Category: River Facts

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.

Located in Yorkshire, England, the River Aire is 148 km (92 miles) long. It begins at Malham Tarn in North Yorkshire, and it flows into the River Ouse at Airmyn (East Riding, Yorkshire).

Facts About the River Aire

• The River Aire’s drainage basin has an area of just over 1000 square km.
• The River Aire flows past or through numerous settlements, including Leeds, Malham, Skipton, Silsden, Steeton, Keighley, Bradford, Bingley, Castleford, Beal, Temple Hirst, Hensall, and Airmyn.
• The Romans forded the River Aire by creating a paved crossing at Castleford on the Doncaster to York road.
• In the winter of 1683-1684, during the Great Frost, the river remained frozen at Leeds for a whole month. A fair and sports were held on the river’s frozen waters.
• Three thermal power stations have been located on the River Aire at Castleford, Ferrybridge, and Eggborough.
• In 2017, a hydroelectric power station was opened at Knottingley on Brotherton Weir.
• The River Aire used to be heavily polluted (due to flowing through heavily industrial and densely populated areas). In recent times, efforts have been made to improve the quality of the water.

• The River Aire is home to chub, dace, roach, barbel, grayling, and brown trout. Otters and water voles are also starting to return to the river.
• The Calder is the River Aire’s major tributary.
• The River Aire is tidal for the last 26 km upstream of Goole.
• At Gargrave, a double-decker aqueduct carries the Leeds and Liverpool Canal over the River Aire.
• Kirkstall Abbey is located close to the River Aire, and monks used its waters to process wool.

• The Leeds Bridge over the River Aire is the location for the filming of one of the world’s first movies. In 1888, Louis Le Prince captured footage of people moving across the bridge.
• The River Aire has been bridged at dozens of points along its course. Some of the bridges include Inghey Bridge (Skipton), Ireland Bridge (Bingley), Otley Road Bridge (Shipley), Buck Mill Bridge (Thackley), Wellington Bridge (Leeds), Monk Bridge (Leeds), Knight’s Way Bridge (Leeds), Aire Valley Viaduct (Stourton), Castleford Viaduct (Castleford), Carlton New Bridge (Snaith).
• The Kirkstall Road Viaduct carries the Harrogate railway line over the River Aire (and the A65 road, and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal). It was built in 1849, and it is more than 400 metres long.
• The origin of the name Aire is not certain. Some have suggested that it could have come from the Celtic word for ‘strong river’, whereas others believe that it has an Old Norse root.
• The Battle of Ferrybridge took place in 1461. It was one of the initial clashes between the Houses of Lancaster and York, and it took place before the Battle of Towton in the Wars of the Roses. The conflict was focused on the crossing point of the River Aire at Ferrybridge.

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The River Don is located in north-east Scotland. Its source is in Ladder Hills in the Grampians and it flows into the North Sea at Aberdeen.

Facts About the River Don

• The River Don flows past Alford, Kemnay, Inverurie, Kintore, and Dyce.
• Water from the north of Brown Cow Hill drains into the River Don, water from the west of Brown Cow Hill flows into the River Dee, and water from the west side of Brown Cow Hill flows into the River Spey.
• The River Don flows past the Corgarff Castle.
• Its main tributaries are Conrie Water, Ernan Water, Deskry Water, Kindy Burn, Mossat Burn, and River Ury.
• The River Don is 132 km (82 miles) long.
• The river is well-known for its salmon fishing. It also is home to brown trout and sea trout. April and May are the best months for trout fishing in the Don. Other species of fish in the Don include eels, lamprey, and pike.
• The River Don’s drainage catchment is more than 1300 square km.
• Cock Bridge spans the River Don on the road from Ballater to Grantown-on-Spey.
• Old Persely Bridge was opened in 1892, and it spans the River Don on Aberdeen’s northern outskirts.

• The Bridge of Don is another bridge over the River Don. Built between 1827 and 1830, it is made of granite and located in Aberdeen. The bridge has five arches, and it is now 23 metres long.

• Old Aberdeen’s the Brig o’ Balgownie (the original Bridge of Don) was built to span the River Don in the 13th century. Made from granite and sandstone, it is 17 metres long.
• The River Don and the Brig o’ Balgownie feature in the Lord Byron poem Don Juan.

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• Located in the English county of Devon, the East Lyn River flows into the Bristol Channel at Lynmouth.
• The Lynmouth Flood took place on the East Lyn River in 1952. It was caused by a log jam forming near Watersmeet. Rocks and fallen trees were carried in floodwaters by the West Lyn River and piled up as a landslide dam. The dam broke and, due to the rivers converging, water rushed down the East Lyn. Dozens of buildings were destroyed and 34 people lost their lives

• The East Lyn River is a popular fishing spot for trout and salmon.
• The river has been assessed as a Grade 4 paddle for whitewater kayakers. It presents lots of technical challenges.
• Herons are often spotted on the East Lyn River.
• The East Lyn River is formed by the joining of Oare Water and Badgworthy Water below Malmsmead.
• The East Lyn River is only two miles in length.
• Lynmouth straddles the confluence (meeting point) of the East Lyn River and the West Lyn River.
• Devil’s Cleave in James Herbert’s The Secret of Crickley Hollow book is based on the East Lyn River valley.
• Lynmouth had one of the UK’s first hydro-electric power stations (fed by the East Lyn River’s fast-flowing waters), and Lynmouth was one of the first places to have electric street lamps. The power station survived the 1952 Flood, but it was later demolished in order to widen the river.
• The point where the East Lyn River combines with Farley Water is called Watersmeet. The surrounding area is covered by woodland – one of the largest surviving examples of ancient woodland in the south west of England.
• The Watersmeet woodlands are home to ravens, redstarts, pied flycatchers, and all three species of woodpeckers.

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The River Teme’s source is located in the village of Dolfor, south of Newtown in Mid Wales. It roughly follows the Welsh – English border, before heading into England and joining the River Severn at Powick in Worcestershire.

Facts About the River Teme

• The River Teme is 130 km (81 miles) long.
• Some of the River Teme’s tributaries include the River Clun, River Onny, River Corve, River Rea, Leigh Brook, and Kyre Brook.
• The River Teme is the sixteenth-longest river in the UK and the second-largest of the River Severn’s tributaries.
• Even though the River Teme floods in its lower course, its upper reaches can dry out. This has happened roughly every three years during the last twenty years.
• The River Teme is home to a growing population of otters.
• It flows through the towns of Knighton, Ludlow and Tenbury Wells.
• Ludlow Castle was built to take advantage of the defensive site created by a bend in the River Teme.

• There are numerous bridges spanning the River Teme, including Burrington Bridge, Castle Bridge, Dinham Bridge, Ludford Bridge, Powick Old Bridge and Teme Bridge.
• The Rout of Ludford Bridge (sometimes called the Battle of Ludford Bridge) was a minor confrontation of the Wars of the Roses. It took place in 1459 in Ludlow and resulted in a largely bloodless victory for the Lancastrians over the Yorkists.
• The River Teme catchment area is more than 1600 square kilometres, and it covers parts of the counties of Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, and Powys.
• Legend has it there is a ghost that haunts Dinham Bridge in Ludlow. Apparently, it escaped from a bottle having been trapped by a ghosthunter.
• The River Teme contains an abundance of fish, including chub, barbel, roach, brown trout, grayling, common carp, mirror carp, perch, pike, and bream.
• Many people swim in the River Teme at Millennium Green, The Linney in Ludlow.
• Teme Coracles are the name given to the coracle boats made by Peter Faulkner, a coracle builder who lives near the River Teme.

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Located mainly in Scotland, the River Tweed’s source is at Tweed’s Well near the village of Tweedsmuir. This is less than ten miles from where the River Clyde and the River Annan also rise. The River Tweed empties out into the North Sea ar Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Facts About the River Tweed

• The River Tweed is 156 km (97 miles) long.
• The Tweed has numerous tributaries, including River Till, Blackadder Water, Leithan Water, Manor Water, Gala Water, River Teviot, and Quair Water.
• The upper part of the River Tweed’s drainage basin is known as Tweeddale.
• The River Tweed flows through the towns of Innerleithen, Peebles, Melrose, Kelso, Coldstream, and Berwick-upon-Tweed.
• The River Tweed is one of the UK’s greatest salmon rivers.
• The Tweed is the main river of the Scottish Borders, and, for some of its course, forms the border between England and Scotland.
• The River Tweed was very important for the textile industry as it provided power for all of the region’s textile mills. Tweed cloth derives its name from the river’s association with the textile industry.
• The River Tweed is often referred to as Tweed Water.
• The Tweed’s catchment area is shared between the county of Northumberland (England) and the Scottish Borders.
• The Atlantic salmon fishing industry centered around the River Tweed employs more than 500 people.
• Berwick Bridge spans the River Tweed in Berwick-upon Tweed. It was built between 1611 and 1634. It replaced a wooden bridge constructed during the reign of King Henry VIII, and four previous bridges stood before that one.
• In 1839, the River Tweed, along with other rivers in Northumberland, flooded due to heavy rainfall.

• The Royal Border Bridge, spanning the River Tweed at Berwick-upon-Tweed, was opened by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1850. It was designed by Robert Stephenson for the Newcastle and Berwick Railway.
• Tweed Dock at Tweedmouth was constructed in 1876 to allow the River Tweed to accommodate the large ships of the 19th century and their cargo.
• The Royal Tweed Bridge in Berwick-upon-Tweed was completed in 1928.
• The River Tweed’s catchment area is approximately 5000 square km.
• The Battle of Carham was fought between Northumbria and the combined forces of the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of Strathclyde. The battle took place around 1018 at Carham on Tweed (a village on the south side of the River Tweed), and the Scottish forces defeated the Northumbrian army led by Uhtred the Bold.
• The River Tweed is Scotland’s fourth-largest river after the River Tay, the River Spey, and the River Clyde.

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Located in South East England, the River Medway flows through East Sussex and Kent before reaching the River Thames Estuary at Sheerness. It is 113 km (70 miles) long.

Facts About the River Medway

• Some of the River Medway’s tributaries are River Eden, River Bourne, River Beult, River Len, and River Grom.
• There are more than ten locks on the River Medway (for example Sluice Weir Lock, East Farleigh Lock, Hampstead Lane Lock).
• There has been a bridge over the River Medway in Rochester since Romans were in Britain.
• In 1981, a flood barrier was constructed downstream from Leigh to protect the town of Tonbridge from floodwaters.
• From Rochester to Tonbridge, the Medway Valley Walk follows the course of the river.
• The Medway Megaliths, a collection of megalithic monuments and long barrows from the Early Neolithic period, are located in the River Medway’s lower valley.
• The Medway valley is home to several castles including Rochester Castle, Allington Castle, and Leeds Castle (near the town of Maidstone).
• The Battle of the Medway took place in 43 AD, and it was probably fought on the banks of the River Medway between the Cantiaci (an Iron Age tribe) and the army of the invading Roman Empire. The conflict resulted in a Roman victory.
• In 1667 the Dutch navy launched a successful attack on British warships anchored in the River Medway. This conflict was known as the Raid on the Medway or the Battle of Medway, and it took place during the Second Anglo-Dutch War.

• In 1853, 30 hop-pickers drowned in the River Medway when a wagon they were travelling in crashed through the side of a bridge at Golden Green near Hadlow. This event is known as the Hartlake Disaster.
• The Maidstone River Festival has been held annually (in July) since 1980 to celebrate the River Medway.
• The folk singer George Gilbert wrote a song about the river in the 1960s called Medway Flows Softly.
• There are more than 200 historical sites along the River Medway that would once have been the location of waterwheels or turbines.
• Traditionally, the River Medway is thought to divide the people of Kent. Those born north of the river call themselves Kentish men or Kentish women, whereas those born south of the river, refer to themselves as men of Kent or women of Kent.
• In 1942, the world’s first underwater pipeline was trialed to supply oil to Allied forces. This effort was codenamed, Operation Pluto.
• Charles Dickens grew up in the region around the River Medway. As a child, he lived in Rochester and Chatham. His father was transferred to Chatham Dockyard in 1817 in his role as a clerk in the Royal Navy pay office.

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The River Foyle is formed when the River Finn and the River Mourne combine at Strabane in Country Tyrone in Northern Ireland. The Finn’s source is in Donegal (Republic of Ireland) and the Mourne’s source is to the northwest of Newtonstewart (Northern Ireland). The River Foyle flows into Lough Foyle at Derry.

Facts About the River Foyle

• The River Foyle is 129 km (80 miles) long.
• It is one of the fastest flowing rivers in Europe for its size.
• Some of the River Foyle’s tributaries include the River Deele (or Burn Dale), Swilly Burn, Flushtoun Burn, Burn Dennet, and Glenmoran River.
• The Craigavon Bridge (sometimes called the Blue Bridge) spans the River Foyle in Derry. It is one of Europe’s few double-decker road bridges.
• Derry’s other bridges over the River Foyle are the Foyle Bridge and Peace Bridge (opened in 2011).
• The Lifford Bridge over the Rover Foyle is a cross-border bridge linking Strabane in County Tyrone (Northern Ireland) to Lifford in County Donegal (Republic of Ireland). It is 115 metres in length, and it carries more than 15,000 vehicles each day.

• The River Foyle is one of the best salmon rivers in Ireland.
• The water clarity in the River Foyle is poor, but the water quality is very good. As a result, the River Foyle estuary is home to lots of different species of wildlife, including sole, flounder, eels, turbot, plaice, lumpsucker, smelt, sunfish, lamprey, and pipefish.
• Harbour porpoise and bottlenose dolphins sometimes make their way into the River Foyle. There have been numerous sightings of these creatures from the bridges in Derry.
• In 1977 a killer whale swam into the River Foyle and was spotted at Derry. He was nicknamed Dopey Dick. It is believed that the same whale (now named Comet and aged 58) was part of the pod of killer whales living near the Isle of Skye in 2016.
• In the Partition of Ireland in 1922, Lough Foyle was claimed by both the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Following 1998’s Good Friday Agreement, the lough is now managed jointly by the two countries.
• The wrecks of several German U-Boats (from World War Two) are located at the bottom of Lough Foyle. At the end of the war, as part of Operation Deadlight, some of the surrendered German fleet was to be scuttled. Several U-boats sank before they could be destroyed.
• Seals and otters are commonly spotted in the waters of the River Foyle at Derry.

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Located in Wales, the River Usk is 125 km (78 miles) in length. Its source is in Fan Brycheiniog in the Black Mountain, and it flows into the Severn Estuary.

Facts About the River Usk

• The name Usk comes from either the Brittonic word for lots of fish or the word for water.
• The entire course of the River Usk has been made a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and it is the home for lots of wildlife, including kingfishers, grey herons, dippers, red kites, Atlantic salmon, otters, lamprey, shad, brown trout, chub dace, and roach.
• The River Usk is one of Britain’s best fly fishing rivers for salmon.
• Usk Bridge spans the River Usk in Brecon. It was constructed in 1563 but was modified in the 1950s so that it could take road traffic.

• In one of the tales of King Arthur, Gawain pushed King Arthur into the River Usk.
• The town of Usk is often called the Town of Flowers because it has won the Wales in Bloom competition so many times.
• Some of the River Usk’s tributaries include Afron Crai, Afon Cynrig, Afon Senni, and Afon Tarell.
• In June 2002 a 15th-century boat was discovered by archaeologists on the River Usk’s west bank. The find is now known as the Newport Medieval Ship. The vessel would originally have been about 35 metres long, and, based on the artefacts found at the site, it would have been engaged in trade with Portugal.
• The town of Caerleon in Newport is situated on the River Usk. In his History of the Kings of Britain Geoffrey of Monmouth described Caerleon, and the town goes on to feature in many subsequent tales about King Arthur.
• Several fiction books have been written about the River Usk. For example, Pippa McCathie’s Murder By the River Usk is the third book in her The Havard and Lambert Mysteries series.
• The Welsh name for the River Usk is Afon Wysg.
• The popular Usk Valley walk is 48 miles long.
• The River Usk is featured in Season 2 Episode 1 of the Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing TV show. In this episode, comedians Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse go fishing for brown trout.

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Located in the county of Hampshire, England, the River Itchen rises to the south of the town of New Alresford and flows into Southampton Water below the Itchen Bridge.

Facts About the River Itchen

• The meaning of the name Itchen is thought to be from a Brittonic language, but the meaning is unknown.
• The River Itchen is 42 km (26 miles) in length.
• It flows through the villages of Cheriton and Tichborne, and flows past the villages of Avington, Itchen, Itchen Abbas, Martyr Worthy, and Abbots Worthy.
• It also flows through the city of Winchester.

• Some of the river’s anabranches (branching streams coming from the main river before rejoining them later) have caused damage to the foundations of Winchester Cathedral.
• Several bridges span the River Itchen, including the Cobden Bridge, the Northam Bridge, and the Itchen Bridge.
• The River Itchen flows past St Mary’s Stadium, the home of Southampton Football Club.
• The lower course of the River Itchen is a popular location for yachting. More than ten marinas, wharves, and quays are located on this portion of the river.
• The River Itchen is home to lots of wildlife including otters, water voles, and Atlantic salmon.
• The river passes through the Winchester City Mill, a surviving example of a water-powered corn mill.
• The River Itchen is an example of a chalk stream, rivers that rise from spings in landscapes with bedrock of chalk.
• For much of the River Itchen’s course the river is divided into two channels running in parallel next to each other.
• Built in 1710, the Itchen Navigation canal system was fed by waters from the River Itchen. Disused since 1869, it provided a trading route from Winchester to the sea at Southampton.
• The River Itchen becomes tidal after it passes under Woodmill Bridge in Swaythling.
• Wild swimmers often swim in the River Itchen at St Cross and in the deep pool at Compton Lock.

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