by Tom Jones
Yng ngesail y moelydd unig,
Cwm tecaf y Cymoedd yw,
Cynhefin y Carlwm a'r Cadno,
A Hendref yr hebog a'i nyw,
Ni feddaf led troed ohono,
Na chymaint na dafad nachi;
Ond byddaf yn teimlo fin nos wrth fy nhan
Mai arglwydd y cwm ydwyf fi.
Hoff gennyf fy mwthyn uncom
A wel'n y ceunant draw, A'r gwyngalch y llus ar bob llaw;
Os isel yw'r drws i fynd iddo.
Mae beunydd a byth led y pen,
A thincial eu clychau ar bwyr y ty
Bob tymor, mae dwyffrad wen.
Os af i ar ambell ddygrwyl
Am dro i gyffiniau'r dref,
Ymwrando y byddaf fi yno
Am grawe, a chwibanadl, a bref,-
Hiraeth fel mor uwch fy mhen,
A chlywed i migwm dau wadu fynhroed,
A throi 'mysg fy mhlant a hwen.
Mi garaf hen gwm fy maboed
Tra medraf i garu dim;
Mae ef a'i lechweddau'm myned,
O hyd yn fwy annwyl im
A byddaf yn gofyn bob gwawrddydd,
A'm troed ar y talgrib lle tyr,
Pam, Arglwydd, y gwnaethost Cwm pennant mor dlws,
A bywyd hen fygail mor fyr?
Eifion Wyn
The Association waters start just out of the valley in a place called Y Ddol, situated under the old tower which can be seen on a hillock over the trees. This area is reached from the road by the bridge where there is a stile and a sign denoting where the Association fisheries start. The names of the three pools are: Llyn Newydd, Llyn Bedd and Llyn Uffern Bach. Of the three, Llyn Newydd is very deep and slow moving and holds the most fish late in the season.
The Old Road Bridge - Dolbenmaen
There is ample parking on the old road bridge at Dolbenmaen. If you look upstream from the bridge towards the Pennant Valley, you will see one of the most spectacular panoramic views in the world; on the right is Moel Hebog and Cwmystradlyn and on the left Graig y Garn, Graig Goch and Graig Las. Access to the river is by two ladders on either side of the old bridge. On the right bank looking upstream you can fish as far as the small river Henwy which joins the River Dwyfor. This pool is known as Rhwng Ddwy Afon Dolwgan and is a very good holding pool but very difficult to fish and also difficult to get fish out of. Descending from this point, there are fine runs and small pools which when fished on a flood can produce good fish. The main pool, Llyn Caseg, is on the bend of the river above the road bridge and is the best holding pool on this section late in the season. The left hand bank does not go as far as the Rhwng Ddwy Afon pool and you will come to a boundary wall and fence. Here again, this stretch is worth fishing on a flood.
Below the new road bridge, the Association controls a good part of both banks downstream to Rhydybenllig road bridge, on the Criccieth to Caernarfon road. All along this area there are many very good pools and runs. Signs have been erected to denote the start and finish of waters under the control of the Association. You will see that we do not own a small section on the left bank above the bridge, the right hand bank below the bridge and the Cefn Isa Fishery.
Starting at Dolbenmaen, the first pool is Llyn Ty'r Ysgol which is deep and holds very big fish from late July onwards; this pool is easier to fish from the left bank. In the past it has produced some good salmon but you must be prepared to hang on to your fish in this pool as downstream there are trees on both banks. Approximately a hundred yards further downstream there is another small deep pool which has come to hold fish late on in the season. From here onwards is a very good fly fishing area with small pools and nice runs. It can be productive if you fish it properly. Further downstream still, the new water works has greatly affected the flow of our river during the summer months. You must not fish within seven yards above or fifteen yards below the weir.
Allt Dywarchen Goch is a good holding pool just below the sewerage works. Access to this area is from the Ty Cerrig-Cefn Uchaf road which branches off the main Porthmadog-Caernarfon road. There is a stile near the iron footbridge over the river. There is also another good section known as Llyn Coch which veers away from the road. Every year there are a number of fish caught on fly in the early evening along this section. The next bridge is Ystumtegid (one road bridge and a footbridge) and fishing starts from here downstream to Llyn Gwragedd, known as Widow's Pool. The pool below the bridge is Llyn Ystumtegid; it is deep and worth a try on a flood with a spinner.
Downstream on the left bank there many runs worth casting a fly over or even trotting a worm when the river is in spate. The following pool, Llyn Ty Cerrig, is situated by the island and covered with trees and again it is worth a try with a worm or a spinner. Below the island there is open ground to Llyn Dol and Ty Cerrig which is on the boundary of Ty Cerrig and Cefn Uchaf. The first pool is Llyn Dywarchen (Llyn Eel) with a small fall to Llyn Uffern Bach. Both pools do well. This is a rough area with a few small pools which are worth a try when the river is in spate. As the flood abates it is worth trying a fly if you can avoid being caught up in the trees! The next pool, Allt Goch, is a very good holding pool. Here the river turns to the right and drops down to Llyn Gwragedd (Widow's Pool).
This pool holds many fish even early in the season. You may not realise the fish are there until, at dusk, when you least expect it, they jump and scare the living daylights out of you! In order to continue downstream at this point you have to leave the river bank to return to it a few hundred yards further along. It is rather wet here with only a few small pools but it is worth trying along these banks during a spate as far as the footbridge and the Cefn Isaf boundary wall, after which the fishing is private.
The fishing rights on the left bank are owned by the Association and there is good fishing in this area. The left bank of Llyn Gwragedd is the better side to fish as it has few or no trees to hinder one. The best way to walk to the pool is from the Tyddyn Cethin caravan site but you must ask the owner for permission to park your car on this land. Below Llyn Gwragedd are the following pools: Pwll Eirin, Llyn Ffactri, Llyn Terfyn, Tyddyn Felin Uchaf, Llyn Sarnau, Pwll Trowts, Ynys Dyfnallt, Carreg Llew (The Lion's Rock), Llyn Tyddyn Felin Isaf, Llyn Tyddyn Cethin, Llyn Bach and Llyn Bach Rhys.
Downstream from this point the fishing is private until one reaches Rhydybenllig road bridge. On the right hand side access to the Association waters is down a path between Yr Felin and the row of small cottages on the Rhoslan side of the bridge. This is very rugged country but if you can manage to walk here there are some very good pools. It is about a two mile walk then to the next road bridge in Llanystumdwy. The names of the more important pools in this area are: Mushroom Rock, Llyn Gro Man, Under Hill, Pwll Graag, Llyn Dyfyn, Llyn Carreg Neidr, Llyn Meirch, Allt Derwydden, Llyn Glas, Pwll Berw - where, it is said, a ghost appears occasionally, though I myself have never seen it - Nodlyn, Felin Llan, Penmaenmawr, Llyn Deio and the four new pools below. This area is fishable with fly, worm or spinner. Fly fishing is best done at night by walking upstream from Lloyd George's grave, along the public footpath.
From Llanystumdwy village road bridge the fishery on the right bank belongs to Tynddol and is private. However, from the boundary of Tynddol and Tyddyn Sianel and from the By Pass road bridge, both the right and left hand fisheries downstream to the Junction Pool (where the Dwyfor and Dwyfach meet) are owned by the Association. The fishery on the right bank from the Junction Pool upstream to Bontfechan Bridge is similarly owned. From the By Pass road bridge the names of the major pools are as follows: Llyn Tynddol, Llyn Cam, Llyn Dan Befran, Cae Criw Bach, Cae Criw Mawr, Trap, Llyn Dan Trap, Llyn Mwd, Baffles, Llyn Hir, Llyn Wires, Llyn Shade, Llyn John Henry, Pwll Gorlan and Henbont. The next pool downstream is the Junction Pool and then we reach the tidal area where the Association has the right of access on the left bank.
Confluence of the River's Dwyfach and Dwyfor
Addendum All our pools have Welsh names - please try and use them - ask any local if you need help with the pronunciation - most are very easy to say - Welsh is a phonetic language - and if you can't say Llyn Meirch, give the translation instead "The Stallion's Pool" not the Swing Pool. Remember the Welsh names either describe the pool e.g. Llyn Cam - the pool with a bend in it , maybe historical e.g. Llyn Befran - the Beavers pool perhaps it was a beavers pool in Mediaeval times! or commemorates someone e.g. Llyn John Henry.