Rhayader

A bustling little town which has kept its 19th-century atmosphere even though many of its shop fronts have been modernised, Rhayader is essentially a market town noted for its sheep fairs, nestling as it does above the River Wye on the edge of vast moorlands, often referred to as the Welsh desert.

Far below, the River Wye bounces over boulders and rocky platforms towards pretty falls below the bridge.

The most notable historical event at Rhayader was the Rebecca Riots during the 19th century. Men dressed as women and calling themselves Rebecca's Daughters, tore down the turnpike gates in protest against high toll charges. They took their name from the biblical quotation Genesis 24:60 'And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them'.