This is a list of named rivers that flow either wholly or partially within the boundaries of the four ceremonial counties that form Yorkshire. There are twenty five rivers of at least in total. The majority of these waterways lie wholly within the county boundaries, except for; the Ribble, which flows into the Irish Sea at Lytham; the Rother, whose source is located in Derbyshire Peak District; the Greta, which flows into Lancashire to join the River Lune; and the Tees, which flows partly within County Durham and forms some of the boundary with North Yorkshire.
The direction of stream flow in Yorkshire is influenced by the three major drainage divides. The Pennines in the west and south, the North York Moors in the north-east and the Yorkshire Wolds, the coastal range of hills on the east. This represents a large drainage area that mostly flows into the Vale of York and into the North Sea via the Humber estuary. Though an estuary, the Humber is often referred to as a river.
The Humber river system is tidal as far inland as Naburn Lock on the River Ouse, Knottingley on the River Aire and Askern on the River Don. The Humber has the second largest tidal range in the UK at . The largest is the Bristol Channel at nearly double that range.
Source data for the table below came from the National Environment Research Council Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Ordnance Survey, Environment Agency and Google Earth. In the table, total lengths are given in miles (mi) and kilometres (km), and elevations are in feet (ft) and metres (m). River lengths are taken from actual source when wholly within the Yorkshire County boundary, else measured from where the river enters or leaves the county.
Images
List The use of the term source in this list is taken to mean the point at which the name of the river is first used on Ordnance Survey maps.
Key River length within county only
Name Total length Mouth Mouth coordinates Mouth elevation Source Source coordinates Source elevation Catchment AreaAire km71 milesRiver Ouse, Yorkshire near Airmyn m9.8 ftMalham Tarn m1,237 ft km²331 sq milesArkle Beck km approxRiver Swale at Reeth mArkengarthdale Moor mAshfold Side Beck km ApproxRiver Nidd near Pateley Bridge mAshfold Gill Head mBain km2.45 milesRiver Ure near Bainbridge m690 ftSemer Water m827 ftNot availableBarney Beck km approxRiver Swale at Healaugh mReeth High MoormNot availableBirkdale Beck km approxRiver Swale near Keld mBeck Meetings mNot availableBishopdale Beck km approxRiver Ure near Aysgarth mDale Head mNot availableRiver Burn km approxRiver Ure at Masham mMasham Moor mCalder km44 milesRiver Aire m46 ftHeald Moor, near Todmorden m720 ft km²360 sq milesColne km12.8 milesRiver Calder near Bradley m171 ftConfluence of Redbrook Clough and Haigh Clough m768 ft km²95 sq milesCover km14 milesRiver Ure near Middleham m322 ftGreat Hunters Sleets near Woodale m1,598 ftNot availableCrimple km River Nidd near Wetherby mCrimple Head Farm mDearne km32.2 milesRiver Don near Conisbrough m56 ftBirdsedge near Denby Dale m1,047 ft km²120 sq milesDerwent km71.5 milesRiver Ouse at Barmby on the Marsh m33 ftDerwent Head near RAF Fylingdales m850 ft km²631 sq milesDibb km3.2 milesRiver Wharfe near Appletreewick m469 ftGrimwith Reservoir m830 ft km²9.8 sq milesDoe km3.68 milesConfluence with River Twiss at Ingleton m387 ftGod's Bridge near Chapel-Le-Dale m768 ftNot availableDon km70.9 milesRiver Ouse at Goole m9.8 ftConfluence of Great Grains Clough and Black Grough near Winscar Reservoir, Dunford Bridge m1,365 ft km²485 sq milesDove, Nth Yorks km18.78 miilesRiver Rye near Salton m79 ftFarndale Moor, Nth Yorkshire m1,220 ft km²22.9 sq miles Dove, Sth Yorks km4.92 milesRiver Dearne near Darfield, South Yorkshire m72 ftWorsbrough Reservoir m184 ftNot availableEarby BeckRiver Aire near Skipton mFoulridge mNot availableEastburn BeckKellythorpe mKirkburn mNot availableEller BeckBeck Hole mAllerston High Moor mNot availableEshton BeckGargrave mWinterburn mNot availableEsk km28 milesNorth Sea at Whitby m0 ftThe Esklets near Westerdale m823 ft km²119 sq milesEwden BeckRiver Don at Wharncliffe Side mMargery Hill mNot availableFoss km19 milesRiver Ouse, York m39 ftNear Oulston Reservoir, Yearsley m520 ft km²46 sq milesFoulness km15.85 miMarket Weighton Canal m3 ftShiptonthorpe m 66 ftN/AGreta km4.69 milesLeaves Yorkshire near Burton-in-Lonsdale m210 ftConfluence of River Doe and River Twiss at Ingleton m387 ft km²33.2 sq milesHedon Haven/Burstwick DrainPaullElstronwick Hertford km approxRiver Derwent at Binnington Carr mHunmanby mHolme km8.61 milesRiver Colne at Huddersfield m236 ftHolmbridge m617 ft km²37.6 sq milesHow Stean Beck km ApproxRiver Nidd at Lofthouse m mHull km29.11 milesHumber estuary at Kingston upon Hull m0 ftConfluence of Driffield Trout Stream and Little Driffield Beck m56 ft km²146 sq milesHumber km38.5 milesNorth Sea at Spurn Head m0 ftTrent Falls m0 ftNot available without Trent BasinKyle km5.78 milesRiver Ouse near Newton-on-Ouse m36 ftConfluence of Derrings Beck and Carle Beck near Tholthorpe m39 ftNot availableLaver km9.3 milesRiver Skell near Ripon m108 ftConfluence of North Gill Beck and South Gill Beck at Dallowgill m560 ftNot availableLeven km28.7 milesRiver Tees near Yarm m52 ftKildale Moor, Nth Yorks m915 ft km²75.8 sq milesLittle Don River km approxRiver Don near Stocksbridge mHarden Moor mLoxley km9.9 milesRiver Don, South Yorkshire at Owlerton m190 ftDamflask Reservoir near Stacey Bank m436 ft km²27 sq milesNidd km59.31 milesRiver Ouse, Yorkshire at Nun Monkton m43 ftNidd Heads on Great Whernside m2,170 ft km²199 sq milesOuse km52 milesTrent Falls m0 ftRiver Ure at Cuddy Shaw Reach m39 ft km²1,280 sq milesRibble km23.91 milesCounty Border near Swinden m384 ftRibble Head m950 ft km²79 sq milesRiccall km11.41 milesRiver Rye m79 ftConfluence of Bonfield Gill and Bogmire Gill near Helmsley m430 ft km²22.2 sq milesRivelin km4.23 milesRiver Loxley m253 ftRivelin Dams near Sheffield m676 ftNot availableRother km10.42 milesRiver Don at Rotherham m85 ftCounty Boundary at Eckington m154 ft km²136 sq milesRyburn km7.1 milesRiver Calder at Sowerby Bridge m260 ftConfluence of unnamed stream and Black Castle Clough near Rishworth m1,184 ft sq milesRye km38.2 milesRiver Derwent near Malton m62 ftRye Head near Osmotherley m991 ft km²262 sq milesRyton km2.1 milesCounty Border with Nottinghamshire m157 ftConfluence of Anston Brook and Pudding Dike m233 ft km²30 sq milesSeven km21.7 milesRiver Rye m72 ftDanby High Moor near Rosedale Abbey m1,080 ft km²47 sq milesSheaf km6 milesRiver Don m174 ftConfluence of Oldhay Brook and Totley Brook m469 ft km²19 sq milesSkell km12 milesRiver Ure near Ripon m75 ftHowson Ridge near Wath-in-Nidderdale m1150 ftNot availableSkirfare km9.47 milesRiver Wharfe m646 ftConfluence of Foxup Beck and Cosh Beck m1,027 ftNot availableSpen km5 milesRiver Calder at Dewsbury m138 ftConfluence of Hunsworth Beck and Nann Hall Beck in Cleckheaton m266 ft km²17.9 sq milesSwale km73.2 milesRiver Ure m36.09 ftConfluence of Birkdale Beck and Great Sleddale Beck m1,200 ft km²526 sq milesTees km54.9 milesNorth Sea at Redcar m0 ft Enters Yorkshire at Gainford m220 ft km²488 sq milesTutt km approxRiver Ure at Boroughbridge mNidd mTwiss km2.59 milesConfluence with River Doe at Ingleton m387 ftKeld Head km866 ftNot availableUre km73 milesCuddy Shaw Reach where renamed to River Ouse m39 ftUre Head near Abbotside m2,083 ft km²353.1 sq milesWashburn km16 milesRiver Wharfe near Pool m161 ftWashburn Head m1,283 ft km²54.2 sq milesWenning km approxYorkshire/Lancashire boundary at Bentham mClapham mWharfe km60 milesRiver Ouse at Wharfe's Mouth, near Cawood m16 ftBeckermonds, Langstrothdale Chase m1,020 ft km²316 sq milesWent km16.6 milesRiver Don near Snaith m16 ftConfluence of Went Beck and Hessle Beck at Low Ackworth m105 ft km²33.7 sq milesWiske km29.1 milesRiver Swale near Kirby Wiske m69 ftConfluence of Stony Lane Beck and Carr Beck near Ingleby Arncliffe m226 ft km²83.2 sq milesWorth km9.4 milesRiver Aire near Keighley m289 ftWatersheddles Reservoir m1,079 ft km²27.7 sq miles
Map
Sources
Ordnance Survey Open Viewer https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/business-government/tools-support/open-data-support Google Earth National Environment Research Council - Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Environment Agency Map of main rivers
References