The River Goyt is located in North West England, and it is a tributary of the River Mersey.
Facts About the River Goyt
- It is thought that the name Goyt might be linked to the Middle English word for stream.
- The source of the River Goyt is located on Axe Edge Moor, Derbyshire.
- In Stockport, the River Goyt joins the River Tame to form the River Mersey.
- Numerous bridges span the River Goyt, including Whaley Bridge, Marple Bridge, and Derbyshire Bridge.
- The River Goyt has several tributaries, including Poise Brook, Todd Brook, Meveril Brook, Padden Brook, Strines Brook, Carr Brook, River Sett, and Gnathole Brook.
- One of the bridges over the River Goyt, located between New Mills and Marple, is called Roman Bridge. However, this bridge wasn’t built by the Romans. It was actually constructed in the 17th century.
- The Goyt Valley has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. A mixture of moorland and woodland, it is home to numerous animals (such as voles hares, rabbits, and foxes), and birds (such as redstarts, kestrels, skylarks, and red grouse).
- Erwood Reservoir is stocked with trout every spring.
- The Derbyshire gritstone sheep were once called Dale o’ Goyt, and they originated in the Goyt Valley area of the Peak District.
- The Cat and Fiddle Inn (the second-highest pub in England), built in the early 19th century, is located close to the River Goyt’s source. The reason behind the inn’s name is unclear.
- The ruins of Errwood Hall are located in the Goyt Valley. Built in 1830 by Samuel Grimshawe, the Erwood Hall estate once had its own coal mine, more than 40,000 rhododendron bushes, a family burial ground, and a school.
- Errwood Hall was demolished in 1934 by the Stockport Water Corporation to make way for the Errwood Reservoir.
- 1000s of people visit the Errwood Hall ruins every year.
- Several local people, including Carl Bothamley, Nicola Sutton, and Matt Finney, have claimed that the Errwood Hall site is haunted.
- Local legend says that a highwayman called Pym used to ambush those using the packhorse route at Pym Chair. Others have claimed that Paym was the name of a preacher.
- The two reservoirs in the Goyt Valley (Fernilee Reservoir and Errwood Reservoir) have significantly altered the landscape of the region since their construction. Before the reservoirs, the Goy Valley was home to more than ten farms, a quarry, a gunpowder factory, and several coal mines.
- Derbyshire Bridge used to represent a point where the county of Derbyshire met the county of Cheshire.
- Errwood Hall appears in the fantasy novel The Moon of Gomrath by Alan Garner.
