At 75 miles, the Towy is the longest river entirely within Wales. It begins in the Cambrian Mountains north east of Llyn Brianne and flows to Carmarthen Bay through the historic towns of Llandovery, Llandeilo and Carmarthen.

The River Towy

Here's someone kayaking illegally down the spillway of the tallest dam in the UK.

The Llyn Brianne dam controls the flow of the river Towy so that the extraction plant at Nantgaredig can supply a large area of South Wales with drinking water.

There is also a small hydroelectric power station at the base of the dam.


On the west bank of the Towy estuary stands Llansteffan Castle. The Welsh and Normans fought for control of the castle for many years following its construction in the 12th century.

The Towy is know as one of the best places in the UK to fish for sewin. Salmon are also caught in the river but, by far, the largest fish ever landed was a 9 ft 2 in Sturgeon taken near Nantgaredig in 1932.

The river regularly floods near Carmarthen which is one of the oldest towns in Wales and the administrative center of Carmarthenshire.