Afon Crafnant
The Afon Crafnant is a tributary of the River Conwy, which is the main river of the Conwy valley in north-west Wales.
It flows from picturesque Llyn Crafnant, joining the river Conwy at Trefriw. It is about in length.
The Afon Crafnant itself has a tributary, the river Geirionydd which flows from Llyn Geirionydd. These two join a little below the former Klondyke Mill, which used water from both rivers. Klondyke was a mining and milling complex connected with some of the metal mines of the Gwydir Forest.
The Crafnant is also fed by a number of unnamed streams draining from Cefn Cyfarwydd, the ridge to the north-west.
At Trefriw some water from the river is extracted to pass through the Trefriw Woollen Mills to generate hydro-electricity for the machinery, after which the river flows over the Fairy Falls, a popular attraction.
Coed Crafnant, an area of woodland in the valley, is managed by the North Wales Wildlife Trust.
Cwm Glas Crafnant is a National Nature Reserve administered by Natural Resources Wales which lies at the head of the narrow Crafnant valley, beneath the rocky masses of Crimpiau and Craig Wen about 5 kilometres from Betws-y-Coed in Conwy. Partly surrounded by a ridge of volcanic rock, the reserve supports a range of habitats including woodland, marshland and cliffs. This quiet upland area is believed to be home to such species of threatened mammal as the red squirrel and pine marten.
