Ruabon – following the Afon Eitha

Hello again people and pooches. Joe the Cocker here after another local walk around Ruabon. We decided to follow the course of the Afon Eitha as it meanders through the village. On this occasion, we decided to just include the length of the river that runs within the boundaries of the village.

We started our walk on Tatham Road, where a stone road bridge crosses the rather brown coloured Afon Eitha. There had been a fair amount of rainfall in the area so the river was quite full. A few days earlier, it had been in spate after some torrential downpours and Storm Andrew.

With me being an adventurous pooch, I usually jump over the stone wall at this point to head straight into the river. My human said that it was too dangerous at this time because of the fast flowing water. Well, pardon me, but it’s not exactly raging white water!

Heading slightly uphill towards Tatham Farm, we turned right along the gated footpath. This brought us to the ‘horse field’ above the river. The footpath runs along the top of the field with the river meandering below. The footpath is covered in ‘horse apples’, which we both tried to avoid. Apparently, I didn’t do a good job of avoiding it as I had to have my legs and undercarriage hosed down when we returned home.

The river was hidden by the trees in the valley until it reappeared by the houses on Pont Adam. By the time we left the field I was a tad muddy. Is it my fault? No! My dopey human brought me here after it had been ‘chucking it down’.

We left the path to head right along Pont Adam to where the river emerges from the trees. The narrow stretch of the river passes through a garden at this point.

After flowing past a few houses, the river runs under Pont Adam Bridge. On the left, the river was running calmly through a leafy area.

On the opposite side of the bridge, the river runs between the old Nant pub and West End Terrace. The river was shallow and slow moving on this day. Unlike the torrent a few days earlier.

A few days earlier and the footpath was submerged.

We walked along the footpath towards Ruabon Railway Station, and because my human is a lanky so-and-so, he managed to peep over a fence to take a photo of the river tumbling downhill.

The river continues on its way downhill over the waterfall.

A few days earlier, after the heavy rain, the river was wild, and I could understand why my human wouldn’t want me to paddle in it.

We followed the path as it took us over the iron footbridge and under the railway bridge. My human stopped to take another upstream photo. Now, here’s a spot that I could paddle in quite safely in these conditions. Sadly, the stretch of the river is fenced off.

The tunnel type of bridge under the road is a damp and drippy place. My human always complains that he gets dripped on as we pass under it. He can be such a wimp at times.

We emerged from the tunnel at the railway station, where we turned left towards Bridge Street. We took a walk along Railway Terrace where the river flows opposite the houses. Through the bushes, there is a stone platform above the river. The stones are moss coated and very slippery. My human wouldn’t let me venture onto them, but he took a chance to peep through to take a photo.

After crossing Bridge Street my human looked back towards the road bridge. The stone wall must be 30 feet high above the river before there is a small downhill bridge leading to Tan y Llan.

The river flows downstream with the even higher wall of Bridge Street on the left and Wynnstay Mews on the right.

After a short walk away from the river along Paddock Row, the road bears left over another stone bridge. The Eitha is shallow at this point as it passes by the gardens of Paddock Row and Ruddallt Mill.

I dragged my human alongside the river where there was another sheer drop to the water.

He took his snap and ushered me away from the edge. He makes me chuckle as he is the clumsy one, not me!

We came to a point where we could not follow the river. We had to leave Tan y Llan to head up Bridge Street, where we turned right into Park Street. I was eager to head through the Wynnstay Arch where, if there were no other pooches, I could have a run off-lead.

Firstly, we headed to the old bridge above the river. I was finally off-lead so I could have a blast around the woods. We could just see the river upstream through the undergrowth.

My human wanted to drop down the hillside to the rivers edge. It was very slippery with the wet autum leaves and the rain sodden earth. Mr. Clumsy just about managed to stay on his feet while I sprinted off after squirrels.

The river dropped as it noisily passed under the bridge. It was at its widest at this point. I still wasn’t allowed in it!

This is where our little walk ended. The whole river is gobbled up by the surrounding land as it plunged towards and under the bypass, never to be seen again! Well, not in Ruabon anyway. It re-emerges on the Wynnstay Estate on the other side of the A483.

Till next time!