Hugo ...
... the weir I refer to is further upstream. The photo here was taken this morning, I was hoping to take the same pic at high tide which I thought was due at 1515 today but I was still there at 1530 and it had some way to go, and I couldn't wait any longer, had to go on patrol!
... the pic is taken from the stone bridge that is directly opposite the Old Mill at the bottom of Bodnant Garden (see pic from tripadvisor). The weir I refer to is at the bottom of the picture I took, it is directly under the remains of an old crane (the jib has long gone). There is another weir directly below the wooden footbridge that leads to Mill Cottage, that bridge is not within the garden grounds.
... at high tide the water level gets over the weir and reaches the stone bridge.
... the two weirs would, in my opinion, have allowed a still depth of water in which to moor a barge for use in transporting the corn in the days of the mill working (1830 to 1870) but no-one has found any evidence to support my theory. Equally, no-one has been able to prove me wrong!!!
... when I was a boy playing in the river (early 1950's) the water level only came over the weir during spring tides, now it happens every time - so why has the water level risen?
... some say global warming and the melting of the ice caps. I think that the constant running of rivers into the sea, taking with it silt, would contribute much more to the rise in levels. Add to that all the rubbish that has gone into the oceans and there is a noticeable displacement of water, and consequently rising levels. That's just my theory, I am no scientist!
Apologies to admin - this discussion has hi-jacked the original thread so please move if deemed necessary!