List of rivers of Yorkshire

View of the River Ouse in York from Lendal Bridge

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 20 kilometres (12 mi) 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 River Humber. Though named a river, the Humber is considered to be an estuary.

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 River Humber has the second largest tidal range in the UK at 7.2 metres (24 ft). 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

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  The River Esk at Whitby

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  The River Aire and the Leeds-Liverpool canal in Leeds

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  River Sheaf joins River Don at Sheffield

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  Tidal Barrier on River Hull at Kingston upon Hull

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  Victoria Bridge on River Tees in Stockton-On-Tees

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  The road bridge at Stamford Bridge over the River Derwent

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  River Wharfe at Tadcaster

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  Richmond Castle and the River Swale

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  River Ure at Boroughbridge

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  River Nidd and railway viaduct at Knaresborough

Panorama of the River Humber including the Humber Bridge.

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 Area
Aire	114 km 71 miles	River Ouse, Yorkshire near Airmyn		3 m 9.8 ft	Malham Tarn		377 m 1,237 ft	856 km² 331 sq miles
Arkle Beck	17 km approx	River Swale at Reeth	NY 987 030	177 m	Arkengarthdale Moor	NY 989 088	477 m
Ashfold Side Beck	9 km Approx	River Nidd near Pateley Bridge	SE 152 664	117 m	Ashfold Gill Head	SE 073 685	504 m
Bain	3.95 km 2.45 miles	River Ure near Bainbridge		210 m 690 ft	Semer Water		252 m 827 ft	Not available
Barney Beck	6 km approx	River Swale at Healaugh	SE 015 984	186 m	Reeth High Moor	NY 963 012	451m	Not available
Birkdale Beck	6 km approx	River Swale near Keld	NY 872 013	341 m	Beck Meetings	NY 820 035	455 m	Not available
Bishopdale Beck	11 km approx	River Ure near Aysgarth	SE 019 879	144 m	Dale Head	SD 961 826	218 m	Not available
River Burn	13 km approx	River Ure at Masham	SE 230 797	70 m	Masham Moor	SE 113 799	292 m
Calder	71 km 44 miles	River Aire		14 m 46 ft	Heald Moor, near Todmorden		220 m 720 ft	930 km² 360 sq miles
Colne	20.6 km 12.8 miles	River Calder near Bradley		52 m 171 ft	Confluence of Redbrook Clough and Haigh Clough		234 m 768 ft	245 km² 95 sq miles
Cover	22 km 14 miles	River Ure near Middleham		98 m 322 ft	Great Hunters Sleets near Woodale		487 m 1,598 ft	Not available
River Crimple	22 km approx	River Nidd near Wetherby	SE 405 531	21 m	Crimple Head Farm	SE 247 519	221 m
Dearne	51.9 km 32.2 miles	River Don near Conisbrough		17 m 56 ft	Birdsedge near Denby Dale		319 m 1,047 ft	310.8 km² 120 sq miles
Derwent	115.1 km 71.5 miles	River Ouse at Barmby on the Marsh		10 m 33 ft	Derwent Head near RAF Fylingdales		260 m 850 ft	1,634 km² 631 sq miles
Dibb	5.2 km 3.2 miles	River Wharfe near Appletreewick		143 m 469 ft	Grimwith Reservoir		253 m 830 ft	25.5 km² 9.8 sq miles
Doe	5.92 km 3.68 miles	Confluence with River Twiss at Ingleton		118 m 387 ft	God's Bridge near Chapel-Le-Dale		234 m 768 ft	Not available
Don	114.1 km 70.9 miles	River Ouse at Goole		3 m 9.8 ft	Confluence of Great Grains Clough and Black Grough near Winscar Reservoir, Dunford Bridge		416 m 1,365 ft	1,256.2 km² 485 sq miles
Dove, Nth Yorks	30.22 km 18.78 miiles	River Rye near Salton		24 m 79 ft	Farndale Moor, Nth Yorkshire		372 m 1,220 ft	59.2 km² 22.9 sq miles
Dove, Sth Yorks	7.91 km 4.92 miles	River Dearne near Darfield, South Yorkshire		22 m 72 ft	Worsbrough Reservoir		56 m 184 ft	Not available
Esk	45 km 28 miles	North Sea at Whitby		0 m 0 ft	The Esklets near Westerdale		251 m 823 ft	308 km² 119 sq miles
Foss	31 km 19 miles	River Ouse, York		12 m 39 ft	Near Oulston Reservoir, Yearsley		160 m 520 ft	118 km² 46 sq miles
Foulness	25.51 km 15.85 mi	Market Weighton Canal		1 m 3 ft	Shiptonthorpe		20 m 66 ft	N/A
Greta	7.55 km 4.69 miles	Leaves Yorkshire near Burton-in-Lonsdale		64 m 210 ft	Ingleton		118 m 387 ft	86.1 km² 33.2 sq miles
Hertford	16 km approx	River Derwent at Binnington Carr	SE 970 789	23 m	Hunmanby	TA 110 771	49 m
Holme	13.86 km 8.61 miles	River Colne at Huddersfield		72 m 236 ft	Holmbridge		188 m 617 ft	97.4 km² 37.6 sq miles
How Stean Beck	6 km Approx	River Nidd at Lofthouse	SE 102730	157 m		055 728	338 m
Hull	46.84 km 29.11 miles	River Humber at Kingston upon Hull		0 m 0 ft	Confluence of Driffield Trout Stream and Little Driffield Beck		17 m 56 ft	378.1 km² 146 sq miles
Humber	61.9 km 38.5 miles	North Sea at Spurn Head		0 m 0 ft	Trent Falls		0 m 0 ft	Not available without Trent Basin
Kyle	9.31 km 5.78 miles	River Ouse near Newton-on-Ouse		11 m 36 ft	Confluence of Derrings Beck and Carle Beck near Tholthorpe		12 m 39 ft	Not available
Laver	15 km 9.3 miles	River Skell near Ripon		33 m 108 ft	Confluence of North Gill Beck and South Gill Beck at Dallowgill		170 m 560 ft	Not available
Leven	46.2 km 28.7 miles	River Tees near Yarm		16 m 52 ft	Kildale Moor, Nth Yorks		279 m 915 ft	196.3 km² 75.8 sq miles
Little Don River	14 km approx	River Don near Stocksbridge	SK 290 979	132 m	Harden Moor	SK 169 993	348 m
Loxley	16 km 9.9 miles	River Don, South Yorkshire at Owlerton		58 m 190 ft	Damflask Reservoir near Stacey Bank		133 m 436 ft	43.5 km² 27 sq miles
Nidd	95.45 km 59.31 miles	River Ouse, Yorkshire at Nun Monkton		13 m 43 ft	Nidd Heads on Great Whernside		660 m 2,170 ft	516 km² 199 sq miles
Ouse	84 km 52 miles	Trent Falls		0 m 0 ft	River Ure at Cuddy Shaw Reach		12 m 39 ft	3,315 km² 1,280 sq miles
Ribble	38.48 km 23.91 miles	County Border near Swinden		117 m 384 ft	Ribble Head		290 m 950 ft	204 km² 79 sq miles
Riccall	18.36 km 11.41 miles	River Rye		24 m 79 ft	Confluence of Bonfield Gill and Bogmire Gill near Helmsley		130 m 430 ft	57.6 km² 22.2 sq miles
Rivelin	6.81 km 4.23 miles	River Loxley		77 m 253 ft	Rivelin Dams near Sheffield		206 m 676 ft	Not available
Rother	16.77 km 10.42 miles	River Don at Rotherham		26 m 85 ft	County Boundary at Eckington		47 m 154 ft	352.2 km² 136 sq miles
Ryburn	11.4 km 7.1 miles	River Calder at Sowerby Bridge		80 m 260 ft	Confluence of unnamed stream and Black Castle Clough near Rishworth		361 m 1,184 ft	13 sq miles
Rye	61.5 km 38.2 miles	River Derwent near Malton		19 m 62 ft	Rye Head near Osmotherley		302 m 991 ft	679 km² 262 sq miles
Ryton	3.4 km 2.1 miles	County Border with Nottinghamshire		48 m 157 ft	Confluence of Anston Brook and Pudding Dike		71 m 233 ft	77 km² 30 sq miles
Seven	34.9 km 21.7 miles	River Rye		22 m 72 ft	Danby High Moor near Rosedale Abbey		330 m 1,080 ft	121.6 km² 47 sq miles
Sheaf	9.6 km 6 miles	River Don		53 m 174 ft	Confluence of Oldhay Brook and Totley Brook		143 m 469 ft	49.1 km² 19 sq miles
Skell	19 km 12 miles	River Ure near Ripon		23 m 75 ft	Howson Ridge near Wath-in-Nidderdale		350 m 1150 ft	Not available
Skirfare	15.24 km 9.47 miles	River Wharfe		197 m 646 ft	Confluence of Foxup Beck and Cosh Beck		313 m 1,027 ft	Not available
Spen	8 km 5 miles	River Calder at Dewsbury		42 m 138 ft	Confluence of Hunsworth Beck and Nann Hall Beck in Cleckheaton		81 m 266 ft	46.3 km² 17.9 sq miles
Swale	117.8 km 73.2 miles	River Ure		11 m 36.09 ft	Confluence of Birkdale Beck and Great Sleddale Beck		366 m 1,200 ft	1,363 km² 526 sq miles
Tees	88.4 km 54.9 miles	North Sea at Redcar		0 m 0 ft	Enters Yorkshire at Gainford		67 m 220 ft	1,264 km² 488 sq miles
River Tutt	12 km approx	River Ure at Boroughbridge	SE 396 669	11 m	Scotton	SE 324 592	61 m
Twiss	4.17 km 2.59 miles	Confluence with River Doe at Ingleton		118 m 387 ft	Keld Head		264 km 866 ft	Not available
Ure	118 km 73 miles	Cuddy Shaw Reach where renamed to River Ouse		12 m 39 ft	Ure Head near Abbotside		635 m 2,083 ft	914.6 km² 353.1 sq miles
Washburn	26 km 16 miles	River Wharfe near Pool		49 m 161 ft	Washburn Head		391 m 1,283 ft	87.3 km² 54.2 sq miles
Wenning	13 km approx	Yorkshire/Lancashire boundary at Bentham	SD 623 698	54 m	Clapham	SD 744 673	124 m
Wharfe	97 km 60 miles	River Ouse at Wharfe's Mouth, near Cawood		4.9 m 16 ft	Beckermonds, Langstrothdale Chase		310 m 1,020 ft	818 km² 316 sq miles
Went	26.7 km 16.6 miles	River Don near Snaith		5 m 16 ft	Confluence of Went Beck and Hessle Beck at Low Ackworth		32 m 105 ft	87.3 km² 33.7 sq miles
Wiske	46.9 km 29.1 miles	River Swale near Kirby Wiske		21 m 69 ft	Confluence of Stony Lane Beck and Carr Beck near Ingleby Arncliffe		69 m 226 ft	215.5 km² 83.2 sq miles
Worth	15.2 km 9.4 miles	River Aire near Keighley		88 m 289 ft	Watersheddles Reservoir		329 m 1,079 ft	71.7 km² 27.7 sq miles

Map

Sources

• Ordnance Survey Open Viewer [1]
• Google Earth
• National Environment Research Council - Centre for Ecology and Hydrology [2]
• Environment Agency [3]
• Map of main rivers [4]