My Project 365 - 56

My Project 365 - 56

A Favourite Place.

I took a little detour on the way home tonight, to one of my favourite places. A well visited spot on The River Swale.




This is the beautiful Richmond Falls. The water level has dropped in recent days so the falls are quite sedate at the moment. They are definitely best when there's been a lot of rain up Swaledale. I'm lead to believe that the Swale is one of the fastest rising rivers in the country. That log has been hanging around for a good while now and it doesn't look like it's going any time soon, although i think it has shifted position a little.

The River Swale is a river in Yorkshire, England and a major tributary of the River Ure, which itself becomes the River Ouse, emptying into the North Sea via the Humber Estuary.
The name Swale is from the Anglo-Saxon word Sualuae meaning rapid and liable to deluge. Annual rainfall figures of 1800mm p.a. in the headwaters and 1300mm p.a. in the lower waters over a drop of 148m in 32 km, gives proof to its name. The river gives its name to the valley through which it flows, namely Swaledale.

The source of the River Swale is at the confluence of the Birkdale Beck and the Great Sleddale Beck. The river flows north-north-east past lead mines on its northern bank and the end of Whitsundale and then easterly towards the first of many waterfalls in the headwaters. After flowing over Wain Wath Force the river continues south-east over Hoggarts Leap and Catrake Force near Keld, before it reaches East Gill Force and Kisdon Force. Shortly after Swinner Gill joins the river it swings sharply south towards the village of Muker where Straw Beck joins and the river turns east again. The river flows past Gunnerside towards Feetham where it turns north-east for a short while before returning east past Healuagh, Reeth and Grinton. The river then swings gently south-east and east below Marrick before turning north-eastward and then north past Marske.
It eventually returns eastward near Hudswell before it flows past the main town of the valley, Richmond. The river then starts a series of long south-east meanders past Brompton-on-Swale and under the A1 at Catterick Bridge before turning south past Catterick. The river continues long south and south-east meanders past Thrintoft and Morton-on-Swale. As it starts to pursue a more constant southerly flow it is joined by the River Wiske before passing Skipton-on-Swale, Catton, Topcliffe and Asenby. It then flows past Helperby and Myton-On-Swale before joining the River Ure.



Den