Conwy Falls facts for kids
Conwy Falls (also known as Rhaeadr y Graig Lwyd in Welsh) is a beautiful waterfall in Wales. You can find it on the River Conwy near a place called Bro Garmon in Conwy County Borough. The waterfall and the area around it are very special. They are protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). This means the area has important plants, animals, or geology.
Near the falls, there's a unique cafe. It's right next to the A5 and was designed by a famous Welsh architect named Clough Williams-Ellis. He is also known for creating the village of Portmeirion.
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Exploring the Falls and Nature
The Conwy Falls are located in a narrow, deep valley called a gorge. Here, the River Conwy drops about 50 feet (15 meters) into a deep pool. You can reach the falls by walking on natural paths through the protected woodland.
This woodland is part of the special SSSI area. It covers about 9.5 acres (3.8 hectares). Many wild animals live here, including polecats. You can also spot 32 different kinds of birds in the trees around the falls. It's a great place to see nature!
Salmon Ladders at Conwy Falls
The River Conwy is a popular place for salmon. These fish swim upstream to lay their eggs. To help them get past the waterfall, there are two special structures called salmon ladders.
One ladder is very old. It was built in the Victorian era but was damaged by a storm soon after. It has steps carved right into the rock. The second ladder is much newer. It was built in 1993 and cost almost £1 million. This modern ladder is hidden from public view. It has about 30 pools arranged in a zig-zag pattern inside a tunnel. It can even count every fish that swims through it!
There is also a special station at the falls that measures how much water is flowing. If the water level is too low, the flow is sent over the falls instead of through the fish ladder. This helps protect the plants in the gorge.
The Unique Cafe Building
The very first cafe at Conwy Falls was just a simple wooden hut. In 1938, the famous architect Clough Williams-Ellis was asked to design a new building. His first idea was for a building perched right on the rocks above the falls, but this was never built.
The cafe building you see today was built in the 1950s. While it's a bit different from Williams-Ellis's original drawings (which you can see inside the cafe), it still shows his special style. The cafe has a classic "Georgian" look with a triangular top section called a pediment. It also features an open porch area on the upper level, known as a loggia.
Hydro-Electric Plans
In 2016, there was a plan to build a power plant near Conwy Falls. This plant would use the force of the water to create electricity, which is called hydro-electricity. A similar plan had been turned down before.
The new proposal involved building a small dam above Conwy Falls. It also included tunnels and buried pipes that would stretch for about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles). However, many groups were worried about how this would affect the local biodiversity (all the different kinds of plants and animals). Because of these strong concerns, the plan was rejected again.
