of Bridgend, Wales, lying at the northernmost end of the Llynfi Valley, close to the border with the county boroughs of Neath Port Talbot and Rhondda Cynon Taff...
and flows generally southwards through the Llynfi Valley to the
confluenceConfluence may refer to:* Confluence , the point where two or more bodies of water meet and merge* Confluence , the streamline air flow convergence of a fluid air parcel...
with the River Ogmore and the River Garw at
AberkenfigAberkenfig Aberkenfig Aberkenfig (Welsh Abercynffig, meaning mouth of the Kenfig (stream) is a village of around 2,000 people located in the County Borough of Bridgend, Wales to the north of Bridgend town.-Location:...
. Its main tributaries are the Nant Cwm-du and Nant Cedfyw which enter on its left bank and the Nant Crynwydd, Nant Sychbant and Nant y Gadlys on its right bank.
Afon Garw
The Garw flows broadly north-south and runs through
PontycymerPontycymer is a former coal mining village in the Garw Valley, in the county borough of Bridgend, Wales, United Kingdom. It is sometimes spelled and referred to as "Pontycymmer"....
. It has also suffered histroic pollution caused by coal mining.
River Ewenny
The
Ewenny RiverThe Ewenny River rises to the north east of Bridgend town, in South Wales, and flows past the village of Pencoed before entering the River Ogmore estuary just below Ogmore Castle...
rises to the north-east of
BridgendBridgend is a town in the County Borough of Bridgend in Wales. It is roughly equidistant between the cities of Cardiff and Swansea. The river crossed by the original bridge, which gave the town its name, is the River Ogmore but the River Ewenny also passes to the south of the town...
town and flows through
PencoedPencoed , is a town in the county borough of Bridgend, Wales, mid-way between Wales's two largest cities of Cardiff and Swansea....
and
CoychurchCoychurch is a small village that sits between Pencoed and Bridgend in Wales, bordering with Bridgend Industrial Estate.It has a longstanding religious association, with an early Christian church having been built there possibly as long ago as the 8th century CE. The current church of St...
before entering the River Ogmore
estuaryAn estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries are thus subject to both marine influences, such as tides, waves, and the influx of saline water; and riverine influences, such as flows of...
just below
Ogmore CastleOgmore Castle, situated near the village of Ogmore-by-Sea, south of the town of Bridgend in Glamorgan, South Wales, was initially constructed in 1116 by William de Londres as part of the Norman invasion of Wales....
. It also has one tributary, the River Alun, which comes from
LlandowLlandow is a village in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. The village is located south west of Cardiff.- Amenities :Within Llandow is a small medieval parish church, whose history dates back to the 11th century, with a saddleback tower dedicated to the Holy Trinity.Adjacent to the village is a...
and
LlysworneyLlysworney is a small village in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales.It has a population of around 240 in just over 100 houses. The village includes a 13th century parish church, historic pub, a garage and a village duck pond. Although a number of the properties in the village are farmhouses there...
to the east. Its valley is flatter, rising as it does on the
liasLias may refer to:* Lias , a troll drummer in the book Soul Music by Terry Pratchett* Lias Group, a stratigraphic group found in large parts of Europe, formed during the Early Jurassic epoch* Lias, Gers, a commune of the Gers département, in France...
limestone and meandering down to Ogmore. The Ewenny is one a very few rivers in Wales with a healthy population of Dace.
Environment
The industrialisation of the valley of the Ogmore, especially in the 19th century, severely damaged much of the natural environment in the main river and many of its tributaries.
CoalCoal is a readily combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock normally occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
mining in particular severely affected the river and the Rivers Garw and Llynfi.
Next to the estuary of the Ogmore is a large
sewage treatmentSewage treatment, or domestic wastewater treatment, is the process of removing contaminants from wastewater and household sewage, both runoff and domestic. It includes physical, chemical, and biological processes to remove physical, chemical and biological contaminants...
plant, the Penybont works, which treats the sewage of Bridgend and area. The discharge from this works which is by marine pipe to a point below low water mark has affected bathing water quality in the past but the addition of UV light sterilisation to the final effluent has ensured that modern bacteriological standards are now met.
Fishery
In its industrial heyday, the Ogmore was devoid of salmonid fish throughout much of its length although brown trout survived in many of the smaller tributaries.
From the 1980 onwards,
SalmonSalmon is the common name for several species of fish of the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the family are called trout; the difference is often attributed to the migratory life of the salmon as compared to the residential behaviour of trout, a distinction that holds true for the Salmo...
and
sea-toutTrout are a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the Salmonidae family. Salmon belong to some of the same genera as trout but, unlike most trout, most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
started returning to the main river and the River Garw in ever increasing numbers but continued to avoid the chronically polluted Llynfi. However , even on the Llynfi, native brown trout numbers increased upstream of Tondu and these were occasionally supplemented by stocked
Rainbow troutThe rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America as well as much of the central, western, eastern, and especially the northern portions of the United States...
. In all parts of the river, trout can now be found with Salmon and sea-trout almost everywhere. In addition eels remain common with
Millers ThumbThe European bullhead, Cottus gobio, is a fish of the Cottidae family that is widely distributed in Europe. It is a type of sculpin and has three alternative names: miller's thumb, tommy logge and bullyhead.-References:...
,
GudgeonA gudgeon is a circular fitting, often made of metal, which is affixed to a surface. It allows for the pivoting of another fixture. It is generally used with a pintle, which is a pin which pivots in the hole in the gudgeon. As such, a gudgeon is a simple bearing.-Winged gudgeons:A winged gudgeon...
,
Stone loachThe Stone loach is a species of ray-finned fish in the Balitoridae family.It is found in Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg,...
and
Minnow-"True" minnows:Minnow, many of the smaller fish in the subfamily Leuciscinae:* Bluntnose minnows, fish in the genus Pimephales* Cardinal minnows, fish in the genus Tanichthys* Cheat Minnow...
present ubiquitously.
External links