Llangors Lake

History in the Llangors basin

Llangors Lake is the largest natural lake in southern Wales and was created by the action of glaciers during the last Ice Age over 10,000 years ago. The lake lies in the bottom of a large bowl and is fed by water running off the surrounding hills.

The lake drains northwards into the River Wye near Glasbury. At the end of the Ice Age this outflow was blocked by ice and rock and the lake level was considerably higher, not far below where Llangasty Village Hall stands. Today, the lake is much shallower about 8m (22ft) and its deepest point. The shallow waters are rich in nutrients and support a wealth of plants, insects, fish and birds.

A spiritual place

For Iron Age people the lake would have been a very special place. They believed that gods lived in the lake and they would throw sacrificial offerings into the water. More recently, St Gastyn founded a Christian community or ‘llan’ around 450 AD on the shores of the lake from which Llangasty takes its name.

A Lake Trail

A public footpath trail runs from Llangors around the western end of the lake for about 2 miles, crossing common, farmland, wildflower meadows and providing access to a bird hide near Ty Mawr. There is no access around the eastern end of the lake. The trail finishes at Llangasty near St Gastyn’s Church.

A Fortress in the Lake

Time Team Documentary. The team tries to discover what happened to a Dark Ages palace located on a man-made island in the middle of the lake. The Fortress in the Lake