Rivers, streams, brooks, becks, even canals

The River Taf (Welsh: Afon Taf) is a river in West Wales. It rises in the Preseli Hills of north Pembrokeshire and flows approximately 50 km (30 mi) through Carmarthenshire to Carmarthen Bay. It reaches the sea near the village of Laugharne and is one of three rivers, along with the River Gwendraeth and River Towy, to enter the sea on the east side of Carmarthen Bay. Perhaps best enlarged

Laugharne Castle (Welsh: Castell Talacharn) is a castle in the town of Laugharne in southern Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is located on the estuary of the River Tâf and was originally established in 1116 as the castle of Robert Courtemain, who is recorded to have entrusted its care to the Welshman Bleddyn ap Cedifor. The castle also was the meeting place of Henry II of England with Rhys ap Gruffudd in 1171-1172, where they agreed a treaty of peace. When Henry II of England died in 1189 the castle along with St Clears and Llansteffan were seized by Rhys ap Gruffudd of Deheubarth in 1189, Laugharne Castle may have been burnt down at this time. The Castle was rebuilt by the Normans and in 1215 was captured by Llywelyn the Great in his campaign across South Wales. By 1247 Laugharne was granted to the de Brian family. In 1257 Guy De Brian was captured at Laugharne Castle by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd and the castle destroyed. It was in Laugharne in 1403 that Owain Glyndŵr's rebellion stalled. Perhaps lulled into complacency, he was tricked by an ambush and lost 700 men. When a local soothsayer then warned him to leave the area or be captured, he retreated. After this the rebellion petered out under the weight of greater English numbers, and by 1415, Owain Glyndŵr had disappeared, fading into myth. In 1584, Elizabeth I of England granted Laugharne to Sir John Perrott, said to have been the illegitimate son of Henry VIII. During the Civil War, Laugharne was captured by Royalists in 1644, the Parliamentary forces of Major-General Rowland Laugharne attacked the castle in 1644. After a week long siege in which much of the castle was damaged by cannon fire, the Royalist garrison finally surrendered. The castle was slighted to prevent any further use. It was left as a romantic ruin during the 18th century, and around the start of the 19th century the outer ward was laid with formal gardens. The castle is a scheduled ancient monument and was designated as a Grade I listed building on 30 November 1966, being "among the most substantial castle remains in Wales". P.S. The history of the boat Jane Marie is unknown to me!

The Boathouse is a house in Laugharne, Wales, in which the poet Dylan Thomas lived with his family between 1949 and 1953, the last four years of his life. It was at this house that he wrote many major pieces. It has often been suggested that he wrote Under Milk Wood here but more recent research suggests that fewer than 300 lines of the play were written in Laugharne. The house is set in a cliff overlooking the Tâf Estuary. Thomas first visited the village of Laugharne with a friend, the poet Glyn Jones, in 1934 and was attracted to it. He moved there four years later with his wife Caitlin, and the Boat House was later bought for him by Margaret Taylor, first wife of the historian A. J. P. Taylor. Dylan and Caitlin brought up their three children, Aeronwy, Llewellyn and Colm here. Thomas also rented, for his parents, "Pelican House", opposite Brown's Hotel in the town, and they lived there from 1949 until 1953. It was in this house that his father died and that the funeral was held. After Dylan's own death in 1953, Caitlin Thomas was keen to leave Laugharne because of its painful memories. The house is now owned by the Carmarthenshire County Council and serves as a museum, open to the public for most of the year. It contains Thomas memorabilia and some of the original furniture, including Dylan's father's desk. Close to the main house is a reconstruction of the "writing shed" where Thomas spent much of his time. The interior has been returned to its 1950s appearance, with a recording of Thomas's voice playing in the background. The reconstructed writing shed is set up with a writing table littered with discarded papers as though Thomas were in the process of working on a book. The exhibits include a bust of Dylan Thomas, formerly owned by Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, a letter from former US President Jimmy Carter, and a 1936 photograph of Thomas, notable for having been taken into space on board the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1998.

The River Taf (Welsh: Afon Taf) is a river in West Wales. It rises in the Preseli Hills of north Pembrokeshire and flows approximately 50 km (30 mi) through Carmarthenshire to Carmarthen Bay. It reaches the sea near the village of Laugharne and is one of three rivers, along with the River Gwendraeth and River Towy, to enter the sea on the east side of Carmarthen Bay.

A shady spot on the River Derwent, Forge Valley, North Yorkshire Perhaps better enlarged

Rannerdale Beck flows through the dale towards Crummock Water while Whiteless Pike dominates the skyline.

Constructed in 1806. By John Carr. The bridge has one pointed arch and two segmental arches divided by cutwaters forming refuges on the narrow road. Now grade II listed.

Kirkham Priory was established in about 1122 by the Augustinian Order.

Picture taken from the Skylon Tower Canada Horseshoe Falls, also known as Canadian Falls, is the largest of the three waterfalls that collectively form Niagara Falls on the Niagara River along the Canada–United States border. Approximately 90% of the Niagara River, after diversions for hydropower generation, flows over Horseshoe Falls. The remaining 10% flows over American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. It is located between Terrapin Point on Goat Island in the US state of New York, and Table Rock in the Canadian province of Ontario. Total height 167 ft (51 m) Total width 2,700 ft (820 m) The Skylon Tower, in Niagara Falls, Ontario, is an observation tower that overlooks both the American Falls, New York, and the larger Horseshoe Falls, Ontario, from the Canadian side of the Niagara River. Standing at 160 metres (520 ft) from street level and 236 metres (775 ft) from the bottom of the falls, construction of the Skylon began in May 1964. The tower was opened on October 6, 1965 by New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller and Ontario Premier John Robarts.

Best enlarged The River Etive rises on the peaks surrounding Rannoch Moor, with several tributary streams coming together at the Kings House Hotel, at the head of Glen Coe. The river flows through Glen Etive, draining into Loch Etive. The river was peaceful when this picture was taken. After a period of heave rain the level rises by about a metre over a fairly short period of time resulting in a much more active scene. A small, single track road runs alongside the river for its 18km course to the loch – this road is widely regarded as one of the most picturesque roads in all of Scotland.

Best enlarged Found on a quite stretch of the River Etive, Glen Etive

Best enlarged Glen Etive (Scottish Gaelic: Gleann Èite) is a glen in the Highlands of Scotland. The River Etive (Scottish Gaelic: Abhainn Èite) rises on the peaks surrounding Rannoch Moor, with several tributary streams coming together at the Kings House Hotel, at the head of Glen Coe. From the Kings House, the Etive flows for about 18 km, reaching the sea loch, Loch Etive. The river and its tributaries are popular with whitewater kayakers and at high water levels it is a test piece of the area and a classic run. The River Etive is one of Scotland's most popular and challenging white water kayaking runs. It provides a multitude of solid Grade 4(5) rapids with a variety of falls and pool drops.

Best enlarged Glen Etive School House Now a holiday cottage (The Old School House). The school house appears on an Ordnance Survey map of 1843 (the earliest I can find) and possibly closed at the time the new Glencoe Primary School opened in 1981. The building appears to have been very well constructed of good stone with walls approximately 60-70 cm thick. According to local knowledge the school had between 1 and 14 pupils at any one time. The classroom was situated in what is now the kitchen, the teacher and any family would have occupied the upper floor. The kitchen (classroom) is the only room in the building to have windows in both walls and are positioned quite high up, presumably to stop the children being distracted from their lessons;-) In the front of the school is a small walled grassed area that was, according to local sources, the playground. Again, according to local sources, in the early 20th century two boys, the McGregors, who lived in a cottage across the River Etive from the school had to cross the river in a 'bucket' suspended on a rope in order to attend the school. Along with their books and their lunch they were also expected to bring a couple of blocks of peat each for the fire! At the time these two boys were the only pupils. The boy's cottage if anyone can add to, or correct the above information I would be happy to hear from them.

Best enlarged This part of the river seems to be very deep and slow moving, compared to upstream, with vertical rocky banks. The white material on the surface of the water shows the flow of the river quite nicely. This material may be as a result of heavy rainfall in the previous 24 hours sweeping natural debris into the water.

Best enlarged The River Etive rises on the peaks surrounding Rannoch Moor, with several tributary streams coming together at the Kings House Hotel, at the head of Glen Coe. The river flows through Glen Etive, draining into Loch Etive. For white water kayakers, the river is considered to be one of the most challenging white water kayaking routes in Scotland, including grade 4 rapids with a range of waterfalls and pools. The river was peaceful when this picture was taken. After a period of heave rain the level rises by about a metre over a fairly short period of time resulting in a much more active scene. A small, single track road runs alongside the river for its 18km course to the loch – this road is widely regarded as one of the most picturesque roads in all of Scotland.

Best enlarged A waterfall of about 4 - 5 metres height on a small stream (Alt nan Gaoirean) feeding into the River Etive in the grounds of the holiday cottage. The focal length used and angle of shot belies the true height. There is a sheer drop of 2 - 3 metres directly into the pool of water below the camera tripod position.

Best enlarged Pool beneath the weir on the Eller Beck at Goathland, North York Moors. The water colour is due to the peat content of the water.

Best enlarged The Caledonian Canal connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William in Scotland. The canal was constructed in the early nineteenth century by Scottish engineer Thomas Telford, and is a sister canal of the Göta Canal in Sweden, also constructed by Telford. The canal runs some 60 miles (97 km) from northeast to southwest. Only one third of the entire length is man-made, the rest being formed by Loch Dochfour, Loch Ness, Loch Oich, and Loch Lochy. These lochs are located in the Great Glen, on a geological fault in the Earth's crust. There are 29 locks (including eight at Neptune's Staircase, Banavie), four aqueducts and 10 bridges in the course of the canal. The canal has several names in Scottish Gaelic including Amar-Uisge/Seòlaid a' Ghlinne Mhòir ("Waterway of the Great Glen"), Sligh'-Uisge na h-Alba ("Waterway of Scotland") and a literal translation (An) Canàl Cailleannach.