Afon Alaw

Afon Alaw is a river on the Isle of Anglesey in north Wales. It rises near Llannerch-y-medd in the island’s centre and flows north for about sixteen kilometres to Llyn Alaw, a large reservoir built by damming the river. From the lake it continues past villages such as Llanbabo and Llanfachreth before joining the Irish Sea at Penrhos, east of Holyhead. The river appears in the second branch of the Mabinogi, the medieval tale of Branwen ferch Llŷr, whose sorrowful story ends with her burial beside Afon Alaw. Near Llanbabo a burial site called Bedd Branwen is thought to date from the Bronze Age. Two famous sailing barges, Afon Alaw and Afon Cefni, were named after the river. Visitors walk the quiet banks of Llyn Alaw where water lilies grow and smaller streams feed the lake. The lower river passes gentle farmland and old villages before reaching the wide estuary at Penrhos. Views stretch across to Holyhead Mountain and the Irish Sea, linking the river’s past with the island’s open landscapes.