River Dyfi
The River Dyfi, also known as the River Dovey, is an approximately long river in Wales.
Its large estuary forms the boundary between the counties of Gwynedd and Ceredigion, and its lower reaches have historically been considered the border between North Wales and South Wales.
Name
The Welsh spelling Dyfi is widely used locally and by the Welsh Government, Natural Resources Wales and the BBC. The anglicised spelling Dovey continues to be used by some entities.Tributaries
The main tributaries of the River Dyfi are:- Afon Leri at Ynyslas
- Afon Clettwr north of Tre'r Ddol
- Nant y Gog at Eglwys Fach
- Afon Einion downstream of Glandyfi
- Afon Llyfnant upstream of Glandyfi
- North Dulas at Ffridd Gate
- South Dulas east of Machynlleth
- Afon Ceirig at Mathafarn
- Afon Twymyn upstream of Cemmaes Road
- Afon Angell at Aberangell
- Afon Cleifion at Mallwyd
- Afon Cerist at Dinas Mawddwy
- Afon Cywarch at Aber-Cywarch
Notable bridges
- Pont Minllyn
- Dyfi Bridge
Dyfi Biosphere
In March 2021, Natural Resources Wales granted Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust a licence to release a family of beavers into an enclosure within the Dyfi Wildlife Centre, the first officially licensed release of beavers in Wales.
Beavers have not yet been released under licence into the wild into the Dyfi catchment, but a licence application is being developed by the Welsh Beaver Project for submission to Natural Resources Wales.
There is a small population of beavers already living wild within the Dyfi catchment whose origins are unclear.
The estuary is known for its saltmarshes.
In popular culture
The Dyfi estuary was used as a location shot in Led Zeppelin's 1976 film The Song Remains the Same. The segment of the film is where Robert Plant comes ashore on a boat, after which he rides a horse, making his way to Raglan Castle. The band's Bron-Yr-Aur cottage is located on the edge of Machynlleth.In 2022 Jim Perrin published an essay on the River Dyfi in “Rivers of Wales”.