River Ogmore
Encyclopedia
The River Ogmore is a river
in South Wales
popular with anglers. It runs generally from north to south from the Ogmore Vale and Pentre, past Bridgend
and Ogmore
. The river Ogmore is generally considered to start near the cemetery
mountain, north of Treorchy
, although it is known as the Ogwr Fach, with the Ogwr Fawr, coming from Gilfach
to the east merging near Blackmill
. The River Llynfi, the River Garw and finally the River Ewenny in its estuary
are all tributaries of the Ogmore which flows into the sea between Ogmore-by-Sea
and the Merthyr Mawr
sand-dunes.
coal
measures overlain by glacial drift and fluvial
gravel
s. The valleys are reasonably broad for a small river and many of the tributaries meandered through their valleys in the past. The considerable urbanisation, especially in the 19th century confined most rivers to rather narrow artificial channels bordered in places such as Bridgend
with concrete flood protection walls.
(Afon Llynfi in Welsh
), runs for around 10 miles from its source north of Maesteg
and flows generally southwards through the Llynfi Valley to the confluence
with the River Ogmore at Aberkenfig
.
to its confluence with the Ogmore (Ogwr) at Brynmenyn
.
rises to the north-east of Bridgend
town and flows through Pencoed
and Coychurch
before entering the River Ogmore estuary
just below Ogmore Castle
.
From the 1980 onwards, Salmon
and sea-tout
started returning to the main river and the River Garw in ever-increasing numbers but continued to avoid the chronically polluted Llynfi. However, even on the Llynfi, native brown trout numbers increased upstream of Tondu and these were occasionally supplemented by stocked Rainbow trout
. In all parts of the river, trout can now be found with Salmon and sea-trout almost everywhere. In addition eels remain common with Millers Thumb
, Gudgeon
, Stone loach
and Minnow
present ubiquitously.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
popular with anglers. It runs generally from north to south from the Ogmore Vale and Pentre, past Bridgend
Bridgend
Bridgend is a town in the Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of the capital, Cardiff. The river crossed by the original bridge, which gave the town its name, is the River Ogmore but the River Ewenny also passes to the south of the town...
and Ogmore
Ogmore
Ogmore may refer to several places in south and southwest Wales:*Ogmore-by-Sea, a village in southwest Wales*River Ogmore, a river in south Wales*Ogmore Castle, a castle in south Wales*Ogmore , south Wales...
. The river Ogmore is generally considered to start near the cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
mountain, north of Treorchy
Treorchy
Treorchy is a village, although it used to be and still has characteristics of a town, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, lying in the Rhondda Fawr valley...
, although it is known as the Ogwr Fach, with the Ogwr Fawr, coming from Gilfach
Gilfach Goch
Gilfach Goch is a small former coal mining village in Rhondda Cynon Taff, south Wales, near the larger community of Tonyrefail in the Ogmore Valley....
to the east merging near Blackmill
Blackmill
Blackmill is a small village within Bridgend County Borough Council, in south Wales. It is located at the confluence of the Ogwr Fach and Ogmore rivers, around 8 km north-east of Bridgend town and 5 km west of Gilfach Goch....
. The River Llynfi, the River Garw and finally the River Ewenny in its estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
are all tributaries of the Ogmore which flows into the sea between Ogmore-by-Sea
Ogmore-by-Sea
Ogmore-by-Sea is a seaside village in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It lies on the western limit of the Glamorgan Heritage Coastline of south Wales....
and the Merthyr Mawr
Merthyr Mawr
Merthyr Mawr is a village about 2½ miles from the centre of Bridgend in the county borough of Bridgend, Wales.- Buildings and landmarks of note :...
sand-dunes.
Geology and Geography
Most of the headwaters flow over carboniferousCarboniferous
The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Permian Period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Mya . The name is derived from the Latin word for coal, carbo. Carboniferous means "coal-bearing"...
coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
measures overlain by glacial drift and fluvial
Fluvial
Fluvial is used in geography and Earth science to refer to the processes associated with rivers and streams and the deposits and landforms created by them...
gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
s. The valleys are reasonably broad for a small river and many of the tributaries meandered through their valleys in the past. The considerable urbanisation, especially in the 19th century confined most rivers to rather narrow artificial channels bordered in places such as Bridgend
Bridgend
Bridgend is a town in the Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of the capital, Cardiff. The river crossed by the original bridge, which gave the town its name, is the River Ogmore but the River Ewenny also passes to the south of the town...
with concrete flood protection walls.
River Llynfi
The River LlynfiRiver Llynfi
The River Llynfi, otherwise referred to as the Llynfi River or Afon Llynfi in Welsh , is one of three main tributaries of the River Ogmore or Afon Ogwr....
(Afon Llynfi in Welsh
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...
), runs for around 10 miles from its source north of Maesteg
Maesteg
Maesteg is a town and community in Bridgend County Borough, Wales. Maesteg lies at the northernmost end of the Llynfi Valley, close to the border with Neath Port Talbot. In 2001, Maesteg had a population of 17,859, but it is now at an estimate of 20,000....
and flows generally southwards through the Llynfi Valley to the confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
with the River Ogmore at Aberkenfig
Aberkenfig
Aberkenfig Aberkenfig Aberkenfig (Welsh Abercynffig, meaning mouth of the Kenfig (stream) is a village of around 2,000 people located in the County Borough of Bridgend, Wales to the north of Bridgend town.-Location:...
.
Afon Garw
The Garw flows broadly north-south and runs through PontycymerPontycymer
Pontycymer is a former mining village in Britain. It is situated in the Garw Valley, in Bridgend County Borough in south Wales. The name, sometimes spelled "Pontycymmer", is Welsh: pont signifies "bridge", while cymer signifies "confluence" of watercourses.Original signs for the village use the...
to its confluence with the Ogmore (Ogwr) at Brynmenyn
Brynmenyn
Brynmenyn is a small village located at the confluence of the Garw and Ogmore rivers in south Wales, around 4 miles north of Bridgend, and it also in the Bridgend County Borough council area. The village has its own primary school.-Transport:...
.
River Ewenny
The Ewenny RiverEwenny River
The Ewenny River is a small river in south Wales with a length of ten miles or sixteen kilometres. For most of its length it forms the border between the counties of the Vale of Glamorgan and Bridgend. It is a major tributary of the River Ogmore, which it joins over a mile upstream from the sea at...
rises to the north-east of Bridgend
Bridgend
Bridgend is a town in the Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of the capital, Cardiff. The river crossed by the original bridge, which gave the town its name, is the River Ogmore but the River Ewenny also passes to the south of the town...
town and flows through Pencoed
Pencoed
Pencoed , is a town in the county borough of Bridgend, Wales, United Kingdom, mid-way between Wales's two largest cities of Cardiff and Swansea.Lying on the Ewenny River it has a population of around 11,000...
and Coychurch
Coychurch
Coychurch is a small village that sits between Pencoed and Bridgend in Wales, bordering with Bridgend Industrial Estate.It has a longstanding religious association, with an early Christian church having been built there possibly as long ago as the 8th century CE. The current church of St...
before entering the River Ogmore estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
just below Ogmore Castle
Ogmore Castle
Ogmore Castle is located near the village of Ogmore-by-Sea, south of the town of Bridgend in Glamorgan, South Wales. It is situated on the south bank of the River Ewenny and the east bank of the River Ogmore. Cowbridge is nearby. Its construction might have begun in 1106...
.
Environment
The industrialisation of the valley of the Ogmore by mining and heavy industry severely damaged much of the natural environment of the river. However, there has been an improvement in recent years and it supports a healthy population of aquatic inveterbrates. The river does still have some problems though, including its proximity to major industrial plants, insensitive developement and invasive weeds.Estuary
Until some years ago, the adjacent sewage works discharged effluents into the estuary, but the water outlets have since been treated with ultraviolet light and do not flow frequently into the river. However, in periods of heavy rain, emergency outfalls pour into the river, releasing some sewage.Fishery
In its industrial heyday, the Ogmore was devoid of salmonid fish throughout much of its length although brown trout survived in many of the smaller tributaries.From the 1980 onwards, Salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
and sea-tout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
started returning to the main river and the River Garw in ever-increasing numbers but continued to avoid the chronically polluted Llynfi. However, even on the Llynfi, native brown trout numbers increased upstream of Tondu and these were occasionally supplemented by stocked Rainbow trout
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
. In all parts of the river, trout can now be found with Salmon and sea-trout almost everywhere. In addition eels remain common with Millers Thumb
European bullhead
The bullhead is a freshwater fish that is widely distributed in Europe, mainly in rivers. It is a member of the Cottidae family, a type of sculpin...
, Gudgeon
Gudgeon
A gudgeon is a circular fitting, often made of metal, which is affixed to a surface. It allows for the pivoting of another fixture. It is generally used with a pintle, which is a pin which pivots in the hole in the gudgeon. As such, a gudgeon is a simple bearing.-Winged gudgeons:A winged gudgeon...
, Stone loach
Stone Loach
The Stone loach, Barbatula barbatula, is a species of ray-finned fish in the Balitoridae family.It is found in Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein,...
and Minnow
Minnow
Minnow is a general term used to refer to small freshwater and saltwater fish, especially those used as bait fish or for fishing bait. More specifically, it refers to small freshwater fish of the carp family.-True minnows:...
present ubiquitously.