River Nidd
| River Nidd | |
|---|---|
|
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| Country | England |
| Basin features | |
| Main source | Nidd Head Spring, 1.3KM north of the summit of Great Whernside 605 metres (1,985 ft) |
| River mouth |
River Ouse, Nun Monkton 13 metres (43 ft) 54°0′51″N 1°13′8″W / 54.01417°N 1.21889°WCoordinates: 54°0′51″N 1°13′8″W / 54.01417°N 1.21889°W |
| Basin size | 516 square kilometres (199 sq mi) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Length | 94.45 kilometres (58.69 mi) |
The River Nidd is a tributary of the River Ouse in the English county of North Yorkshire. In its first few miles it is dammed three times to create Angram Reservoir, Scar House Reservoir and Gouthwaite Reservoir which attract around 150,000 visitors a year. The Nidd can overflow the reservoirs, flooding the caves in the valley, in which case the river then flows along the normally dry river bed past Lofthouse through to Gouthwaite Reservoir. The Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust YDRT has a remit to conserve the ecological condition of the river Nidd from its headwaters to the Humber estuary. The river gets its name for the Celtic word for brilliant.
The upper river valley, Nidderdale, was designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1994.
The Nidd rises in Nidderdale at Nidd Head Spring on the slopes of Great Whernside in the Yorkshire Dales. It flows east into Angram and Scar House Reservoirs before turning south just downstream of Newhouses. In dry conditions the river disappears underground into the sink hole known as Manchester Hole. If Scar House reservoir overflows, water flows past Manchester Hole to Goyden Pot, another sinkhole. In severe floods the river flows past Goyden Pot down the valley. The water sinking into the Nidderdale caves reappears at the rising Nidd Head to the south of the village of Lofthouse.
Below Lofthouse the river is joined by How Stean Beck, and turns south south-east towards Ramsgill before flowing into Gouthwaite Reservoir. Continuing on the same heading, the first major settlement is reached at Pateley Bridge. Turning more south-easterly it flows past Glasshouses and Summerbridge, where it turns south again past Dacre Banks. Passing by Darley, the river turns east before reaching Birstwith where it flow south-east to Hampsthwaite. A series of large bends in the river take the flow north, east and then south and then east again, to enter Nidd Gorge.
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Wikipedia