1.
LifeTalk Radio
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LifeTalk Radio is a network of over 100 radio stations featuring Christian music, Christian talk and teaching, and other religious programming. Its headquarters are in Riverside, California, LifeTalk Radio is the only radio network owned by the North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and is a ministry of the Adventist Media Center. In 1991, LifeTalk Radio was founded by Paul Moore, in Yakima, in 2000, the networks headquarters moved to Vonore, Tennessee. In October 2001, Moore was given the Society of Adventist Communicators Award of Pioneering Innovation for creating the network, in 2002, Moore retired as president of LifeTalk Radio, and was replaced by Phil Follett. On July 15,2004, Steven Gallimore became president of LifeTalk Radio, in 2011, LifeTalk Radio moved its headquarters to Simi Valley, California. By 2015, the headquarters had been moved to Riverside. LifeTalk Radios first radio station, KSOH in Yakima, Washington, the station was launched with an interactive talk radio format, airing Christian talk programming. In 1996, LifeTalk Radio purchased and launched several additional stations, in 2000, the network was heard on 15 stations,8 of which were owned by the network. By 2004, LifeTalk Radio was airing on 35 stations, by 2005 it was airing on 65 stations, by 2015, the network was airing on over 100 stations. LifeTalk Radio is heard on over 100 full-time and part-time affiliates in the United States, LifeTalk Radio also streams through Roku
2.
Caerleon
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The city of Chester was also historically called Caerleon. For the champion racehorse, see Caerleon II Caerleon is a town and community, situated on the River Usk in the northern outskirts of the city of Newport. Caerleon is a site of importance, being the location of a notable Roman legionary fortress, Isca Augusta. The Wales National Roman Legion Museum and Roman Baths Museum are in Caerleon close to the remains of Isca Augusta, Caerleon is a site of considerable archaeological importance as the location of a Roman legionary fortress or castra. It was the headquarters for Legio II Augusta from about 75 to 300 AD, the Romans called the site Isca after the River Usk. The name Caerleon may derive from the Welsh for fortress of the legion, substantial excavated Roman remains can be seen, including the military amphitheatre, thermae and barracks occupied by the Roman Legion. In August 2011 the remains of a Roman harbour were discovered in Caerleon, according to Gildas, followed by Bede, Roman Caerleon was the site of two early Christian martyrdoms, those of Julius and Aaron. Recent finds suggest Roman occupation of some kind as late as AD380, Roman remains have also been discovered at The Mynde, itself a distinctive historical site. During the Middle Ages, after the Romans had left Britain, the parish church, St Cadocs was founded on the site of the legionary headquarters building probably sometime in the 6th century. A Norman-style motte and bailey castle was built outside the eastern corner of the old Roman fort, probably by the Welsh Lord of Caerleon and it was held in 1086 by Turstin FitzRolf, standard bearer to William the Conqueror at Hastings. From the apparent banishment of Turstin by William II, it was held from 1088 by Wynebald de Ballon, battles raged between the Welsh and Normans and in 1171 Iorwerth ab Owain and his two sons destroyed the town of Caerleon and burned the Castle. Caerleon was an important market and port and presumably became a borough by 1171, both castle and borough were seized by William Marshal in 1217 and Caerleon castle was rebuilt in stone. The remains of many of the old Roman buildings stood to some height until this time and were demolished for their building materials. During the Welsh Revolt in 1402 Rhys Gethin, General for Owain Glyndŵr, took Caerleon Castle together with those of Newport, Cardiff, Llandaff, Abergavenny, Caerphilly, the Tower is a Grade II* listed building. Across the Afon Lwyd from Caerleon, in the region of Penrhos Farm, are two English Civil War forts, in 1648 Oliver Cromwells troops camped overnight on Christchurch Hill, overlooking Newport, before their attack on Newport Castle the next day. The old wooden Caerleon Bridge was destroyed in a storm in 1779, until the Victorian development of the downstream docks at Newport Docks, Caerleon acted as the major port on the River Usk. The wharf was located on the bank, to the west of todays river bridge which marked the limit of navigability for masted ships. A tinplate works and mills were established on the outskirts of the town, in Ponthir, around this time, a plaque on the Mynde wall in High Street references the Newport Rising of 1839 in which John Frost of Newport was a prominent figure in the Chartist movement
3.
Newport, Wales
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Newport is a cathedral and university city and unitary authority area in south east Wales. It is located on the River Usk close to its confluence with the Severn Estuary, at the 2011 census it is the third largest city in Wales, with a city population of 145,700 and an urban population of 306,844. The city forms part of the Cardiff-Newport metropolitan area with a population of 1,097,000, Newport has been a port since medieval times, when the first Newport Castle was built by the Normans. The town outgrew the earlier Roman town of Caerleon, immediately upstream and it grew significantly in the 19th century, when its port became the focus of coal exports from the eastern valleys of South Wales. Until the rise of Cardiff from the 1850s, Newport was Wales largest coal-exporting port and it was the site of the last large-scale armed insurrection in Britain, the Newport Rising of 1839 led by the Chartists. During the 20th century, when the docks declined in importance and it was granted city status in 2002. Newport hosted the Ryder Cup in 2010, the city was the venue for the 2014 NATO summit. It is the largest urban area within the county boundaries of Monmouthshire. The City of Newport, which includes surrounding rural areas as well as the built up area, is governed by Newport City Council. Bronze Age fishermen settled around the estuary of the River Usk. In AD75, on the edge of their empire. According to legend, in the late 5th century Saint Woolos church was founded by Saint Gwynllyw, the church was certainly in existence by the 9th century and today has become Newport Cathedral, the seat of the Bishop of Monmouth. The Normans arrived from around 1088–1093 to build the first Newport Castle and river crossing downstream from Caerleon, the settlement of Newport is first mentioned as novo burgus established by Robert, Earl of Gloucester in 1126. The name was derived from the original Latin name Novus Burgus, the city can sometimes be found labelled as Newport-on-Usk on old maps. The original Welsh language name for the city, Casnewydd-ar-Wysg means New castle-on-Usk, the original Newport Castle was a small motte-and-bailey castle in the park opposite Newport Cathedral. It was buried in rubble excavated from the Hillfield railway tunnels that were dug under Stow Hill in the 1840s and no part of it is currently visible. Around the settlement, the new town grew to become Newport, obtaining its first charter in 1314 and was granted a second one, by Hugh Stafford, in the 14th century friars came to Newport where they built an isolation hospital for infectious diseases. After its closure the hospital lived on in the place name Spitty Fields, austin Friars also remains a street name in the city
4.
Wales
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Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, and it had a population in 2011 of 3,063,456 and has a total area of 20,779 km2. Wales has over 1,680 miles of coastline and is mountainous, with its higher peaks in the north and central areas, including Snowdon. The country lies within the temperate zone and has a changeable. Welsh national identity emerged among the Celtic Britons after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century, Llywelyn ap Gruffudds death in 1282 marked the completion of Edward I of Englands conquest of Wales, though Owain Glyndŵr briefly restored independence to Wales in the early 15th century. The whole of Wales was annexed by England and incorporated within the English legal system under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542, distinctive Welsh politics developed in the 19th century. Welsh Liberalism, exemplified in the early 20th century by Lloyd George, was displaced by the growth of socialism, Welsh national feeling grew over the century, Plaid Cymru was formed in 1925 and the Welsh Language Society in 1962. Established under the Government of Wales Act 1998, the National Assembly for Wales holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters, two-thirds of the population live in south Wales, mainly in and around Cardiff, Swansea and Newport, and in the nearby valleys. Now that the countrys traditional extractive and heavy industries have gone or are in decline, Wales economy depends on the sector, light and service industries. Wales 2010 gross value added was £45.5 billion, over 560,000 Welsh language speakers live in Wales, and the language is spoken by a majority of the population in parts of the north and west. From the late 19th century onwards, Wales acquired its popular image as the land of song, Rugby union is seen as a symbol of Welsh identity and an expression of national consciousness. The Old English-speaking Anglo-Saxons came to use the term Wælisc when referring to the Celtic Britons in particular, the modern names for some Continental European lands and peoples have a similar etymology. The modern Welsh name for themselves is Cymry, and Cymru is the Welsh name for Wales and these words are descended from the Brythonic word combrogi, meaning fellow-countrymen. The use of the word Cymry as a self-designation derives from the location in the post-Roman Era of the Welsh people in modern Wales as well as in northern England and southern Scotland. It emphasised that the Welsh in modern Wales and in the Hen Ogledd were one people, in particular, the term was not applied to the Cornish or the Breton peoples, who are of similar heritage, culture, and language to the Welsh. The word came into use as a self-description probably before the 7th century and it is attested in a praise poem to Cadwallon ap Cadfan c. 633. Thereafter Cymry prevailed as a reference to the Welsh, until c.1560 the word was spelt Kymry or Cymry, regardless of whether it referred to the people or their homeland. The Latinised forms of names, Cambrian, Cambric and Cambria, survive as lesser-used alternative names for Wales, Welsh
5.
Powys
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Powys is a principal area, local-government county and preserved county in Mid Wales. It is named after the successor Kingdom of Powys, which formed after the Romans withdrew from Britain, see the list of places in Powys for all towns and villages in Powys. Most of Powys is mountainous, with north-south transport being difficult, the majority of the Powys population lives in villages and small towns. The largest towns are Newtown, Ystradgynlais, Brecon, and Welshpool with populations of 12,783,9,004,7,901 and 6,269 respectively, Powys has the lowest population density of all the principal areas of Wales. Radnorshire was almost completely Anglicised by the end of the 18th century, the 2001 census records show 21% of the population of Powys were able to speak Welsh at that time, the same as for Wales as a whole. The uplands retain evidence of occupation from long before the Kingdom of Powys, and before the Romans, there are 1130 identified burial mounds within the county, of varying styles and ages, dating from 4000BC to 1000BC, most of them belonging to the Bronze Age. Of these,339 are Scheduled Monuments, standing stones, most again dating to the Bronze Age, also occur in large numbers,276 being found across the county, of which 92 are scheduled. From the Iron Age, the county has 90 scheduled Hill forts, the gold in the county coat of arms symbolises the wealth of the area. Black is for both mining and the Black Mountains, the fountain is a medieval heraldic charge displayed as a roundel barry wavy Argent and Azure. It represents water, and refers to both the water catchment area and the rivers and lakes, thus, the arms contain references to the hills and mountains, rivers and lakes, water supply and industry. The crest continues the colouring of the arms, a tower has been used in preference to a mural crown, which alludes to the countys military history and remains. From the tower rises a red kite, a bird almost extinct elsewhere in Britain, the bird is semy of black lozenges for the former coal mining industry while the golden fleece it carries is a reference to the importance of sheep rearing in Powys. The county motto is, Powys – the paradise of Wales, on 1 April 1996, the districts were abolished, and Powys was reconstituted as a unitary authority, with a minor border adjustment in the north-east. The first Lord Lieutenant of Powys was previously the Lord Lieutenant of Montgomeryshire, the Lord Lieutenant of Brecknockshire and Lord Lieutenant of Radnorshire were appointed as Lieutenants. The present Lord Lieutenant is The Hon. Mrs Elizabeth Shân Legge-Bourke LVO of Crickhowell, in December 2007 Powys was awarded Fairtrade County status by the Fairtrade Foundation. Recent research suggests that Powys is the happiest place in the UK, although the researchers noted that the numbers were not statistically significant
6.
Carmarthenshire
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Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south-west of Wales and is the largest of the thirteen historic counties of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford, Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre of Carmarthenshire, but the most populous settlement is Llanelli. Carmarthenshire has been inhabited since prehistoric times, the town of Carmarthen was founded by the Romans, and the region was part of the Principality of Deheubarth during the High Middle Ages. It saw turbulent times during the invasion by the Normans in the 12th and 13h centuries before it was subjugated, along other parts of Wales. There was further unrest in the early 15th century when the Welsh rebelled under Owain Glyndŵr, Carmarthenshire is mainly an agricultural county, apart from the southeastern part which at one time was heavily industrialised with coal mining, steel-making and tin-plating. In the north of the county the woollen industry was important in the 18th century. Nowadays the economy of the county depends on agriculture, forestry, fishing, with the decline in its industrial base and the low profitability of the livestock sector, Carmarthenshire is economically one of the worst-performing regions in the United Kingdom. Although Carmarthenshire is less frequented as a tourist destination than some other counties in Wales, further west are the sandy beaches at Llansteffan and Pendine, and Dylan Thomas boathouse at Laugharne. Further inland there are a number of castles, hillforts. Humans have been living in Carmarthenshire since at least 40,000 years ago as evidenced by stone tools found in Coygan Cave, near Laugharne. The Romans established two forts in South Wales, one at Caerwent to control the southeast of the country, the fort at Carmarthen dates from around 75 AD, and there is a Roman amphitheatre nearby, so this probably makes Carmarthen the oldest continually occupied town in Wales. Carmarthenshire has its roots in the region formerly known as Ystrad Tywi and part of the Principality of Deheubarth during the High Middle Ages. After the Normans had subjugated England they tried to subdue Wales, Carmarthenshire was disputed between the Normans and the Welsh lords and many of the castles built around this time, first of wood and then stone, changed hands several times. Following the Conquest of Wales by Edward I, the region was reorganized by the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284 into Carmarthenshire. Edward I made Carmarthen the capital of new county, establishing his courts of chancery and his exchequer there. The Normans transformed Carmarthen into a trading port, the only staple port in Wales. Merchants imported food and French wines and exported wool, pelts, leather, lead, Carmarthen was particularly susceptible to plague as it was brought in by flea-infested rats on board ships from southern France. In 1405, Owain Glyndŵr captured Carmarthen Castle and several other strongholds in the neighbourhood, however, when his support dwindled, the principal men of the county returned their allegiance to King Henry V
7.
Monmouthshire
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Monmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the county of Monmouthshire of which it covers the eastern 60%. Other towns and large villages are Caldicot, Chepstow, Monmouth, Magor, the Laws in Wales Act 1542 again enumerated the counties of Wales and omitted Monmouthshire, implying that the county was no longer to be treated as part of Wales. However, for all purposes Wales had become part of the Kingdom of England, for several centuries, acts of the Parliament of England often referred to Wales and Monmouthshire. The use of the name Monmouthshire rather than Monmouth for the area was controversial, being supported by the MP for Monmouth, Roger Evans, by area it covers some 60% of the historic county, but only 20% of the population. A new council building at the site of Coleg Gwent. Planning permission was granted in September 2011, the new county hall in Usk was opened in 2013. co. uk BBC Wales on Monmouthshire Genuki National Gazetteer of 1868
8.
Afon Honddu (Powys)
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The Afon Honddu is a river in the county of Powys, mid Wales. It rises on Mynydd Epynt and flows southwards to join the River Usk at Brecon, the river has no major tributaries but acquires numerous streams during its 11-mile course. The valley of the Honddu is followed by the B4520 road which runs north from Brecon to Builth Wells, the road serves the hamlets of Upper Chapel, Lower Chapel, Pwllgloyw and Llandefaelog each of which, Pwllgloyw apart, sit at bridging points of the Honddu. Brecon Castle, now a hotel, sits at the lowermost crossing of the river at its confluence with the Usk, for the last 1.5 miles of its course, it lies partly or wholly within Brecon Beacons National Park and Fforest Fawr Geopark
9.
Grwyne Fawr
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The Grwyne Fawr is a river in the Brecon Beacons National Park in south Wales. A section of it forms the border between Powys and Monmouthshire and also of the historic counties of Brecon and Monmouth. The river and its tributary the Grwyne Fechan flow into the River Usk at Glangrwyney. The name probably originates from gweryn or gwerynau and mawr/fawr meaning large river at the wet place, some way below the reservoir, Mynydd Du Forest clothes the sides of the valley. Though a public road penetrates the valley as far as the end of the forest. It is only approaching the hamlet of Partrishow that the valley takes on a farmed appearance, the river now heads west along a valley whose alignment is guided by the presence of a geological line of weakness known as the Neath Disturbance. To the west, the Grwyne Fechan takes a course to that of it larger neighbour. It rises on the slopes of Waun Fach and gathers a number of tributary streams from the broad ridge which separates it from the Grwyne Fawr. Though there are numerous conifer plantations, the valley has an open aspect than that of the Grwyne Fawr. The two rivers join near the village of Llanbedr and head south as the Grwyne Fawr through the hamlet of Llangenny to their confluence with the River Usk at Glangrwyney, both the Grwyne Fawr and the Grwyne Fechan drain the Old Red Sandstone hills of the Black Mountains. These are the Brownstones and Senni Formations which date from the Breconian stage of the Devonian period, the sandstones and mudstones of these formations can frequently be seen in the beds of the two rivers and sometimes exposed in the often steep valley sides. The lower reaches of the run through an area blanketed with glacial till. This resulted in a period of conflict between the Welsh and English in south Wales
10.
Afon Lwyd
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The river was severely affected by pollution from industry and mine discharge, and fly tipping, but during the 1980s efforts were made to improve the water quality of river and improve fish stocks. To aid this, the Environment Agency Wales built a fish leap at Pontymoile in 2010 enabling fish to ascend past the weir there, by late 2011 it was claimed that the river was in its cleanest state since medieval times. Historically the river has also known as the Torfaen - meaning Breaker of Stones - which gives some indication of the force of the river during surges. Although this name is no longer in use for the river, the last major flood of the river occurred in the 1930s. Nearly £750,000 has and will be spent improving the river, a major effort of the FOAL project has been to lower a weir that blocked upstream fish migration at Ty Nant Ddu, Pontypool. In 2008, salmon were spotted here, additionally, similar efforts were made at the weir located near Cwmavon. To further improve fish stocks V weirs were constructed to trap gravel, at the rivers source in Blaenavon, Conservation Volunteers and the Forgotten Landscapes Partnership are re-greening the river where it runs through the Blaenavon World Heritage Site. The river has been invaded by the American signal crayfish which is affecting the native protected white-clawed crayfish, not only do the invading species fight for food resources but they also carry crayfish plague, which the native species has no immunity to. Media related to Afon Lwyd at Wikimedia Commons List of rivers of Wales BBC Wales news item on American Crayfish in the Afon Llwyd Canoeing the Afon Lwyd
11.
Ebbw River
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The Ebbw River is a river in South Wales. The main Ebbw River is formed by the confluence of the two minor Ebbw rivers, Ebbw Fach, and Ebbw Fawr. The tributary Sirhowy River joins at Crosskeys, then the river flowing south east, through the town of Risca, then through the western suburbs of Newport. The Ebbw then in turn joins with the River Usk, before flowing into the Severn Estuary, in common with the nearby Sirhowy River and Rhymney River the correct name for the river is Ebbw River, not the more usual River Ebbw. A picture of the Ebbw River www. geograph. co. uk, photos of the Ebbw River and surrounding area & here
12.
Fan Brycheiniog
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Fan Brycheiniog is the highest peak at 2633 feet in the Black Mountain region of the Brecon Beacons National Park in southern Wales. There is a point at the peak and on the edge of the escarpment, and nearby. It is just inside the county of Powys, formerly Brecknockshire and it is also within the Fforest Fawr Geopark designated in 2005 in recognition of the areas geological heritage. The path crosses peat bogs, but there are stone pavements in many places to protect the walker from the wet conditions. There is a staircase of regular downward gradient across the escarpment to the lake below. It is easily followed, and is dry underfoot when the weather is clear, the path leads on to Picws Du and Waun Lefrith above the smaller glacial lake of Llyn y Fan Fach. Fan Foel and these two form the so-called Carmarthen Van, since they fall within Carmarthenshire, which has its border with Powys at Fan Foel. Fan Brycheiniog is formed from the sandstones and mudstones of the Brownstones Formation of the Old Red Sandstone laid down during the Devonian period and its summit and southern slopes are formed from the hard-wearing sandstones of the overlying Plateau Beds Formation which are of upper/late Devonian age. The cwm below the summit drains into the River Usk to the north, the southern slopes drain into the Afon Twrch and the slopes to the east drain into the River Tawe. The local soils are thin and acidic owing to the areas of peat bog on the mountain. Vegetation includes tussock grass, cotton grass, bilberry, heather, the dip slope eventually merges with the Carboniferous limestone which outcrops in the karst landscape to the south. North-west of the summit is a prominent peak called Fan Foel. It occurs on a promontory which juts out from the escarpment to form the northernmost part of the cliffs in the range, there is a clear footpath which drops down from the peak to the moorland below. There are two associated peaks to the west along the ridge, Waun Lefrith and Picws Du, there is a Bronze Age burial cairn at the summit of Fan Foel, and it was excavated in 2002-4 with the results published in 2014 in Archaeologia Cambrensis. The round barrow was about 16 metres wide and was eroded with stones from the structure removed to build a central cairn by passing walkers. Excavation of the barrow showed that it contained two separate burials, the one in a stone cist contained the burnt bones of an adult woman. The ground surface beneath the barrow was carbon dated to about 2300 BC, the cist also contained a broken pottery food vessel decorated in the style of the Beaker people as well as a chert knife. The second burial was later and contained a broken collared urn with a rare belt hook
13.
Bristol Channel
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The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the estuary of the River Severn to the North Atlantic Ocean. It takes its name from the English city of Bristol, and is over 30 miles across at its widest point. Until Tudor times the Bristol Channel was known as the Severn Sea, the International Hydrographic Organisation defines the western limit of the Bristol Channel as a line joining Hartland Point in Devon to St. Govans Head in Pembrokeshire. The upper limit of the Channel is between Sand Point, Somerset and Lavernock Point, East of this line is the Severn Estuary. The Severn Estuary and most of the embayments around the channel are less than 10 m in depth. Within the channel, however, there is an E-W trending valley 20 to 30 m in depth that is considered to have formed by fluvial run-off during Pleistocene phases of lower sea level. The Bristol Channel is an important area for wildlife, in particular waders, at low tide large parts of the channel become mud flats due to the tidal range of 43 feet, second only to the Bay of Fundy in Eastern Canada. Development schemes have been proposed along the channel, including an airport and a barrier for electricity generation. The largest islands in the Bristol Channel are Lundy, Steep Holm, the islands and headlands provide some shelter for the upper reaches of the channel from storms. These islands are uninhabited and protected as nature reserves, and are home to some unique wild flower species. In 1971 a proposal was made by the Lundy Field Society to establish a marine reserve, on the Gower Peninsula, at its western extremity is the Worms Head, a headland of carboniferous limestone which is approachable on foot at low tide only. The beaches of Gower and North Devon, such as Croyde and Woolacombe, win awards for their quality and setting. In 2004, The Times Travel magazine selected Barafundle Bay in Pembrokeshire as one of the twelve best beaches in the world, in 2007, Oxwich Bay made the same magazines Top 12 best beaches in the world list, and was also selected as Britains best beach for 2007. The city of Swansea is the largest settlement on the Welsh coast of the Bristol Channel, other major built-up areas include Barry, Port Talbot and Llanelli. Smaller resort towns include Porthcawl, Mumbles, Saundersfoot and Tenby, the cities of Cardiff and Newport adjoin the Severn estuary, but lie upstream of the Bristol Channel itself. On the English side, the towns of Weston-super-Mare, Burnham-on-Sea, Watchet, Minehead. Barnstaple and Bideford are sited on estuaries opening onto Bideford Bay and it gives its name to the Channel, which forms its seaward approach
14.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
15.
Kemeys Commander
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Kemeys Commander is a village in Monmouthshire, in South East Wales. Kemeys Commander,3 miles north-west of Usk, comprises a few farms, the village has the parish church of All Saints. Its unusual name is derived from the fact that the patronage of the church was at one time held by the Knights Templar and was a commandery or preceptory, in the 17th century their successors, the Knights Hospitaller, drew £2 13s. 4d. per annum from demesne lands in this parish, there may have been a hermitage here in early days. It is, however, doubtful whether the Kemeys family ever held it and they took their name from another Kemeys, Kemeys Inferior. Both of these names are from the Welsh word cemais meaning bend in a river, and this is an apt description of the site of this village, which stands at the centre of a long bend of consistent radius. Coxe also visited the village of Trostrey, recording of the church that its situation is extremely wild and romantic. Remote from any inhabitation, and seems rather the solitary chapel of a hermit, the Church of All Saints is held with Bettws Newydd nearby and has some interesting features. The altar slab, apparently not pre-Reformation, is mounted on plain stone squares. There are also a modern trefoiled aumbry and a piscina in the south wall, the east window is Perpendicular and high, and on the south side of the nave is an exceedingly small window which lighted the former rood loft. The beams of the slightly flattened barrel roof and the wall-plate are of some age, only the steps and base remain of the churchyard cross. In the middle of the 16th Century the provision of a light in the church, the church house in the hamlet retains many features of the Renaissance period. Chain Bridge, to the north of the village, takes the B4598 Usk to Abergavenny road over the River Usk. A bridge was here as early as the 16th century, but was washed away in floods in 1690 and was eventually replaced, in 1730. This bridge in turn was replaced, in 1829, by one built by Brown Lenox of Pontypridd – supported by sturdy chains, hence the name. The current bridge, which was built between 1905 and 1906 by George Palmer of Neath, is an arch with green-painted girders which is still referred to as Chain Bridge. The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology operates a monitoring station at Chain Bridge which measures the rivers flow rate. Monumental Inscriptions for All Saints Church 1891 Census for Kemeys Commander Kellys Directory for 1884 entry List of Incumbents 1535–1987 The Bridge And Inn c1955, Chain Bridge
16.
Abergavenny
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Abergavenny is a market town in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located 15 miles west of Monmouth on the A40, originally the site of a Roman fort, Gobannium, it became a medieval walled town within the Welsh marches. The town contains the remains of a stone castle built soon after the Norman conquest of Wales. The town hosted the 2016 National Eisteddfod of Wales, Abergavenny is promoted as a Gateway to Wales. It provides access to the nearby Black Mountains and the Brecon Beacons National Park, the Offas Dyke Path is close by and the Marches Way, the Beacons Way and Usk Valley Walk all pass through the town. The name derives from a Brythonic word Gobannia meaning river of the blacksmiths, the name is related to the modern Welsh word gof, and so is also associated with the Welsh smith Gofannon from folklore. The river later became, in Welsh, Gafenni, and the name became Abergavenny. It was also built to keep the peace among the local British Iron Age tribe, remains of the walls of this fort were discovered west of the castle when excavating the foundations for a new post office and telephone exchange building in the late 1960s. Abergavenny grew as a town in early Norman times under the protection of the Lords of Abergavenny. The first Baron was Hamelin de Balun, from Ballon, a town and castle in Maine-Anjou called Gateway to Maine, near Le Mans. He founded the Benedictine priory, now the Priory Church of St Mary, the Priory belonged originally to the Benedictine foundation of St. Vincent Abbaye at Le Mans. It was subsequently endowed by William de Braose, with a tithe of the profits of the castle, the church contains some unique alabaster effigies, church monuments and unique medieval wood carving, such as the Tree of Jesse. Owing to its location, the town was frequently embroiled in the border warfare. In 1175, Abergavenny Castle was the site of the Massacre, reference to a market at Abergavenny is found in a charter granted to the Prior by William de Braose. Owain Glyndŵr attacked Abergavenny in 1404 and they were able to open the gate and allow a much larger party who set fire to the town and plundered its churches and homes leaving Abergavenny Castle intact. Market Street has been referred to as Traitors Lane thereafter, in 1404 Abergavenny was declared its own nation by Ieuan ab Owain Glyndŵr, illegitimate son of Owain Glyndŵr. The arrangement lasted two weeks. In 1639, Abergavenny received a charter of incorporation under the title of bailiff, a charter with extended privileges was drafted in 1657, but appears never to have been enrolled or to have come into effect
17.
Blorenge
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Blorenge or sometimes The Blorenge is a prominent hill which overlooks the valley of the River Usk in Monmouthshire, southeast Wales. It is situated in the corner of the Brecon Beacons National Park. The summit plateau reaches a height of 1,841 feet, Blorenge overlooks the market town of Abergavenny and the villages of Llanfoist and Govilon in the Usk Valley to the north. At the foot of the lies the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal. It drops away steeply to the northwest into Cwm Llanwenarth, to the south, gentler slopes fall away to Blaenavon at the head of the Lwyd valley. Prominent peaks seen from the Blorenge include the Skirrid to the east of Abergavenny, Blorenge is composed in layer-cake fashion of a number of different rock types. Its lower slopes are formed from the sandstones and mudstones deposited during the Devonian period and its higher reaches are formed from a suite of mudstones, limestones and sandstones of Carboniferous age. The summit plateau is formed from coarse sandstones that lie at the boundary of the Millstone Grit, All of these beds tilt south-westwards into the South Wales Coalfield basin. The shape of the hill was modified during the ice ages as the Usk Valley glacier flowed past it to its north, a small glacier nourished by windblown snow from the plateau excavated the hollow on the eastern side of Blorenge which is known as The Punchbowl. Cwm Craf on the hills north-eastern slopes has a cirque-like form though probably never harboured a full-grown glacier, Blorenge is situated within both the Brecon Beacons National Park and the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape, a World Heritage Site. Much of the hill has also designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest principally for its heather moorland which is important for breeding red grouse. The Punchbowl is owned and managed by the Woodland Trust as a nature reserve, most of the hill is open access for walkers and there are a number of footpaths and bridleways which run to and over it. There is a trail that runs around Blorenge and is a very popular destination for tourists. Easier access both to the summit and the edge of the plateau can be had from the Foxhunter car park. Most visitors are walkers and sightseers, some come to see the grave of Sir Harry Llewellyns famous showjumping horse, Foxhunter, who won Britains only Gold medal in the 1952 Summer Olympics. Foxhunter is buried near to the Blaenavon to Llanover road on Blorenge, a car park here is named in his honour. The SE Wales Hang Gliding & Paragliding Clubs members regularly take off from the summit, paragliders performing top to bottom flights land in Castle Meadows beside the River Usk at Abergavenny. Every November a category A fell race takes place on the starting and finishing at St Faiths Church at Llanfoist
18.
Welsh language
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Welsh is a member of the Brittonic branch of the Celtic languages. It is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, historically it has also been known in English as the British tongue, Cambrian, Cambric and Cymric. The United Kingdom Census 2011 counted 3.1 million residents of Wales, 27% of whom had been born outside Wales, and 73% of whom reported having no Welsh language skills. Of residents of Wales aged three and over, 19% reported being able to speak Welsh, and 77% of these were able to speak, read and this can be compared with the 2001 Census, in which 20. 8% of the population reported being able to speak Welsh. 787,854 of residents in Wales aged three and over had one or more skills in Welsh, in surveys carried out between 2004 and 2006, 57% of Welsh speakers described themselves as fluent in the written language. An estimated 110,000 to 150,000 people speak Welsh in England, Welsh emerged in the 6th century from Common Brittonic, the common ancestor of Welsh, Breton, Cornish and the extinct language known as Cumbric. The Middle Welsh period is considered to have lasted from then until the 14th century, when the Modern Welsh period began, the name Welsh originated as an exonym given to its speakers by the Anglo-Saxons, meaning foreign speech. The native term for the language is Cymraeg, and for the name of the country of Wales it is Cymru, Welsh evolved from Common Brittonic, the Celtic language spoken by the ancient Celtic Britons. Classified as Insular Celtic, the British language probably arrived in Britain during the Bronze Age or Iron Age and was spoken throughout the island south of the Firth of Forth. During the Early Middle Ages the British language began to fragment due to increased dialect differentiation, evolving into Welsh and it is not clear when Welsh became distinct. Kenneth H. Jackson suggested that the evolution in syllabic structure and sound pattern was complete by around 550, Jackson, however, believed that the two varieties were already distinct by that time. The earliest Welsh poetry – that attributed to the Cynfeirdd or Early Poets – is generally considered to date to the Primitive Welsh period. However, much of this poetry was composed in the Hen Ogledd, raising further questions about the dating of the material. An 8th century inscription in Tywyn shows the language already dropping inflections in the declension of nouns, the next main period, somewhat better attested, is Old Welsh, poetry from both Wales and Scotland has been preserved in this form of the language. Both the works of Aneirin and the Book of Taliesin were in this era, Middle Welsh is the label attached to the Welsh of the 12th to 14th centuries, of which much more remains than for any earlier period. This is the language of all surviving early manuscripts of the Mabinogion. It is also the language of the existing Welsh law manuscripts, Middle Welsh is reasonably intelligible, albeit with some work, to a modern-day Welsh speaker. The famous cleric Gerald of Wales tells, in his Descriptio Cambriae, during one of the Kings many raids in the 12th century, Henry asked an old man of Pencader, Carmarthenshire whether the Welsh people could resist his army
19.
River source
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The source or headwaters of a river or stream is the furthest place in that river or stream from its estuary or confluence with another river, as measured along the course of the river. As an example of the definition above, the USGS at times considers the Missouri River as a tributary of the Mississippi River. But it also follows the first definition above in using the combined Missouri - lower Mississippi length figure in lists of lengths of rivers around the world. This definition, from geographer Andrew Johnston of the Smithsonian Institution, is used by the National Geographic Society when pinpointing the source of rivers such as the Amazon or Nile. A definition given by the state of Montana agrees, stating that a source is never a confluence but is in a location that is the farthest, along water miles. Under this definition neither a lake nor a confluence of tributaries can be a river source. Likewise, the source of the Amazon River has been determined this way, when not listing river lengths, however, alternative definitions may be used. In the case of the Missouri River, Lewis and Clark would have had to travel to the east. to reach the source. Sometimes the source of the most remote tributary may be in an area that is more marsh-like, for example, the source of the River Tees is marshland. The furthest stream is often called the headstream. Headwaters are often small streams with cool waters because of shade and they may also be glacial headwaters, waters formed by the melting of glacial ice. Headwater areas are the areas of a watershed, as opposed to the outflow or discharge of a watershed. The river source is often but not always on or quite near the edge of the watershed, for example, the source of the Colorado River is at the Continental Divide separating the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean watersheds of North America. A river is considered a geographic feature, with only one mouth. For an example, note how the Mississippi River and Missouri River sources are officially defined, U. S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System, Mississippi River, Length,2,340 miles, Source, 47°14′22″N 95°12′29″W U. S. For example, The River Thames rises in Gloucestershire, the White Nile rises in the Great Lakes region of central Africa. The word source, when applied to lakes rather than rivers or streams, refers to the lakes inflow
20.
Black Mountain (range)
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Not to be confused with the Black Mountains. The Black Mountain is a range in South and West Wales. Its highest point is Fan Brycheiniog at 802 metres or 2,631 ft, the Black Mountain also forms a part of the recently created Fforest Fawr Geopark. The term thus includes Picws Du and Waun Lefrith, both of which lie to the west of Fan Foel and Fan Brycheiniog, the range stretches approximately from Ammanford in the south-west to Sennybridge in the north-east. The most resistant of all are the Plateau beds, which form a cap over most of the range. They also form steep cliffs just below the edge of the escarpment, the rocks are of the Devonian, in common with their companion peaks of the Brecon Beacons to the east. There are smaller moraines lying immediately below the cliffs of Waun Lefrith, there are many surviving remains, especially prehistoric and Roman, in the area. They include the castras at Mynydd Bach Trecastell and a Roman road crossing Fforest Fawr as Sarn Helen, there are numerous menhirs, round barrows and several small stone circles. An especially famous circle occurs on the banks of the River Tawe below Fan Hir, there is a standing stone outside the circle nearby, known as Maen Mawr, with two smaller stones forming a small avenue. There is also evidence of settlements, hut circles and agriculture. Recent excavation of a cairn or round barrow on Fan Foel showed it to be of early Bronze Age in date, most current moorland elsewhere in Britain was in a similar condition, and extensive Bronze Age remains have been found there too. Examples include Dartmoor, Exmoor, Bodmin Moor, much of the upland Pennines and upland Welsh moorland in the centre, all such moorlands are tree-less in their upper parts, in their current sub-arctic state. The massif is drained by a number of rivers flow down the southern dip-slopes of the massif from its main ridge. In contrast the northerly directed streams tend to be shorter and steeper, the upper parts of the range are largely moorland and covered with peat bog, some of which is degrading judging by the partly destroyed sections of peat bank near Llyn y Fan Fawr. The rivers Usk and Tawe have their sources on the northern and eastern flanks of the range whilst the smaller Loughor arises at the end of the range. Significant right bank tributaries of the Tawe such as the River Giedd and the Afon Twrch, as well as the River Amman, two left-bank tributaries of the River Towy, the River Cennen and the Afon Sawdde, drain the northwestern slopes of the Black Mountain. The range is noted for its two large lakes which sit directly below the main escarpment, being much larger than the small lake of similar origin which occurs below Pen y Fan. Llyn y Fan Fach is the smaller and more westerly of two lakes within the Black Mountain
21.
Brecon Beacons National Park
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The Brecon Beacons National Park is one of three national parks in Wales, and is centred on the Brecon Beacons range of hills in southern Wales. It includes the Black Mountain in the west, Fforest Fawr and the Brecon Beacons in the centre, the Brecon Beacons National Park was established in 1957, the third of the three Welsh parks after Snowdonia in 1951 and the Pembrokeshire Coast in 1952. The western half gained European and Global status in 2005 as Fforest Fawr Geopark and this includes the Black Mountain, the historic extent of Fforest Fawr, and much of the Brecon Beacons and surrounding lowlands. The entire National Park achieved the status of being an International Dark Sky Reserve in February 2013, most of the National Park is bare, grassy moorland grazed by Welsh mountain ponies and Welsh mountain sheep, with scattered forestry plantations, and pasture in the valleys. It is known for its reservoirs, waterfalls including the 90-foot Henrhyd Waterfall and the falls at Ystradfellte. The Brecon Beacons Mountain Centre was opened in 1966 to help visitors understand, due to the relative remoteness and harsh weather of some of its uplands, the Park is used for military training. UK Special Forces, including the SAS and SBS hold demanding selection training exercises here, the infantry regiments of the British Army train at Sennybridge, where NCO selection also takes place. In 2006 and 2007, controversy surrounded the government decision to build the South Wales Gas Pipeline through the Park, the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority is a special purpose local authority which exercises planning functions across the designated area of the park. The park extends across the part of Powys, the northwestern part of Monmouthshire. The 100-mile route, called the Beacons Way, runs from Abergavenny via Ysgyryd Fawr in the east, a railway with narrow gauge trains run by the Brecon Mountain Railway
22.
Usk Reservoir
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The Usk Reservoir is located in the upper Usk Valley, at 1,050 feet above sea level, and is located in the counties of Carmarthenshire and Powys, in southern Wales. The boundary between the counties runs through the reservoir, the reservoir is situated in part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. It lies about six miles to the north of the centre of the escarpment at Fan Foel, completed in 1955 by Swansea City Council, the dam is approximately 100 ft in height and 1600 ft in width. It was the first example in the UK of a dam with horizontal drainage blankets. The reservoir covers some 280 acres of land and it can be located just off the minor road between Trecastle and Llanddeusant,7 miles west of Sennybridge. The reservoir is now owned by Welsh Water and the woods by Natural Resources Wales. Most of the area is open to walkers and cyclists via forest tracks, there are several small car parks for visitors. The reservoir is stocked with water fish such as trout. Usk reservoir in the Brecon Beacons national park www. geograph. co. uk, photos of the Usk reservoir and surrounding area
23.
Sennybridge
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Sennybridge is a village in Powys, mid Wales, situated some 42 miles from Cardiff and 31 miles from Swansea. It lies 9 miles west of Brecon on the A40 trunk road to Llandovery and it is in the community of Maescar. One of the factors which influenced the growth of Sennybridge was the establishment of the Neath, the partially completed earthworks can still be seen in the countryside north of Sennybridge. An extensive area of land to the north of Sennybridge is used by the Ministry of Defence for military training purposes, Sennybridge Camp and Army Field Training Centre, known as SENTA, is one of the major bases for Infantry Warfare Training by the British Army in the UK. Sennybridges primary school, which houses a Welsh Language Unit, utilises the old Secondary Modern buildings in the village, although the school is in Sennybridge, it continued to be named Defynnog Primary School until the 1980s when its name was changed to Sennybridge Primary School. Tom Rees, born in 1895, at Cefnbrynich, near the town, was the first official victim of the Red Baron—German flying ace Manfred von Richthofen, Sennybridge is the home village of X Factor 4 runner up Rhydian Roberts. BBC Mid Wales webguide to Sennybridge Photos of Sennybridge and surrounding area on geograph. org. uk
24.
Brecon
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Brecon, archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town and community in Powys, Mid Wales, with a population in 2001 of 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the county town of Brecknockshire, although its role as such was eclipsed with the formation of the County of Powys, Brecon is the third-largest town in Powys, after Newtown and Ystradgynlais. It lies north of the Brecon Beacons mountain range, but is just within the Brecon Beacons National Park, the Welsh name, Aberhonddu, means mouth of the Honddu. It is derived from the River Honddu, which meets the River Usk near the town centre, before the building of the bridge over the Usk, Brecon was one of the few places where the river could be forded. In Roman Britain Y Gaer, Brecon was established as a Roman cavalry base for the conquest of Roman Wales and Brecon was first established as a military base. The confluence of the Honddu and the River Usk made for a defensive position for the Norman castle which overlooks the town. Gerald of Wales came and made speeches in 1188 to recruit men to go to the Crusades. Brecons town walls were constructed by Humphrey de Bohun after 1240, the walls were built of cobble, with four gatehouses and was protected by ten semi-circular bastions. Brecons walls were destroyed during the English Civil War. Today only fragments survive, including some earthworks and parts of one of the gatehouses, about 250 m north of the castle stands Brecon Cathedral, a fairly modest building compared to many cathedrals. Saint Marys church began as a chapel of ease to the priory, the West Tower, some 27 m high, was built in 1510 by Edward, Duke of Buckingham at a cost of £2,000. The tower has eight bells which have been rung since 1750, in March 2007 the bells were removed from the church tower for refurbishment. The church is a Grade II* listed building, the Church of St. David, referred to locally as Llanfaes Church, was probably founded in the early sixteenth century. The first Parish Priest, Maurice Thomas, was installed there by John Blaxton, Archdeacon of Brecon in 1555, the name is derived from the Welsh – Llandewi yn y Maes – which translates as St. David’s in the Field. Plough Lane Chapel, also known as Plough United Reformed Church, is a Grade II* listed building, the present building dates back to 1841 and was re-modelled by Owen Morris Roberts and is considered to be one of the finest chapel interiors in Wales. The latest Powys County Council estimate of the population of the town is 8,020, the town has a statue of Arthur, Duke of Wellington, as well as other statuary in Brecon Cathedral, by Welsh sculptor John Evan Thomas. Approximately 9 miles to the west of Brecon is Sennybridge Training Area, the west end of Brecon has a small industrial area, and recent years have seen the cattle market moved from the centre of the town to this area, with markets held several times a week. Brecon has primary schools, with a school and further education college on the northern edge of the town
25.
Talybont-on-Usk
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Talybont-on-Usk is a village and community in Powys, Wales. It lies on both the River Usk and the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal and it had a population in 2001 of 743, reducing to 719 at the 2011 Census. An electoral ward in the name exists. The population of this ward at the 2011 Census was 1,923, Allt yr Esgair is a steep-sided hill to the north east of Talybont, and has an Iron Age settlement on the summit. There are other Iron Age and Bronze Age sites in the vicinity, a small castle was built at Pencelli during the Norman invasion and this was later replaced by the sixteenth century Pencelli House. The canal was built around 1800 to transport lime, coal, there are some lime kilns to the east of the village and a tramroad was built to transport limestone from the crags above. The village is located on the B4558 road about six miles southeast of Brecon and it is beside the River Usk and the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal and is connected to the A40 trunk road on the other side of the river by a short section of unclassified road. The village has a shop and several pubs, the valley one mile south of the village is dammed to form the Talybont Reservoir. This has a 380 metres dam and there are forest trails in its vicinity, Talybont-on-Usk is a popular place for walkers and offers the Henry Vaughan walk through the nearby countryside where the 18th century poet once lived. Fred Miller, Welsh international rugby player, born in Talybont-on-Usk, david Lewis, 1st Baron Brecon, PC, a Welsh businessman and Conservative politician Roland Mathias, poet and short story writer. BBC page Visit our Beacons website Walking in the area www. geograph. co. uk, photos of Talybont-on-Usk and surrounding area Map sources for Talybont-on-Usk Talybont-on-Usk Friends of Talybont Reservoir
26.
Crickhowell
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Crickhowell is a small town in southeastern Powys, Wales. It lies on the A40 between Abergavenny and Brecon, the name Crickhowell is taken from that of the nearby Iron Age hill fort of Crug Hywel above the town, the Welsh language name being anglicised by map-makers and local English-speaking people. The town lies on the River Usk, on the edge of the Black Mountains. Significant parts of the countryside, over 20,000 acres form part of the Glanusk Park estate. The town has a population of around 2,800 people, many public services in Crickhowell are provided by Powys County Council and to a lesser extent by Crickhowell Town Council. Planning matters fall to the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority, there are two schools – primary and secondary – which act as a central point for a large catchment area. There is some light industry on the outskirts of Crickhowell at the Elvicta Industrial Estate, the town centre includes a variety of traditional businesses, many of which are family owned. There are a number of pubs, cafes, restaurants and hotels, such as The Bear hotel, there are also several churches in Crickhowell including St Edmunds Church which holds a service every Sunday, a baptist church, an evangelical church and a Catholic church. Crickhowell & Penmyarth Golf Club was founded in 1897 and played on a course at Glanusk Park, the club and course disappeared in the late 1960s. A market and fair have been recorded since 1281, an electoral ward in the same name exists. This ward includes The Vale of Grwyney community and has a population of 2,801 as taken at the 2011 census. Today, Crickhowell is a popular tourist destination, in 2005 a Tourist Information centre was built in the centre of town and during summer the town is notably busier. The Green Man Festival takes place annually in mid-August at nearby Glanusk Park, Crickhowell High School is a secondary school with approximately 700 pupils. In 2000, it was ranked 77th in Wales in terms of its GCSE results and it is also the best performing secondary school in Powys. In a recent school standings by the Welsh Government Crickhowell High School was placed in the category the highest category. This making it one of the best schools in Wales, crickhowell’s most famous son was the surveyor Sir George Everest who was born at Gwernvale Manor near Crickhowell. He was a Surveyor-General of India, after whom Mount Everest was named, there is also a street in Crickhowell named after him. The Glanusk Park estate was the home of the former royal nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke
27.
Usk
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Usk is a small town in Monmouthshire, south-east Wales, situated 10 miles northeast of Newport. It is located on the River Usk, which is spanned by a stone bridge at the western entrance to the town. A castle above the town overlooks the ancient crossing point and it developed as a small market town, with some industry including the making of Japanware, and a notable prison. In recent years Usk has become known for its history of success in Britain in Bloom competitions, the resident population of the town in 2001 was 2,318, increasing to 2,834 at the 2011 census. The town takes its English name from the River Usk – a name derived from an ancient Brythonic word for river which may also mean abounding in fish. The name resembles that of other rivers in Britain, and is related to Scottish Gaelic uisge or uisce in Irish Gaelic. The Welsh name Brynbuga, was first recorded in the 15th century, the Roman legionary fortress of Burrium was founded on the site of Usk by the military commander Aulus Didius Gallus, around AD55. He moved his XX Valeria Victrix legion into the area from its base at Glevum. It was the earliest legionary fortress in Wales, although the site was constricted by hills, subject to flooding, and not on a navigable river, it offered good communications inland up the River Usk. The fortress at Usk was surrounded by ramparts and covered a large area, the Roman remains are buried on the southern side of the town, but the extent of the Roman forts at Usk may be traced on the ground by means of plaques set into the pavement. Many of the Roman finds from Usk are now housed in the National Roman Legion Museum in Caerleon, after the fortress was abandoned, it continued to be occupied as a civilian settlement, with evidence of iron working. The castle, now hidden from view by surrounding trees planted in the early 20th century, is one of the few castles still privately owned and occupied. Between 1154 and 1170, Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke established a planned town, the town was laid out in rectangular building plots, centred on the market square. Markets were originally held in Twyn Square, twyn being a Welsh word for hillock, the de Clare lords and their successors established a hospital for lepers on the north side of the town bridge. Its charitable function probably died out in the 14th century, along with the disease, the bridge itself was originally a wooden structure, first recorded in 1383, when it was reported to be in need of repair. A Benedictine priory was founded around 1170, and part of the building is retained in the church of St. Mary and it was reduced in size after Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536. The tomb of the last Prioress may be seen beside the path through the churchyard, the town was incorporated by charters granted by Edmund Mortimer, Edward II, Edward IV, and succeeding monarchs. Its location meant that it was frequently caught up in the border disputes between the English and the Welsh in this section of the Welsh Marches
28.
Roman legion
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A Roman legion was the largest unit of the Roman army involving from 3000 men in early times to over 5200 men in imperial times, consisting of centuries as the basic units. Until the middle of the first century,10 cohorts made up a Roman Legion and this was later changed to nine cohorts of standard size and one cohort, the first cohort, of double strength. In the early Roman Kingdom the legion may have meant the entire Roman army but sources on this period are few, Legions also included a small ala or cavalry unit. By the third century AD, the legion was a smaller unit of about 1,000 to 1,500 men. In the fourth century AD, East Roman border guard legions may have even smaller. The Roman army, for most of the Imperial period, consisted mostly of auxiliaries rather than legions, because legions were not permanent units until the Marian reforms, and were instead created, used, and disbanded again, several hundred legions were named and numbered throughout Roman history. To date, about 50 have been identified, toward the end of the 2nd Century BC, Rome started to experience manpower shortages brought about by property and financial qualifications to join the army. In the time of Augustus, there were nearly 50 upon his succession but this was reduced to about 25–35 permanent standing legions, a legion consisted of several cohorts of heavy infantry known as legionaries. The recruitment of non-citizens was rare but appears to have occurred in times of great need, For example, Caesar appears to have recruited the Legio V Alaudae mostly from non-citizen Gauls. In the period before the raising of the legio and the years of the Roman Kingdom. These centuries were grouped together as required and answered to the leader who had hired or raised them, the roles of century leader, second in command and standard bearer are referenced in this early period. Much Roman history of the era is shrouded in legend, but it is believed that during the reign of Servius Tullius, the census was introduced. Joining the army was both a duty and a mark of Roman citizenship, during the entire pre-Marian period the wealthiest land owners performed the most years of military service. These individuals would have had the most to lose should the state have fallen. The first and wealthiest common class was armed in the fashion of the hoplite with spear, sword, helmet, breast plate and round shield, there were 82 centuries of these, Roman soldiers had to purchase their own equipment. The second and third class also acted as spearmen but were heavily armoured and carried a larger oval or rectangular shield. The fourth class could afford no armour, perhaps bearing a shield and armed with spear. All three of the latter made up about 26 centuries
29.
River Severn
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The River Severn is the longest river in the United Kingdom, at about 220 miles. It rises at an altitude of 2,001 feet on Plynlimon, close to the Ceredigion/Powys border near Llanidloes and it then flows through Shropshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, with the county towns of Shrewsbury, Worcester and Gloucester on its banks. With an average discharge of 107 m3/s at Apperley, Gloucestershire, the river is usually considered to become the Severn Estuary after the Second Severn Crossing between Severn Beach, South Gloucestershire and Sudbrook, Monmouthshire. The river then discharges into the Bristol Channel which in turn discharges into the Celtic Sea, the Severns drainage basin area is 4,409 square miles, excluding the River Wye and Bristol Avon which flow into the Severn Estuary. The major tributaries to the Severn are the Vyrnwy, Clywedog, Teme, Avon, the name Severn is thought to derive from a Celtic original name *sabrinnā, of uncertain meaning. That name then developed in different languages to become Sabrina to the Romans, Hafren in Welsh, a folk etymology later developed, deriving the name from a mythical story of a nymph, Sabrina, who drowned in the river. Sabrina is also the goddess of the River Severn in Celtic mythology, the story of Sabrina is featured in Miltons Comus. There is a statue of Sabrina in the Dingle Gardens at the Quarry, Shrewsbury, as the Severn becomes tidal the associated deity changed to Nodens, who was represented mounted on a seahorse, riding on the crest of the Severn bore. The River Stour rises in the north of Worcestershire in the Clent Hills and it flows north into the adjacent West Midlands at Halesowen. It then flows westwards through Cradley Heath and Stourbridge where it leaves the Black Country and it is joined by the Smestow Brook at Prestwood before it winds around southwards to Kinver, and then flows back into Worcestershire. It then passes through Wolverley, Kidderminster and Wilden to its confluence with the Severn at Stourport-on-Severn, the River Vyrnwy, which begins at Lake Vyrnwy, flows eastwards through Powys before forming part of the border between England and Wales, joining the Severn near Melverley, Shropshire. The Rea Brook flows north from its source in the Stiperstones, the River Tern, after flowing south from Market Drayton and being joined by the River Meese and the River Roden, meets the Severn at Attingham Park. The River Worfe joins the Severn, just above Bridgnorth, the River Stour rising on the Clent Hills and flowing through Halesowen, Stourbridge, and Kidderminster, joins the Severn at Stourport. On the opposite bank, the tributaries are only brooks, Borle Brook, Dowles Brook draining the Wyre Forest, Dick Brook, shit Brook near Much Wenlock was culverted to flow into the Severn. One of the rivers named Avon, in this case the Warwickshire Avon, flows west through Rugby, Warwick. It is then joined by its tributary the River Arrow, before joining the Severn at Tewkesbury. The port of Bristol is on the Severn Estuary, where another River Avon flows into it through the Avon Gorge, the River Wye, from its source in Plynlimon, Wales, flows generally south east through the Welsh towns of Rhayader and Builth Wells. It flows into the Severn near the town of Chepstow, slightly upstream of the Bristol Avon on the opposite bank, the River Usk flows into the Severn Estuary just south of Newport
30.
Newport Wetlands
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Newport Wetlands is a wildlife reserve covering parts of Uskmouth, Nash and Goldcliff, in the south-east of the city of Newport, South Wales. The reserve was established in 2000 to mitigate losses of habitat when the Cardiff Bay Barrage scheme was undertaken. The site is owned and managed by Natural Resources Wales, the body to the Countryside Council for Wales. The reserve covers 437 hectares of the Caldicot Level, an area of land bordering the northern shore of the Severn Estuary. Part of the site is a reclaimed fuel ash disposal site, although some farmland in Goldcliff, the reserve was made a national nature reserve on 16 April 2008. Entrance is free, with car parking facilities open every day of the year from 8,30 am until 5,30 pm, the visitor and education centre opening hours are 9,00 am until 5,00 pm. Dogs and cyclists are permitted outside the centre and along a specially marked six-kilometre circular route around the reserves perimeter. The reserve includes a variety of habitats which include grazed pasture with hedgerows, ditches, reens. In January 2012 two rarely seen glossy ibises were sighted near Boat Road at Goldcliff, comprehensive observation data for the region can be obtained from, and submitted at eBird. The visitor centre provides a shop, refreshments, bathroom facilities, viewing facilities, the picnic and play area situated next to the visitor centre provides a childrens play area, education zone, and benches for picnics. It is surrounded by wetlands and reed beds, home to many resident, past the picnic and play area is a hill, which continues directly ahead south towards the floating walkway and lighthouse. Three lagoons are located on the top of the hill, immediately before approaching the floating walkway, a new feature part of the reserves development was an artificial floating walkway, which provides a direct route to the lighthouse over lagoon R7. This lagoon is part of a series of a total of three lagoons spanning the coastal path, the most eastward lagoon is overlooked by the bird hide in addition to being viewable from a fenced overpass, and the most westwardly lagoon is viewable from a fenced overpass. The far end of the trail faces south towards the Severn Estuary, along which the East Usk Lighthouse is situated at, the East Usk Lighthouse is within the reserve on the estuary trail facing towards the Severn Estuary. It is a basic lamphousing with no accommodation, the more substantial decommissioned West Usk Lighthouse, currently operating as a hotel, is on the opposite bank of the River Usk and can be viewed from the reserve. The bird hide is located on the far side of the trail, the cycling route is accessed via a path next to the car park exit. Initially heading west, the 6 kilometres circular route follows alongside the station then turns to the east past the East Usk Lighthouse. After dropping below the sea wall the path splits, with a pedestrian, a longer pedestrian and cycling route continues forwards towards Goldcliff village and the local road network
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Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal
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The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal is a small network of canals in South Wales. The Mon and Brec was originally two independent canals - the Monmouthshire Canal from Newport to Pontymoile Basin and the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal running from Pontymoile to Brecon. Both canals were abandoned in 1962, but the Brecknock and Abergavenny route, much of the rest of the original Monmouthshire Canal is the subject of a restoration plan, which includes the construction of a new marina at the Newport end of the canal. The act stated that the canal would run from Pontnewynydd to the River Usk near Newport, the Company also had powers to construct railways from the canal to any coal mines, ironworks or limestone quarries which were within eight miles of it. Construction of the canal was supervised by Thomas Dadford, Jr. the main line, which opened in February 1796, was 12.5 miles long, and ran from Newport to Pontnewynydd, via Pontymoile, rising by 447 feet through 42 locks. The 11 miles Crumlin Arm left the line at Crindau, rising 358 feet through 32 locks to Crumlin. In the late 1840s, a short extension joined the canal to Newport Docks, on the main line, railway branches were constructed from near Pontypool to Blaen-Din Works and Trosnant Furnace. This canal was first proposed in 1792 as a separate venture, the line was opened in 1794, and later served the canal at Gilwern. It was not until 1795 that Thomas Dadford was appointed as the engineer for the canal itself, work began in 1796 and by late 1797, the canal was open from Gilwern to Llangynidr in Brecknockshire and much of the rest was in hand. However costs, as usual, were higher than expected and, in 1799, Benjamin Outram was called in to inspect the work and to advise on substituting a railway between Gilwern and Pont-y-Moel. Outram recommended several improvements, in particular the partial rebuilding of the Ashford Tunnel and he was also somewhat critical of the existing railways. The canal was completed and opened to Talybont-on-Usk in late 1799, Thomas Dadford died in 1801, and was replaced as engineer by Thomas Cartwright. The company then concentrated on running the canal and railways so far opened, by 1809 the Monmouthshire Canal was threatening litigation about the uncompleted connection from Gilwern. Help came from Richard Crawshay, the Merthyr Tydfil ironmaster and a force on the Glamorganshire Canal. This sum enabled the company to appoint William Crosley to complete the work. From the Pontymoile junction, the Brecknock and Abergavenny runs through Llanfoist near Abergavenny and Talybont, the canal is 33 miles long and is level for the first 23 miles to Llangynidr, where there are five locks. Two miles below Brecon, the crosses the River Usk on an aqueduct at Brynich. The River Usk provides the water supply for the canal
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River Exe
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It flows for 60 miles and reaches the sea at a substantial ria, the Exe Estuary, on the south coast of Devon. Historically, its lowest bridging point was at Exeter, though there is now a viaduct for the M5 motorway about 3 kilometres south of the city centre. The rivers name is an anglicisation of the Latin isca, itself a form of a Brittonic root meaning water or, more exactly. It seems to be a cognate of pysg, the Welsh word for fish. The river gave the name of Exeter and many settlements along its course, including Exford, Up Exe, Nether Exe, Exwick, Exton, Exminster, and Exebridge. The seaside town of Exmouth is at the east side of the estuary mouth, the river fuelled Exeters growth and relative importance in medieval times, and the citys first industrial area was developed at Exe Island, created by a series of leats to the west of the city. The island was home to numerous watermills producing paper and textiles, tides on the river are limited at Countess Wear, the site of a weir commissioned by the Countess of Devon in the 13th century. The Exeter Canal bypasses this weir to enable ships to reach Exeter Quay, at high tide, the estuary forms a large body of water that is heavily used for water sports especially sailing, windsurfing and water skiing. Railways run along both sides of the estuary, the Avocet Line from Exeter to Exmouth on the eastern side, and the South Devon main line on the western. The latter is on a causeway, the South Devon Railway sea wall from Powderham to Dawlish Warren, at low tide, extensive mud flats are exposed, and these are an important feeding source for wading birds. Along with other rias in South West England, the Exe estuary is an important site for wintering waders, Dawlish Warren is a favoured site for birdwatching. The river has a low pH but does not suffer from an acid rain problem. It is populated with wild brown trout, and in the lower reaches coarse fish including dace, chub, perch, roach, pike and bream and some grayling, there is a run of Atlantic salmon and a sparse run of sea trout. Just 150 metres below the union of the River Barle is Black Pool, which is one of the best, the smaller fish species present include stone loach and there are good reasons to assume others are present. In 2008 the Environment Agency embarked on a project to clean the river from vegetation forming, in order to do so the water level decreased to its lowest level – less water remained than the droughts the city has suffered. Rivers of the United Kingdom Lawrence, Rod, the Exe, A River for Wildlife. RSPB reserves, Exminster & Powderham Marshes Dawlish Warren Nature Reserve
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River Axe (Lyme Bay)
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The River Axe is a river in Dorset, Somerset and Devon, in the south-west of England. It rises near Beaminster in Dorset, flows west then south by Axminster, during its 22-mile course it is fed by various streams and by the tributary rivers Yarty and Coly. It is a shallow, non-navigable river, although its mouth at Axmouth has some boating activity. The name derives from a Common Brittonic word meaning abounding in fish, the name is cognate with pysg, the Welsh word for fish. In 1999, a section of the river extending for 13 kilometres —from the confluence with the Blackwater River to Colyford Bridge —was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest and it was described as supporting an exceptionally diverse aquatic and marginal flora. A majority of the SSSI runs through Devon, only 150 metres runs through Dorset, the underlying geology of the riverbed is alluvium with areas of valley gravel, clay, shale and marl. The geomorphology of the south of Axminster are the particular geological interest
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River Esk, North Yorkshire
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The River Esk is a river in North Yorkshire, England that empties into the North Sea at Whitby after a course of around 28 miles through the valley of Eskdale, named after the river itself. Due to its nature, the river is clean and healthy. Salmon spawn right up through Eskdale, and a number of leaps are provided to them to travel through weirs on the course. There are clearly visible examples at Ruswarp, where the stretch through to Whitby begins. Around Whitby the Esk has a population of sea trout. The Esk is also the major river in Yorkshire to drain directly into the North Sea. Partway down the river at Danby Bridge, there is a ford in which vehicles can get trapped, between the junction of Fryup Dale and Lealholm the river passes through a narrow, steep-sided and wooded valley known as Crunkly Ghyll. Here the river drops 100 feet from the valley above to reach the village, Crunkly Ghyll was formed during the last great ice age as a huge wall of ice moved across the landscape carving out what is now the Esk Valley as far as Lealholm. At its head it formed a dam blocking the flow of water from above. As the ice melted, the river forced its way out carving the ravine we see today, in Victorian times, the Ghyll was home to a large rockery garden, open to the public, but long since washed away by flooding of the river. The small villages along the river were at one time of importance to the north-east, with coal mined in the valleys. Today, all that remains are the mine shafts, though potash is mined, near Boulby, with tunnels running six miles beneath the sea. Since 1987 a bylaw has been in place to protect dwindling populations of salmon. The River Esk Tideway Bylaw 1987, prevents fishing for salmon, the Environment Agency enforces the byelaw under s210 and Schedule 25 of the Water Resources Act 1991. The bylaw was renewed in 1997 for 5 years, then again in 2002 for 10 years, after a peak of 924 rod-caught salmon per year in 1965, the number dropped to just 11 in 1989. This was due mainly to illegal poaching of stocks from this stretch under the guise of angling, since the bylaw was introduced and enforced, the numbers of rod-caught salmon per year, further upstream, has increased each year. From source Westerdale Castleton Ainthorpe Danby Lealholm Glaisdale Egton Bridge Grosmont Sleights Aislaby Briggswath Ruswarp Whitby The Esk Valley Walk runs along part of the length of the river
35.
Cambriae Typus
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Cambriae Typus, the model image of Wales, is the earliest published map of Wales as a separate country from the rest of Great Britain. Made by Elizabethan polymath Humphrey Llwyd in 1573, the map shows Wales stretching to the River Severn, Humphrey Llwyd, a Welsh historian, physician and politician, though not a professional surveyor, began work on the Cambriae Typus late in his life. In a letter shortly before his death he sent the manuscript of the map to Abraham Ortelius, the map was titled Cambriae Typus. The map of Wales appeared alongside a joint map of Wales and England, Cambriae Typus was subsequently revised and used in the Mercator atlas of 1607 and in later atlases. The original four-sheet manuscript of the map has now been lost, although often described as a 1573 publication, the National Library of Wales, which owns an original print of the map, place a tentative date of 1574 to the work. The original print of the map was 47.2 by 34. 7cm, the scale was set at ca.1,520,000. Cambriae Typus is the first printed map to show Wales as a separate country, the map itself is a weak representation of the country, even for its time, with multiple inaccuracies that did not exist in contemporary maps. Location names on the front of the map are given in Latin, English and Welsh, the map has a decorative border. In total five revisions were made to Llwyds map, including an etching by Peter Kaerius. This version retained the features of the map, but the additional graphics were changed. A1612 version had a more defined coastal outline based on the original. The map shows Wales stretching to the River Severn, land which is now part of England and this was because Llwyd was making a cultural and historical map, rather than one that showed the political situation of the time
36.
Site of Special Scientific Interest
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The acronym SSSI is often pronounced triple-S I. Sites notified for their biological interest are known as Biological SSSI/ASSIs, SSSI/ASSIs may be divided into management units, with some areas including units that are noted for both biological and geological interest. Biological SSSI/ASSIs may be selected for reasons, which for Great Britain is governed by published SSSI Selection Guidelines. Within each area, a series of the best examples of each significant natural habitat may be notified. Sites of particular significance for various groups may be selected —each of these groups has its own set of selection guidelines. In Scotland, the authority is Scottish Natural Heritage, the role in Wales is performed by Natural Resources Wales. In the Isle of Man the role is performed by the Department of Environment, Food, Geological SSSI/ASSIs are selected by a different mechanism to biological ones, with a minimalistic system selecting one site for each geological feature in Great Britain. Each of these sites is described, with most published in the Geological Conservation Review series, almost all GCR sites are subsequently notified as geological SSSIs, except some that coincide with designated biological SSSI management units. If the exposure becomes obscured, the feature could in principle be re-exposed elsewhere, Conservation of these sites usually concentrates on maintenance of access for future study. These are features which are limited in extent or physically delicate—for example, they include small lenses of sediment, mine tailings, caves, if such features become damaged they cannot be recreated, and conservation usually involves protecting the feature from erosion or other damage. Following devolution, legal arrangements for SSSIs and ASSIs differ between the countries of the UK, the Isle of Man ASSI system is a separate entity. Scottish Natural Heritage publishes a summary of the SSSI arrangements for SSSI owners and occupiers which can be downloaded from the SNH website, legal documents for all SSSIs in Scotland are available on the SSSI Register, hosted by The Registers of Scotland. Further information about SSSIs in Scotland is available on the SNH website, SSSIs are also covered under the Water Resources Act 1991 and related legislation. An SSSI may be made on any area of land which is considered to be of special interest by virtue of its fauna, flora, SSSI notification can cover any land within the area of the relevant nature conservation body, including dry land, land covered by freshwater. The extent to which an SSSI/ASSI may extend seawards differs between countries, in England, Natural England may notify an SSSI over estuarial waters and further adjacent waters in certain circumstances. Access on to SSSIs is the same as for the rest of the countryside of the relevant country, most SSSIs/ASSIs are in private ownership and form parts of working farms, forests and estates. In Scotland, people may use their rights of access to visit SSSIs. When creating a new SSSI/ASSI the designation hs legal effect from the date of notification. g, in Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage must also notify the relevant community councils and community group having registered an interest in the land. )
