Llangollen

At Llangollen you cannot help but understand why Cymru is the homeland of fantasy. This is the stronghold of Aefren, river goddess. Her hidden shrine at Glyndyfrdwy protects the town as long as the water of the river can be heard in the town. This is the same river goddess whose defiance has been eroding Castell y Fflint since the day it was built. Here she runs clear and unfettered. Walk and feel the wild spray of the Serpent’s Tail torrent. Swim or paddle in the limpid pools upstream.
The stepped falls and the clear water are interspersed with languorous water weed and trailing willow and a sense of space and timeless peace as they flow from the shrine of Aerfen at Glyndyfrdwy.
The crystal waters come from two enchanted fountains in the mountains above Llyn Tegid. They flow past the house of the witch Ceridwen, without mixing with the waters of the lake. They pass the fortress of Caer Gai (Sir Kay).
Above the town sits the legendary Dinas Bran, stronghold of the hero Bendigeidfran (Bran). It is protected by a swyn (spell), but was destroyed by its own inhabitants rather than letting it fall into enemy hands some thousand years ago. Bran means Crow, and it was known as Castle Corbenic by the Normans. It is the hiding place of a large horde of treasure, hidden by the giant Gogmagog.