Llangorse Lake
Encyclopedia
Llangorse Lake is the largest natural lake
in south Wales
, and is situated in the Brecon Beacons
National Park, near to the town of Brecon
and the village of Llangors
.
The lake is famous for its coarse fishing
(particularly pike
), watersports, the afanc
(nicknamed 'Gorsey') and the only example of a crannog
in Wales. Llangorse lake is also one of the most mentioned sites in Welsh folklore. It is a site of international conservation importance.
Due to Llangorse Lake's long history of human activity it has been known by several different names during its history both in the Welsh language
and in English, other names include the lake's original Welsh name, Llyn Syfaddon/Syfaddan, and Brycheiniog Mere, (the English name Llangorse Lake is comparatively recent).
with a 5 miles (8 km) circumference covering an area of 327 acres (1.3 km²). The lake is 1 miles (1.6 km) long and 154 metres (505.2 ft) above sea level
. The lake is sited between the basins
of the River Wye
to the north and the River Usk
to the south and was formed by debris deposited by melting glaciers trapping water on a plateau over time. The Afon Llynfi
provides the main input of water into the lake and continues as the lake overflow stream.
Natural history
The lake is a Site of Special Scientific Interest
(SSSI) and has long been regarded as a place where fish and birds are found in unusually high numbers. Gerald of Wales
(Giraldus Cambrensis) mentioned the abundance of waterfowl in his topographical work, The Description of Wales² in the 12th century A.D.. It is a Special Area of Conservation (under the EU Habitats Directive) as an example of a natural nutrient rich rich lake with pondweeds.
The supposed largest pike
caught by rod in the UK was caught in Llangorse Lake in 1846 by O.Owen and weighed 68 lbs. The weight of this particular fish is unsubstantiated, however. If true this would have been the largest pike in the world so seems somewhat doubtful. The largest pike in the UK was actually caught from Llandegfedd reservoir near Pontypool and weighed 46 lbs. More recently the skull of a pike of unknown weight, though undoubtedly large (35–40+ lb), was found on the shores of the lake in 2004, this was taken away by The Environment Agency
for Age Testing.
The Llangasty Nature Reserve forms an important protected area around the lake's boundary.
The lake is a habitat for the Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly
(Ishnura pumilio).
In May 2011 hundreds of water voles were released near Llangorse Lake in an ongoing programme to try to restore population numbers.
is a small artificial island about 40 metres from the north shore. It is constructed of massive planks of oak behind which was built a dwelling platform formed from layers of stone, soil and brushwood. It was investigated by archaeologists from the National Museum of Wales
between 1989 and 1993. Finds included a high quality textile
and a bronze
hinge from an 8th–9th century reliquary
decorated in a style similar to that seen in Ireland
. The 1993 dig was joined by the TV series Time Team
and featured in series one, episode four in 1994. In 2005, works were carried out to protect the island from erosion
.
. Radiocarbon dating
indicates that it originated from the 9th century.
, who wrote People of the Black Mountains
detailing the lives of ordinary people in the area at intervals from 30,000 years ago through to Mediaeval times.
or lake monster of Llangorse is in a poem by the 15th-century Welsh
poet
or bard
, Lewys Glyn Cothi
:
The Afanc would have been well known in local folklore at the time of the composition of the poem and is still sighted to this day .
Oll Lewis, an Ecologist and Cryptozoologist in the Centre for Fortean Zoology
has been studying the Afanc of Llangorse Lake for several years has proposed the hypothesis that the Afanc may be sightings of the abnormally large Pike of the lake.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in south Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, and is situated in the Brecon Beacons
Brecon Beacons
The Brecon Beacons is a mountain range in South Wales. In a narrow sense, the name refers to the range of popular peaks south of Brecon, including South Wales' highest mountain, Pen y Fan, and which together form the central section of the Brecon Beacons National Park...
National Park, near to the town of Brecon
Brecon
Brecon is a long-established market town and community in southern Powys, Mid Wales, with a population of 7,901. It was the county town of the historic county of Brecknockshire; although its role as such was eclipsed with the formation of Powys, it remains an important local centre...
and the village of Llangors
Llangors
Llangors is a small village in southern Powys, Mid Wales, and also falls inside the Brecon Beacons National Park....
.
The lake is famous for its coarse fishing
Coarse fishing
Coarse fishing is a term used in the United Kingdom and Ireland for angling for coarse fish, which are those types of freshwater fish other than game fish . The sport and the techniques used are particularly popular in the United Kingdom and mainland Europe.-History:The term "coarse fishing"...
(particularly pike
Esox
Esox is a genus of freshwater fish, the only living genus in the family Esocidae — the esocids which were endemic to North America, Europe and Eurasia during the Paleogene through present.The type species is E. lucius, the northern pike...
), watersports, the afanc
Addanc
The Afanc is a lake monster from Welsh mythology. Its exact description varies; it is described alternately as resembling a crocodile, beaver or dwarf-like creature, and is sometimes said to be a demon...
(nicknamed 'Gorsey') and the only example of a crannog
Crannog
A crannog is typically a partially or entirely artificial island, usually built in lakes, rivers and estuarine waters of Scotland and Ireland. Crannogs were used as dwellings over five millennia from the European Neolithic Period, to as late as the 17th/early 18th century although in Scotland,...
in Wales. Llangorse lake is also one of the most mentioned sites in Welsh folklore. It is a site of international conservation importance.
Due to Llangorse Lake's long history of human activity it has been known by several different names during its history both in the Welsh language
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
and in English, other names include the lake's original Welsh name, Llyn Syfaddon/Syfaddan, and Brycheiniog Mere, (the English name Llangorse Lake is comparatively recent).
Geography
Llangorse Lake is a eutrophic glacial lakeGlacial lake
A glacial lake is a lake with origins in a melted glacier. Near the end of the last glacial period, roughly 10,000 years ago, glaciers began to retreat. A retreating glacier often left behind large deposits of ice in hollows between drumlins or hills. As the ice age ended, these melted to create...
with a 5 miles (8 km) circumference covering an area of 327 acres (1.3 km²). The lake is 1 miles (1.6 km) long and 154 metres (505.2 ft) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. The lake is sited between the basins
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of the River Wye
River Wye
The River Wye is the fifth-longest river in the UK and for parts of its length forms part of the border between England and Wales. It is important for nature conservation and recreation.-Description:...
to the north and the River Usk
River Usk
The River Usk rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain of mid-Wales, in the easternmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Initially it flows north into Usk Reservoir, then east by Sennybridge to Brecon before turning southeast to flow by Talybont-on-Usk, Crickhowell and...
to the south and was formed by debris deposited by melting glaciers trapping water on a plateau over time. The Afon Llynfi
Afon Llynfi (Wye)
The Afon Llynfi is a short river in the county of Powys, south Wales. A tributary of the River Wye, it runs approximately south to north just to the west of the Black Mountains and partly within the Brecon Beacons National Park. The river rises as a small stream to the west of the village of Bwlch...
provides the main input of water into the lake and continues as the lake overflow stream.
Natural historyNatural historyNatural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
The lake is a Site of Special Scientific InterestSite of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
(SSSI) and has long been regarded as a place where fish and birds are found in unusually high numbers. Gerald of Wales
Giraldus Cambrensis
Gerald of Wales , also known as Gerallt Gymro in Welsh or Giraldus Cambrensis in Latin, archdeacon of Brecon, was a medieval clergyman and chronicler of his times...
(Giraldus Cambrensis) mentioned the abundance of waterfowl in his topographical work, The Description of Wales² in the 12th century A.D.. It is a Special Area of Conservation (under the EU Habitats Directive) as an example of a natural nutrient rich rich lake with pondweeds.
The supposed largest pike
Esox
Esox is a genus of freshwater fish, the only living genus in the family Esocidae — the esocids which were endemic to North America, Europe and Eurasia during the Paleogene through present.The type species is E. lucius, the northern pike...
caught by rod in the UK was caught in Llangorse Lake in 1846 by O.Owen and weighed 68 lbs. The weight of this particular fish is unsubstantiated, however. If true this would have been the largest pike in the world so seems somewhat doubtful. The largest pike in the UK was actually caught from Llandegfedd reservoir near Pontypool and weighed 46 lbs. More recently the skull of a pike of unknown weight, though undoubtedly large (35–40+ lb), was found on the shores of the lake in 2004, this was taken away by The Environment Agency
Environment Agency
The Environment Agency is a British non-departmental public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Government Sponsored Body of the Welsh Assembly Government that serves England and Wales.-Purpose:...
for Age Testing.
The Llangasty Nature Reserve forms an important protected area around the lake's boundary.
The lake is a habitat for the Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly
Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly
The Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly or Small Bluetail, Ischnura pumilio, is a member of the damselfly family Coenagrionidae.The typical male has a black abdomen with a bright blue spot on tail . It is very similar to the Blue-tailed Damselfly, Ischnura elegans but on that species the blue spot is...
(Ishnura pumilio).
In May 2011 hundreds of water voles were released near Llangorse Lake in an ongoing programme to try to restore population numbers.
Crannóg
The crannógCrannog
A crannog is typically a partially or entirely artificial island, usually built in lakes, rivers and estuarine waters of Scotland and Ireland. Crannogs were used as dwellings over five millennia from the European Neolithic Period, to as late as the 17th/early 18th century although in Scotland,...
is a small artificial island about 40 metres from the north shore. It is constructed of massive planks of oak behind which was built a dwelling platform formed from layers of stone, soil and brushwood. It was investigated by archaeologists from the National Museum of Wales
National Museum Wales
Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales, formerly the National Museums and Galleries of Wales, comprises eight museums in Wales:* National Museum Cardiff* St Fagans: National History Museum, Cardiff* Big Pit National Coal Museum, Blaenavon...
between 1989 and 1993. Finds included a high quality textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
and a bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
hinge from an 8th–9th century reliquary
Reliquary
A reliquary is a container for relics. These may be the physical remains of saints, such as bones, pieces of clothing, or some object associated with saints or other religious figures...
decorated in a style similar to that seen in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. The 1993 dig was joined by the TV series Time Team
Time Team
Time Team is a British television series which has been aired on Channel 4 since 1994. Created by television producer Tim Taylor and presented by actor Tony Robinson, each episode features a team of specialists carrying out an archaeological dig over a period of three days, with Robinson explaining...
and featured in series one, episode four in 1994. In 2005, works were carried out to protect the island from erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
.
Dugout boat
In 1925, archaeologists discovered a virtually complete dugout boatDugout (boat)
A dugout or dugout canoe is a boat made from a hollowed tree trunk. Other names for this type of boat are logboat and monoxylon. Monoxylon is Greek -- mono- + ξύλον xylon -- and is mostly used in classic Greek texts. In Germany they are called einbaum )...
. Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to estimate the age of carbon-bearing materials up to about 58,000 to 62,000 years. Raw, i.e. uncalibrated, radiocarbon ages are usually reported in radiocarbon years "Before Present" ,...
indicates that it originated from the 9th century.
Llangorse Lake in literature
As Lake Leucara, the lake (and surrounding area) features in the works of Raymond WilliamsRaymond Williams
Raymond Henry Williams was a Welsh academic, novelist and critic. He was an influential figure within the New Left and in wider culture. His writings on politics, culture, the mass media and literature are a significant contribution to the Marxist critique of culture and the arts...
, who wrote People of the Black Mountains
People of the Black Mountains
People of the Black Mountains is an historical novel by Raymond Williams.This book is a work in two volumes, published in 1989 and 1990. It features a great diversity of people in a single place across the ages. Most of them are ordinary people living unprivileged lives. It is told thorough a...
detailing the lives of ordinary people in the area at intervals from 30,000 years ago through to Mediaeval times.
Gorsey, the Afanc of Llangorse Lake
The earliest known surviving literary reference to the afancAddanc
The Afanc is a lake monster from Welsh mythology. Its exact description varies; it is described alternately as resembling a crocodile, beaver or dwarf-like creature, and is sometimes said to be a demon...
or lake monster of Llangorse is in a poem by the 15th-century Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
or bard
Bard
In medieval Gaelic and British culture a bard was a professional poet, employed by a patron, such as a monarch or nobleman, to commemorate the patron's ancestors and to praise the patron's own activities.Originally a specific class of poet, contrasting with another class known as fili in Ireland...
, Lewys Glyn Cothi
Lewys Glyn Cothi
Lewys Glyn Cothi , also known as Llywelyn y Glyn, was a prominent Welsh poet who composed numerous poems in the Welsh language. He is one of the most important representatives of the Beirdd yr Uchelwyr or Cywyddwyr , the itinerant professional poets of the period between the 1284 Statute of...
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The Afanc would have been well known in local folklore at the time of the composition of the poem and is still sighted to this day .
Oll Lewis, an Ecologist and Cryptozoologist in the Centre for Fortean Zoology
Centre for Fortean Zoology
Centre for Fortean Zoology is an organisation dedicated to cryptozoology, and allied disciplines. It is a non-profit organisation registered with the British Government, and its Hon. Life President is the British explorer John Blashford-Snell....
has been studying the Afanc of Llangorse Lake for several years has proposed the hypothesis that the Afanc may be sightings of the abnormally large Pike of the lake.