River Fowey - Misplaced Pages

(Redirected from Golitha Falls) River in Cornwall, England

River Fowey
River Fowey at Golant
The course of the River Fowey and neighbouring rivers in Cornwall
Physical characteristics

Source
• location	Bodmin Moor
• elevation	298 m (978 ft)

Mouth
• location	Fowey estuary
• coordinates	50°19′40″N 4°38′30″W / 50.32778°N 4.64167°W / 50.32778; -4.64167
Length	40 km (25 mi)

Discharge
• average	4.78 m/s (169 cu ft/s)

River Fowey

Legend

					Bodmin Moor
					A30
					Siblyback Lake
					Colliford Reservoir
					A38
					Bodmin & Wenford Rly

					A390
					Tudor Bridge
					Limit of navigation
					Lostwithiel
					Cornish Main Line
					River Lerryn
					Golant
					Penpol Creek

					Mixtow

					Fowey
					Polruan
					English Channel

The River Fowey (/ˈfɔɪ/ FOY; Standard Written Form: Fowi) is a river in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Its source is at Fowey Well (originally Cornish: Fenten Fowi, meaning spring of the river Fowey) about 1 mile (1.6 km) north-west of Brown Willy on Bodmin Moor, not far from one of its tributaries rising at Dozmary Pool and Colliford Lake, passes Lanhydrock House, Restormel Castle and Lostwithiel, then broadens below Milltown before joining the English Channel at Fowey. The estuary is called Uzell (Cornish: Usel, meaning howling place). It is only navigable by larger craft for the last 7 miles (11 km). There is a ferry between Fowey and Bodinnick. The first road crossing going upstream is in Lostwithiel. The river has seven tributaries, the largest being the River Lerryn. The section of the Fowey Valley between Doublebois and Bodmin Parkway railway station is known as the Glynn Valley (Cornish: Glyn, meaning deep wooded valley). The valley is the route of both the A38 trunk road and the railway line (built by the Cornwall Railway in 1859). The railway line is carried on eight stone viaducts along this stretch.

History

Donyarth (Latin: Doniert), or Dungarth (died 875), was the last-recorded king of Cornwall. He is thought to be the 'Doniert' recorded on an inscription on King Doniert's Stone, a ninth-century cross shaft which stands in St Cleer parish in Cornwall, although he is not given any title in the inscription. According to the Annales Cambriae, he drowned in 875. His death may have been an accident, but it was recorded in Ireland as a punishment for collaboration with the Vikings, who were harrying the West Saxons and briefly occupied Exeter in 876 before being driven out by Alfred the Great. Philip Payton states that one must imagine that he drowned in the River Fowey, near King Doniert's Stone.

The Polbrock Canal, approved by Parliament in the 1790s but never built, would have provided a link between the north and south coasts of Cornwall by joining the River Camel with the Fowey at Bodmin.

Geology and hydrology

The upper reaches of the Fowey are mainly moorland giving way to woodland and farmland, predominantly livestock. This means that 63.6% of the catchment is grassland, with a further 18.3% woodland and 10.7% arable land. Of the remaining 7.5%, 2.6% is urban or built-up areas, 2.5% is mountain, heath and bog and the remainder is inland waters.

The catchment area of the River Fowey covers a total of 41,800 acres (65.3 sq mi) consisting of granite (in part kaolinised) on Bodmin Moor, Devonian slates and grits, and peat and valley gravels. Data collected by the National River Flow Archive shows that average flow at the Restormel monitoring station is 4.78 m/s (169 cu ft/s) and is affected by the reservoirs at Colliford and Sibleyback and by abstraction of water for public supply.

Wildlife and conservation

The river runs through two Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), one of which is also part of a national nature reserve (NNR). The Upper Fowey SSSI is a floodplain on the southern slopes of Bodmin Moor and is designated for its wet heath vegetation and herbaceous valley-floor mire communities. Downstream at Golitha Falls, part of the woodland is designated a NNR and is within the Draynes Wood SSSI. At this point the river runs through a gorge and is of particular importance for ″lower plants″ such as liverworts, mosses and lichens. Golitha (pronounced Goleetha) is derived from the Cornish word for obstruction. There is a 1-to-3-mile (1.6 to 4.8 km) riverside walk, from the visitor car park. Golitha Falls is the site of Wheal Victoria copper mine.

Recreation

The upper part of the Fowey valley is within the Bodmin Moor area of the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty so many hikers, holidaymakers and tourists visit the places of interest. The river has very pleasant sites and special paths made for hiking and walking along the banks and in the countryside surrounding the towns; most of Bodmin Moor is designated as 'open access' under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

The River Fowey is famous for its sailing because of its natural harbour. In the past it has been visited by up to 7,000 yachts in one season. Almost all sections of the river have been paddled by kayakers and canoeists: from the whitewater sections high up on the moor, all the way down to the estuary. Fowey has an excellent local chandlery.

Many fish can be caught in the River Fowey so many fishermen come to enjoy the excellent fishing conditions.

Ferry services

Fowey to Polruan passenger and cycle ferry – runs year round.

Fowey to Bodinnick Ferry – there has been a ferry crossing the narrows between Fowey and Bodinnick since at least the 14th century. Today there is a vehicle ferry that runs year round between Bodinnick slipway and Caffa Mill slipway in Fowey.

The Fowey to Mevagissey Passenger Ferry – a timetabled summer service leaving Whitehouse Slip. Journey time is around 40 minutes. It provides an alternative route to the Lost Gardens of Heligan, finishing the journey on foot or by taxi.

References

Place-names in the Standard Written Form (SWF) Archived 2013-05-15 at the Wayback Machine : List of place-names agreed by the MAGA Signage Panel Archived 2013-05-15 at the Wayback Machine. Cornish Language Partnership.
Thomas, Charles (1986). Celtic Britain. Ancient Peoples & Places Series. London: Thames & Hudson.
Stoyle, Mark (2002). West Britons: Cornish Identities and the Early Modern British State. University of Exeter Press. ISBN 0-85989-687-0.
^ Payton, Philip (2004). Cornwall: A History (2nd ed.). Fowey: Cornwall Editions Ltd. p. 56. ISBN 1-904880-00-2.
"Imagined canals". 5 July 2018.
"Fowey at Restormel: Land use". Natural Environment Research Council. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
^ "48011 – Fowey at Restormel". Natural Environment Research Council. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
"Upper Fowey SSSI" (PDF). Natural England. 1989. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
"Golitha Falls NNR". Natural England. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
"Draynes Wood SSSI" (PDF). Natural England. 1985. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
"Golitha Falls". Cornwall Council. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
"Wheal Victoria Copper Mine - PhotoFile Cornwall". Retrieved 27 January 2016.
"History of the Old Ferry Inn". The Old Ferry Inn, Bodinnick. The Old Ferry Inn, Bodinnick, Cornwall. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
"Ferry and Water Taxi services". Fowey Harbour Commissioners. Fowey Harbour Commissioners. 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2019.

External links

Golitha Falls

v t e Ceremonial county of Cornwall
Cornwall Portal
Unitary authorities	Cornwall Council Council of the Isles of Scilly
Major settlements (cities in italics)	Bodmin Bude Callington Camborne Camelford Falmouth Fowey Hayle Helston Hugh Town Launceston Liskeard Looe Lostwithiel Marazion Newlyn Newquay Padstow Penryn Penzance Porthleven Redruth St Austell St Blazey St Columb Major St Ives St Just in Penwith Saltash Stratton Torpoint Truro Wadebridge See also: List of civil parishes in Cornwall
Rivers	Allen Camel Carnon Cober De Lank Fal Fowey Gannel Hayle Helford Inny Kensey Lerryn Looe Lynher Menalhyl Ottery Par Pont Pill Port Navas Red St Austell Seaton Tamar Tiddy Truro Valency full list...
Topics	History (Civil War) Status debate Flag Culture Economy Fishing Flora and fauna Places List of farms Population of major settlements Demography Notable people The Duchy Diocese Politics Schools Hundreds/shires Places of interest Outline of Cornwall Index of Cornwall-related articles

v t e Biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
Summary	Summarised data for all sites (biological and geological)
Cornwall	Aire Point to Carrick Du Amble Marshes Baulk Head to Mullion Bedruthan Steps and Park Head Boconnoc Park and Woods Bodmin Moor, North Borlasevath and Retallack Moor Boscastle to Widemouth Brendonmoor Breney Common Bude Coast Cabilla Manor Wood Caerthillian to Kennack Carnkief Pond Carrick Heaths Carricknath Point to Porthbean Beach Carrine Common & Penwethers Chyenhal Moor Cligga Head Coombe Mill Coverack to Porthoustock Crow's Nest Crowhill Valley Dozmary Pool Draynes Wood East Lizard Heathlands Eglarooze Cliff Gerrans Bay to Camels Cove Godrevy Head to St Agnes Goonhilly Downs Goss and Tregoss Moors Greenamoor Greenscoombe Wood, Luckett Grimscott Gwithian to Mexico Towans Hayle Estuary & Carrack Gladden Kelsey Head Kennack to Coverack Kernick and Ottery Meadows Loe Pool Loggans Moor Lower Bostraze and Leswidden Lower Fal & Helford Intertidal Lymsworthy Meadows Lynher Estuary Malpas Estuary Marazion Marsh Meddon Moor Meneage Coastal Section Merthen Wood Minster Church Mullion Cliff to Predannack Cliff Nance Wood Newlyn Downs Ottery Valley Park Wood Penhale Dunes Pentire Peninsula Phoenix United Mine Plymouth Sound Shores And Cliffs Polruan to Polperro Polyne Quarry Porthgwarra to Pordenack Point Rame Head & Whitsand Bay Red Moor Redlake Meadows & Hoggs Moor Retire Common River Camel Valley and Tributaries Rock Dunes Rosemullion Rosenannon Bog and Downs St Austell Clay Pits St John's Lake St Nectan's Glen Steeple Point to Marsland Mouth Swanpool Sylvia's Meadow Talland Barton Tamar–Tavy Estuary Tintagel Cliffs Treen Cliff Tregonetha & Belowda Downs Tregonning Hill Trehane Barton Trelow Downs Trevose Head and Constantine Bay Upper Fal Estuary and Woods Upper Fowey Valley Ventongimps Moor West Cornwall Bryophytes West Lizard
Isles of Scilly	Annet Big Pool and Browarth Point Castle Down (Tresco) Chapel Down Eastern Isles Great Pool Gugh Higher Moors and Porth Hellick Pool Lower Moors Norrard Rocks Peninnis Head Pentle Bay, Merrick And Round Islands Plains and Great Bay Pool Of Bryher & Popplestone Bank Rushy Bay and Heathy Hill Samson Shipman Head & Shipman Down St Helen's St Martin's Sedimentary Shore Teän Western Rocks White Island Wingletang Down
Neighbouring areas Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Devon Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Somerset

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