Llandeilo

Swing bridge bathing site is on the River Towy at Llandeilo. The site is located to the east of the town, on the opposite side of the river to the train station. The bathing site is accessed on foot from the train station, crossing the river using the swing bridge. The bathing area is an open shingle bank sloping into the water on the eastern bank of the River Towy immediately upstream of the swing bridge. The Western bank (the town wards side) is heavily vegetated and is not an access point to the bathing water. This bathing location is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Area of Conservation (SaC) designated for ecological features which are present at this location, confirming the high ecological status of the area. The site is just outside of the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. This bathing site is designated as a site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC). Features which the river has been designated for are susceptible to damage, disturbance and destruction through increased recreational pressure. These features include fish species such as lamprey and shad which spawn in the Afon Tywi; the charismatic otter (a European Protected Species) which is fundamentally linked to the river for its habitat and food and the little Ringed Plover, a bird protected under schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and also reliant on the Tywi for its survival. Stable riverbeds are required to support the various life stages of important fish species such as lamprey and undisturbed shingle/gravel banks essential for little ringed plover. NRW urges the public to be aware of the legal protection afforded to this designated site and its sensitive species, and the requirement for these features to be safeguarded. Natural Resources Wales’s designated sample point is located at the shingle bank.

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