Lake Vyrnwy

Lake Vyrnwy is a large reservoir in Powys, Wales, created in the 1880s by flooding the head of the River Vyrnwy valley. The lake covers 4.54 square kilometres and has a perimeter of 19 kilometres, with a road running all the way around it. It is fed by several rivers, including the Afon Hirddu and Afon Cedig, and meets the River Severn near Melverley on the Welsh border. The dam at one end is 358 metres long and 44 metres high, topped by a road bridge with 31 arches. When full, the reservoir holds 59.7 gigalitres of water. The site is managed jointly by the RSPB and Hafren Dyfrdwy as a nature reserve and is recognised as a national nature reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It supports rare birds such as the peregrine falcon, pied flycatcher and wood warbler, as well as six bat species and a variety of butterflies and dragonflies. The reserve also includes heather moorland managed for red grouse and short-eared owls. The dam’s straining tower, built in Gothic Revival style, filters water before it travels 109 kilometres to Liverpool. Visitors walk or cycle the 19-kilometre road around the lake, stopping at bird hides to watch wildlife. The hamlet of Rhiwargor lies on the northern shore where two rivers meet, and a short walk up the Afon Eiddew valley leads to Pistyll Rhyd-y-meincau waterfall. The dam’s stilling basin absorbs energy from overflowing water, and its west and east towers release compensation water to keep the river flowing. The power house once supplied the area’s only electricity before mains arrived in the 1960s.