Recent Changes in the Teifi Estuary

Extract

Within the last 50 years the lower reaches of the Teifi from St. Dogmells to Cardigan Bar have undergone a complete change: the bed of the river formerly lay near the west side of the estuary as far as the Webley Arms, and this point in the river was then known as Pwll Cam (“the crooked pool”), as it was here that the river took a sharp bend describing an ogee curve by way of the spit to the east of the present sandbanks: this old river channel lay in clay, unlike the present shallow river bed on the east side of the estuary, and quite big vessels could float even at low tide in front of the Webley Arms, which is now a low stretch of mud banks covered at high tide. A wreck, which laid up over two or three tides, was the simple means of effecting this change in the river's course. Since then it has led to other comparatively rapid geological changes: the Manian-fâch stream, which has its source in the Pant-y-Groes plateau, used to flow almost direct into the Teifi, when in its old course; now, however, since the bed of the Teifi, on leaving the Battery Point, crosses over to the east side of the estuary, the whole of the estuary to the west has been silted up with sand and mud, and this has been accelerated by the formation of sand-banks right across the mouth of the bay: consequently the Manian-fâch stream, on emerging off the mainland, is now deflected to the S.E. and flows for about a mile approximately parallel to the main river, though in the opposite direction, before joining it nearby the Battery Point. The watershed of the roughly triangular strip of sand flats, seen at low tide, lies very close to the present river bed, so that practically all the water off this area at low tide drains first into the Manian-fâch, and thus describes nearly a complete circle twice daily. This instance is analogous to, but not quite homologous with, that of the Eiver Aide in Suffolk, the original mouth of which has been deflected more than 12 miles south by currents from the north.