River Fowey
| River Fowey | ||
 River Fowey catchment area |
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| Data | ||
| location | Cornwall | |
| River system | River Fowey | |
| source | at Brown Willy 50 ° 35 ′ 28 " N , 4 ° 35 ′ 51" W. |
|
| Source height | 290 m | |
| muzzle | at Fowey in the English Channel coordinates: 50 ° 19 ′ 41 ″ N , 4 ° 38 ′ 33 ″ W 50 ° 19 ′ 41 ″ N , 4 ° 38 ′ 33 ″ W. |
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| Mouth height | 0 m | |
| Height difference | 290 m | |
| Bottom slope | 6.6 ‰ | |
| length | 44 km | |
| Catchment area | 177.5 km² | |
| Left tributaries | River Lerryn | |
| Right tributaries | Cardinham Water, St Neot River, Warleggan River | |
| Small towns | Lostwithiel , Fowey | |
| Ports | Fowey | |
 The mouth of the river at Fowey |
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The River Fowey is a river in Cornwall in south-west Great Britain .
geography
The River Fowey has one of the largest drainage basins in South Cornwall. It drains an approximately 177.5 km² area of the southern and central Bodmin Moors , where it rises east of the Brown Willy . The river flows south from the rainy Bodmin Moor, fed by numerous small tributaries. The A30 crosses the River Fowey with a bridge at Palmersbridge . The river leaves Bodmin Moor via the Golitha Falls and now flows in a south-westerly direction through a narrow, forested river valley into which the St Neot and Warleggan Rivers flow. The now much larger river passes Lanhydrock House and Restormel Castle, which is located on a hill high above the river . From Lostwithiel the River Fowey flows south again. As far as the city, the tides make themselves felt in the lower course of the river. The river finally turns into a deeply cut and up to 400 m wide estuary into which the largest tributary, the River Lerryn, as well as the Penpoll Creek and the Pont Pill Creek flowing in a long side bay flow. At the town of Fowey , the river finally flows into the English Channel in another 200 m wide estuary .
The normal water level in the middle reaches of the River Fowey at Restormel fluctuates between 0.24 and 1.50 m, the maximum water level was 2.28 m.
geology
The headwaters of the river consist of volcanic granite rock. The river leaves the granite region over the waterfalls of the Golitha Falls and flows on through the slate layers of the Devonian and finally through gravel banks in the lower reaches. The fjord-like estuary was formed at the end of the last ice age 10,000 years ago .
environment
The river flows through heathland , moors and pastureland in the upper reaches of the Bodmin Moor and through deciduous and coniferous forests in the middle and lower reaches. The catchment area is rural, the only larger settlement areas are Lostwithiel and the region around Fowey. There are four Sites of Special Scientific Interest within the catchment area , and most of the upper reaches are designated as Area of Great Scientific Value . The area around the Golitha Falls is protected as a National Nature Reserve . The region around the mouth of the river is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . The Draynes Valley on the upper reaches is protected as a spawning area for sea trout and salmon . Peal Pool in Coulson's Park at Lostwithiel is a popular fishing spot for salmon and sea trout. Sea bass , flounder and mullet can also be caught in the lower reaches and in the estuary due to the influence of the tides .
Due to the copper mining in the Middle Ages and modern times, as well as the extensive mining of kaolin in the river's catchment area since the 19th century , the water was polluted with metal-containing deposits and sediments for a long time. Some of the numerous abandoned, partly water-filled opencast mines and spoil heaps were successfully renatured like Hawks Tor . Contaminated sediments continue to originate from other abandoned open-cast mines, but no longer pose a significant threat to the water quality.
economy
There are two drinking water reservoirs on the upper reaches, Colliford and Siblyback Reservoir , which provide drinking water for about 65% of the Cornish population.
From the medieval bridge from Lostwithiel to the mouth, the river is navigable by boat. At Fowey, the river forms a natural deep-water harbor and several marinas. The port can accommodate cruise ships up to 205 m in length and cargo ships up to 13,000 tn.l. Load capacity are started.
There are no more bridges over the river between Lostwithiel and the estuary 9 km away. There is a car ferry between Fowey and Brodinick and a passenger ferry between Fowey and Polruan .
history
The port of Fowey was at times the main port of Cornwall in the Middle Ages. It served as a port of departure for military campaigns and as a base for pirates. The narrow estuary could be blocked in the late Middle Ages with the help of a chain that was stretched between the Fowey and the Polruan Blockhouse . To protect the harbor, St Catherine's Castle was built at the port entrance in the 16th century .
The region of the upper reaches is designated as an Area of Great Historical Value because of its mining past .
Web links
- Cornwall Rivers. An educational resource for all key stages: Fowey and Lerryn
- Cornwall rivers: Fower River Journey
Individual evidence
- ^ Environment Agency: River Fowey at Restormel. Retrieved July 18, 2014 .
- ^ National Trust: The Fowey Estuary - a landscape to explore. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on July 25, 2014 ; Retrieved July 16, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Cornwall rivers: fowey river journey. Retrieved July 16, 2014 .
- ^ Fowey Harbor, General Information / History. Retrieved July 9, 2014 .
- ↑ Lanteglos: History of Fowey. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on July 14, 2014 ; Retrieved July 16, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
