Rivers of Britain

S T U A R T F I S H E R

ESTUARIES, TIDEWAYS, HAVENS, LOCHS, FIRTHS AND KYLES

R I V E R SO F B R I T A I N

ADLARD COLES NAUTICALLONDON

Rivers of Britain 1 - 48.indd 1 13/10/2011 14:56

Published by Adlard Coles Nauticalan imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc50 Bedford SquareLondonWC1B 3DPwww.adlardcoles.com

First edition published 2012 Copyright © Stuart Fisher

ISBN 978-1-4081-4656-9

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means – graphic, electronic or mechanical, including pho-tocopying, recording, taping or information storage and retrieval systems – without the prior permission in writing of the publishers.

The right of the author to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

This book is produced using paper that is made from wood grown in managed, sustainable forests. It is natural, renewable and recyclable. The logging and manufacturing processes conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.

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Introduction 5

1 River Camel 6

2 River Torridge 9

3 River Taw 12

4 River Parrett 15

5 River Avon 18

6 River Severn 23

7 River Wye 30

8 River Loughor 36

9 Afon Tywi 38

10 Afon Taf 40

11 Milford Haven 42

12 River Dovey 47

13 Afon Mawddach 49

14 Afon Dwyryd 52

15 Afon Cefni 55

16 Afon Conwy 57

17 River Dee 61

18 River Mersey 65

19 River Lune 72

20 River Duddon 74

21 River Wampool 76

22 Lochar Water 78

23 River Clyde 80

24 Gare Loch 89

25 Loch Long 92

26 Loch Fyne 95

27 West Loch Tarbert 99

28 Loch Sween 101

29 Loch Etive 104

30 Loch Linnhe 109

31 Kyle of Sutherland 116

32 Cromarty Firth 119

33 Beauly Firth 123

34 Firth of Tay 127

35 River Earn 132

36 River Forth 134

37 River Tyne 142

38 River Hull 149

39 River Ouse (Humber) 153

40 River Trent 158

41 River Nene 163

42 New Bedford River 167

43 River Bure 174

44 River Yare 179

45 River Waveney 186

46 River Alde 190

47 River Deben 194

48 River Orwell 197

49 River Stour 200

50 River Colne 202

51 River Blackwater 205

52 River Crouch 208

53 River Roach 211

54 River Thames 213

55 River Medway 236

56 River Great Stour 243

57 River Ouse (East Sussex) 247

58 River Adur 251

59 River Arun 254

60 Chichester Channel 257

61 Portsmouth Harbour 260

62 Southampton Water 268

63 Poole Harbour 272

64 The Fleet 276

65 River Exe 280

66 River Dart 282

67 River Tamar 286

68 Lynher River 291

69 River Fowey 293

70 Carrick Roads 297

Index 302

Contents


IntroductionTidal rivers are a unique part of our waterways system, waters which can be overlooked yet can also be very special places. They are where inland rivers finally morph into estuaries, tideways, havens, sea lochs, firths and kyles and then into open ocean, sometimes with aspects of both inland rivers and the sea, sometimes with conditions common to neither, but always memorable places.

They can be very different from each other. Such mighty and historically important rivers as the Thames, Medway, Mersey, Tyne and Clyde are worlds apart from small rivers which wind across flat coastal marshes, empty into rocky sea lochs or feed popular holiday inlets in the West Country. Some, such as the Severn and the Dee, have seen major changes to their natures during recent centuries from major transport links to places too silted up for craft of any size.

A surprise might be the number of superlatives related to these tidal rivers. Time after time we meet Britain’s, Europe’s or the world’s largest, oldest or other prime example of manmade or natural feature. They are often overlooked wildernesses on our doorsteps. Here are the best of human and natural environments, sometimes masquerading as muddy channels. It would be a mistake to ignore them.

Some can drain at their lower ends to leave water which may be too shallow to use and that is frequently lined with banks of silt, which can make landing impossible. However, all that mud is also a haven for birdlife and there is no better way to see it without causing disturbance than from a boat, from huge flocks of waders circling around to individual egrets picking carefully over what morsels are available. Higher reaches can be narrow and tree-lined or edged with reeds, places for more secretive birds to hide. Larger animals can also find refuge from people in what can be, literally, a no-man’s-land. Walkers and cyclists discover that visiting this environment can be a chance for them to leave the crowds behind, too, and get off the beaten track, perhaps following great embankments all day with just the sea and the broad sky for company, rarely meeting another person.

Yet other people have been here before and places now unimportant can be steeped in history and in stories which may or may not be fully believable. Kings, queens, Prime Ministers and notable names of lesser pedigree turn up in the most unexpected places.

In the way of adventure playgrounds, the lower ends of tidal rivers bring new challenges for users. Inland boaters have to face and be aware of tides and of ocean waves, which create new safety issues. Sometimes sailing in estuaries can also mean interaction with large craft and industrial or naval complexes. The offshore sailor used to the open ocean can be faced with limited channels and swift currents. Rivers can offer shelter from bad weather or can form traps from which it is hard to escape. Narrowing routes can be restricting for those under sail at the same time as avoiding craft restricted to fairways by their size. Once upstream of tidal water there can be a need for licences or matters of private ownership.

Walkers and cyclists also need to be aware of potential issues and sometimes be as informed about tides as are those on the water. Lack of bridges in remoter areas can be restricting, including over side channels. On the other hand, bridges can often be dramatic, some of our most impressive engineering.

Because of unfamiliar problems, estuaries are often ignored by those whose comfort zones restrict them to inland waters or to the open sea. Here there are challenges to be met but here is also a special environment which can be missed all too easily.

Stuart Fisher

5

Legend for maps

Featured riverOther canal or riverMotorwayOther roadRailway

Open water or sea

Inter-tidal zone

Built-up area

Woodland

Scale 1:200,000.North is always at the top.

PhotographsJim Chapman p270 bottomLes Chatfield p250 topBecky Fisher p263 top twoJim Linwood p275 topCraig Morley p267 bottomAngie Muldownie p270 top, p271David Shapter p195 top leftIain Simpson p249 bottom leftJohn Stratford p176 top leftDavid Striker p188 centreAll other photographs by the author.

By same authorCanals of Britain(abbreviated CoB in reference panels), 2009Inshore Britain, 2006

Footnote: In Scotland there is a right to use all waters at all times subject to reasonable behaviour, as is normal in most countries. The right to navigate tidal waters in England and Wales is generally undisputed. However, with the exception of a small minority of rivers, most of which require licences, it is claimed by some that there is no right of navigation on some 98 per cent of the non-tidal rivers in England and Wales. Research for a law degree by the Revd Dr Douglas Caffyn suggests that what is being applied is not the law but a series of errors made in the legal textbook A Treatise of the Law of Waters & of Sewers of 1830, when water transport was in decline and there was negligible recreational use of rivers, so the mistakes had less significance back then than they do today. Caffyn claims the right of navigation on inland waters in England and Wales has never been lost and has challenged anyone to dispute his findings. Nobody has done so, including DEFRA lawyers who have been reviewing his work since 2004. This book has deliberately restricted its scope to tidal waters, not least while waiting for DEFRA to resolve the legal confusion. For further information see caffynonrivers.co.uk if you are concerned about navigation rights upstream of the waters covered in this book.


The River Camel rises on Hendraburnick Down, just5km from Cornwall’s north coast. It flows south toBodmin, following thewestern edge ofBodminMoor,before turning northwest and returning to the northcoast.

The tidal limit is at Polbrock. The river quicklyruns out of momentum and has become placid by theconfluencewiththeRiverAllenwhichrisesneartotheCamel at Camelford and runs parallel all the way.TheCamel’sbanksarelinedwithsandinwhichbandsofpeatcan be seen and boats begin to appear on them.Thereswansandlapwingscongregateinflocks.

Wadebridge is the first place where more than ahandfulofhousesareseentogetherandisbasedaroundthe 17 arch bridge, of which 13 arches remain visible.The downstream half was built in the 15th century,makinguseofanislandintheriver.Beforethatitwasadangerousfordandtherewerechapelsateachendwheretravellerscouldpraybeforeattemptingthecrossing.Evennowtherearequitefastrapidsbeneaththebridgeatsomestagesofthetidealthoughthesedon’tseemtoworrytheornamentalducksontheisland.

Thereisachipshopontherightbankalthoughmostofthetownisontheleftbeyondachildren’splayground.Amongst other facilities are a supermarket and theBridgeonWoolpublichouse.Watersideindustryincludesboatyards, a builders’ yard and a coachworks. Slipwayscomedown to thewater by theoldquaybut theportwentintodeclinewiththesiltingupoftheriverandthecomingoftherailwayin1899.

In turn, the railway is nomore, havingnowbecometheWadebridge Padstow Path which follows the southbankoftheestuary.

The A39 passes high over the estuary on a recentbridge.

The tide is high and a sleepy Atlantic sendsExploring ripple on ripple down the Polzeath shore,

And the gathering dark is full of the thought of friendsI shall see no more.

John Betjeman

The bridge at Wadebridge has a tidal rapid beneath.

The tidal limit at Polbrock.

1 River CamelWhere St Petroc and Rick Stein landed

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The Royal Cornwall Showground, as befits thisagricultural centre, overlooks the estuary opposite theconfluence with the River Amble at Trewornan, atreelined cleft which is spoilt only by a caravan sitelocatedinit.

AwindmilldominatesthehilltopaboveTrevelverbutthemainfeatureoftheupperestuaryistheroundedbulkof Cant Hill with Cant Cove and Gentle Jane cuttingintoitstwoflanks.Thesouthbankistamebycomparison,itsmostobviousfeaturesbeingagreatheapofrockslabdebris and a three arched steel railway viaduct at thefoot of Dennis Hill which bears an obelisk to QueenVictoria.

Thewidestpartoftheestuaryisthepoolalthoughitcanstillhavestrongtidesofover6km/h.TheCamelisthelargestinletinnorthCornwallanditisalivewithsailing,waterskiingandothercraftinthesummer.RockSailing&Water Ski Club is based in an old grain warehousewhich is prominent behind the moorings in PorthillyCove.Strangely,Rock ispredominantly sand, justabouttheonlyplaceintheestuarynotdominatedbyrock.

InthesummerpassengerferriescrosstoPadstowandhavedone so sinceat least the14thcentury.Theyhavebecome an important link in the SouthWestPeninsulaCoast Path which follows down both banks of theestuary.

Theferries’routeintoPadstowisnowdictatedbytheTownBar anddifferent landingpoints areused athighandlowwater.Padstowhasanancientquayandafishingharbourusedbycoastersupto1,300tbutonlywhenthetidepermits.ItwasoncethemostthrivingportinnorthCornwall, handling fish, wine, slate, ores, timber andCornishemigrantstoAmerica.Itwasoneofthetownstowhichriotingtinminersheadedduringhardtimes.Nowit has dinghies, shark angling and powerful sightseeingboats which thunder off down the estuary. Until 1952ithad the largest lifeboat inBritain.Thecurrentone isbasedinanawardwinningbuildingof2007.TheNorthQuayhasasoberingshipwreckchart.Alobsterhatcheryislocatednearthelifeboatstation.

Associations with the sea have been long. St Petroc,sonofaWelshking,sailedfromWaleswith60followersto what became Petrocstow in the 6th century, struckwater from a rock and founded amonastery, sacked by

theVikings in 981. Padstow has been the ecclesiasticalcapital of Cornwall.The present St Petroc’s church of1425–50(withpartofthetowerfrommuchearlier)hasa 15th century font carved from blue Catacleuse stonewhichoutcropsnearTrevoseHead.IthascarvedscallopshellsonthepulpittorecordpilgrimstotheshrineofStJamesinSantiago.

SirWalterRaleighpresided in thecourthouseontheSouthQuaywhileWardenoftheStannariesofCornwallandmuchofthetownremainsunchangedwithnarrowstreets.OnMayDaythe’Obby’Osstakestothestreetsin theoldestdanceceremony in theBritish Isles,basedonpaganorigins.Museumexhibitsinthetownincludephotographsanddocumentsaboutthearea,toolsusedinshipping,agricultureandthehome,shipwrecks,maritimeandlifeboatthemes,acollectionofmineralsanditemsfromtheSouthernRailway.ChefRickSteinhasninedifferentrestaurants in the town. A tropical bird and butterflygardenhas200speciesoftropicalbirdsandacollectionofexoticandunusualplantsalthoughpalmsgrowquite

freely in thearea in themildclimate. There is acarnivalweekinJulyandtheCamelSailingWeektakesplaceinAugust.

A First World War memorialfaces a narrow part of the estuary.OppositeGunPointwithitsbunkersisBreaHill with some tumuli and the 14th century StEndoc’s church which was buried beneath sand dunes

The estuary below Cant Hill, drained at low water.

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Distance14km from Polbrock to Padstow Bay

OS 1:50,000 Sheet200 Newquay& Bodmin

Admiralty Charts1149 Pendeen to Trevose Head (1:75,000)1156 Trevose Head to Hartland Pt (1:75,000)1168 Harbours on N Coast of Cornwall. Approaches to Padstow (1:25,000). River Camel – Padstow to Wadebridge (1:25,000)

Tidal ConstantsWadebridge:HW Dover –0550, LW Dover –0220Padstow:HW Dover –0550, LW Dover –0540

Sea AreaLundy

RescueInshore lifeboat: RockAll weather lifeboat: Padstow

forhundredsofyearsandiswhereJohnBetjemanisburied.

TheDoomBarledtothedeclineofPadstowasa shipbuilding and tradingport, inconveniencingover300vesselswhich fell foulof it.Fedbytheeasterly longshore drift which brings sand intotheestuary,itchangesshapeaftergales,stormsorprolongedperiodsofnorthwesterlywindsandcancreateconditionstochallengeexpertsurfers.Thesea breaks on the bar at lowwater and at otherstages of the tide large breakers can roll up the

NarrowstobreakincolumnsofsprayatthesouthendofHarbourCoveifconditionsareright.

ThecoastguardstationatHawker’sCovewasformerlythelifeboatstationbeforeitbecametoosiltedup.Thereisa12mdaymarkonStepperPoint.

Iftheseaisrough,DaymerBayisthelastsafelandingpoint,kitesurferspermitting.DepositsofglacialtilloutcropatTrebetherickandthebeachisbackedbycliffs.Surfingisbannedfromthebeach.

Ahead liesPentirePoint,composedofknobblypillowlavas, and the prominent island of Newland. Exit ispossible inHayleBayatPolzeathbut thegroundswell isalmost always present, the bay faces west and if there issurf anywhere in north Cornwall it will be found hereasittrapsthewaves.Thesurfisatitsbiggestaroundlowtideand,althoughitsbreakisnotasfastassome,itcanbebig.Wavesof2–3mrolling inat theendsof thedayarenotunusual.

Near to hand are a large car park, the Galleon Caféand takeaway, stores, supermarket and toilets with hotshowers.

Newland, Pentire Point and Hayle Bay at Polzeath.

The Rock Sailing & Water Ski Club clubhouse is a listed building, a former grain warehouse.

Rivers of Britain

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facestheriveraboveBidefordwheretherockhasbeencutbacktoaccommodatetheroad.

Bideford is best known for its Grade I listed LongBridge,carryingtheB3233.ItalsocarriestheSouthwestCoastPathwhichfollowsbothbanksdownstream.Ithadbeen planned to build the bridge 800m upstream butWestward Ho!relateshowthematerialsweremoveddowneach night until an angel told the parson, Sir RichardGurney, to build it where the materials were left, asaresultfindingtheonlyfirmfoundationsinthevicinity.

2 River TorridgeFighting the Spaniards, fact and fiction

TheRiverTorridge ishometotwomajorbooks,Tarka the Otter andWestward Ho! It is the latterwhich relatesparticularly to theestuaryalthoughTarkadoes swim itslength.

The Torridge rises on Welsford Moor and flowssoutheastthennorthacrossDevontotheRiverTaw.ItistidalfromHalfpennyBridgeatAnneryKiln,atollbridgeinthepast.

Initiallytherearestonerapids,drowningoutasthetiderises,butthesesoongivewaytomudflatsedgedbyreeds.Numbers of salmon and trout in the river have beenmuchreducedbyfarmpollution.

The Torrington or Rolle Canal joins beneathpowerlines. In use from 1825 to 1871, it brought tubboats down from Torrington, exporting agriculturalproduce and importing limestone andcoal.RestorationcanbeseenatSeaLockanditsbasin.

A wooded reach results in dead trees lying in theshallowsoneachsideoftheriverbutitiswideenoughforthesenottocauseobstruction.

TheA386cutsacrossaloopoftheriveratLandcross,sceneoftheduelbetweenWillCaryandDonGuzmanin Westward Ho! Mallards and kingfishers are foundaroundthesaltmarshwith its seaaster, levéesprotectingtheinsidesofbendsalthoughsteepwoodsconstraintheoutsidesofbendsbelowHallspill.Ottersarestillpresentontheriver,asareherons.

Abridgewhichformerlycarriedarailwaytotakeclayfrom Meeth to Bideford quay now has nothing moreonerous than a cycle trackover it.TheRiverYeo joinsimmediatelybelowit,nearoldlimekilns.

The roadcomesbackalongsideanda significantcliff

The tidal limit rapid at Annery Kiln bridge.

So Lord Howard past away with five ships of war that day,Till he melted like a cloud in the silent summer heaven;But Sir Richard bore in hand all his sick men from the landVery carefully and slow,Men of Bideford in Devon,and we laid them on the ballast down below;Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Restoration of the bottom lock on the Torrington Canal.

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Builtin1286intimber,ithadmasonryaddedaroundtheoutsideinabout1500.Therearetwodozenpointedarches,3.7–7.6mwide.Eachwasdonatedby adifferentvillage,thesizereflectingthesizeofthesponsoringvillage.Thisprovidesquitearestrictionontheflow,resultinginadropofupto300mminthewaterlevelatthebridge.In1968thetwoarchesattheBidefordendcollapsed.Becauseofchlorideattacktothe1925cantileveredconcretefootwaysit has one of the largest cathodic protection systems ofitskind in thecountry. It takes the local churchbell22

seconds to strike8o’clockanda race isheld across thebridgeeachJunetotrytobeattheclock.

This is the start of the Port of Bideford.The townreceiveditscharterin1272anditwasBritain’sthirdlargestportbythe16thcentury.SirRichardGrenville’sRevengewas crewed by Bideford men and a brass plate in thechurchbythebridgerecordshowhediedfromwoundswhilefighting15Spanishshipsin1591.ThechurchalsohasamedievaltowerandaNormanfontwhichwasusedtobaptizethefirstRedIndianinEngland.

In the17th century therewaswool tradewithSpainand between 1700 and 1755 it imported more tobaccothanLondondid,tradingwiththeWestIndiesandNorthAmerica.Smallcoastersnowexportballclayandimportfertilizerandgravel.Fishingvesselsalsousethequayandthe passenger ferry MV Oldenburg operates to Lundy.Shipping movements and loads are posted, the publicbeingallowedtousethetreelinedquaywhenloadingisnottakingplace.

Charles Kingsley wrote part of Westward Ho! in theRoyalHotel,formerlyamerchant’shouse.Anotherhotelis the Rose ofTorridge, Rose Salterne, Westward Ho!’sbeauty,havingthatappellation.

VictoriaParkhasanArmadacannon.TheBurtonArtGallery&Museumhas shipmodels (including somebyNapoleonic prisoners of war), shells, paintings, ceramicsand pewter. Old Ford House hasWest Country crafts.BidefordwaswhereSusannaEdwards,MaryTremblesandTemperance Lloyd were convicted as witches in 1682,mostlyon theirownevidenceas they seemed tohaveadeathwish.

AttheotherendofBidefordBridgeisEast-the-Water,

Bideford Bridge, the Long Bridge, undergoes repairs.

Fallen trees along the edge of the river at Landcross.

The steep wooded bank below Hallspill.

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home of the 1900 trading schooner SV Kathleen & May, the last registeredWest Country merchant topsailschooner.Thethreemasterwasretiredin1960andisnowamuseumpiece.Thereisalsorestoredrailwaytrackwithadiesel engine, a buffet carriage, a carriagehousing theRailwayCarriageVisitorCentreandareplicasignalboxcontainingBidefordRailwayMuseum.

Flood embankment protects the salterns as the 1987Torridge Bridge carries theA39 high over the estuary.Cliffsoverlookthewaterwithwrecksandactivitywhichrangesfromrowingtowaterskiing,waterwherethedepthchangesfrequently.Herringandblackbackedgulls,egretsandcormorantssupervisethemud.

AtWestleigh is theWilliam&MaryhouseofTapeleywithfine18thcenturyceilings,porcelainandfurniture.Itis set in8haof the19thcenturyGeorgianTapeleyParkGardenswithItalianterraces,shellhouseandicehouse.

A history of shipbuilding is ongoing at NorthamwhereAppledoreShipbuildersuse the1969 shedwhichforms Europe’s largest covered shipyard, handling craftto13,000t,bulkcarriers, supplyvessels and survey ships.Local craftsmen have built replicas of a Roman galley,aViking longboat, the Golden Hinde and the Nonsuch,the shipwhich led to the foundingof theHudsonBayCompany in1668.The area featured inKipling’s Stalkystories.

TheRoyalMarinesuselandingcraftfromZetaBerthon the opposite shore. In earlier days it was limekilnswhichwereacentreofboatingactivity.

Appledorehashadsalmonfishingforoveramillenniumalthough bass, cockles, winkles and scallops are morecommonthesedays.SomehousesinAppledorearefromthe16thcenturybutmost,oftencolour-washed,are19thcentury.The1846quaytakes ships to800t. ItwasmadeafreeportbyElizabethIforitspartinhelpingtodefeattheArmada.Itbuilt200NapoleonicWarshipsin15yearsbut shortages of wood in the 19th century resulted inAppledoremengoing toPrinceEdward Island tobuild

their boats and then sailing them home.TheNorth Devon Maritime Museum in OdunHouse, formerly the home of shipowners,merchants and mariners, covers naval andmerchantmarineservices,fishing,shipbuilding,PrinceEdwardIsland,rescue,piloting,Vikings,wrecking and local smuggling with tools,models and paintings. A 1948 Appledoresalmonboatisararesurvivor,itbeingusualtoburnthemwhentheirownersdied.ThereisanAppledoreBookFestivalintheautumn.

ApassengerferrycrossestoInstowwithits17thcenturyquay.Arare1873signalboxislistedbutthelevelcrossingis now used for a cycleway crossing a road, a situationbecomingmorecommonthesedays.InstowattractsartistsforthelightandcricketersfortheNorthDevonCricketClub. Instow Sands lead to dunes and wooden leadinglighttowersattheendofthePortofBidefordastheRiverTawisjoined.

The Torridge Bridge takes the A39 clear of Bideford and its medieval crossing.

The Kathleen&May moored at East-the-Water.

Bideford waterfront. The Rose of Torridge was the discredited heroine of WestwardHo!

Distance11km from Annery Kiln to the River Taw

OS 1:50,000 Sheets180 Barnstaple& Ilfracombe190 Bude & Clovelly

Admiralty Charts1160 Harbours in Somerset & N Devon. Barnstaple & Bideford (1:25,000)1164 Hartland Pt to Ilfracombe inc Lundy (1:75,000)

Tidal ConstantsBideford:HW Dover –0520, LW Dover –0500Appledore:Dover –0520

Sea AreaLundy

RescueInshore lifeboat: AppledoreAll weather lifeboat: Appledore

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