River Churnet

Churnet (Staffordshire)
River
A Narrowboat has just locked down into the Churnet river at Oak Meadow Ford lock
Country	England
Region	Staffordshire
Districts	The Roaches, Leek, Churnet Valley
Source
- location	The Roaches,, Staffordshire Moorlands, Staffordshire, England
- elevation	460 m (1,509 ft)
Mouth
- location	Near Combridge, East Staffordshire, England

The River Churnet is a river that flows in Staffordshire, England. It is a tributary of the River Dove.

The origins of the name "Churnet" are unknown, though it is thought to derive from the pre-English, British name for the river.

The source of the river is located over 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level in the Staffordshire moorlands, near to the Gritstone escarpment of the Roaches, and next to the A53 Leek to Buxton road and only a few hundred yards away from Black Brook which ultimately, through the Dane and Weaver, flows into the Irish Sea; however the Churnet, through the Dove, Trent and Humber Estuary ultimately flows into the North Sea.

After flowing downhill for a few miles it reaches Tittesworth reservoir, a major supplier of fresh water to the Potteries and Leek. After it leaves the dam at Tittesworth, it flows into the ancient market town of Leek, where it was used until quite recently to aid the manufacture of dyes that were used in the town's textile and silk industries. South of Cheddleton, the river flows through the Churnet Valley, an area of outstanding beauty with ancient woodland, an abundance of wildlife and industrial heritage.

The Caldon Canal locks into the river at Oak Meadow Ford Lock, 2 miles on from Cheddleton and river and canal are one until Consall Forge, where the canal goes its own way again. The River continues through the valley, past ancient woodland and the Bolton Copper works at Froghall, then through the villages of Oakamoor and Alton. It flows past the JCB factory at Rocester and shortly after it joins the River Dove near the hamlet of Combridge.