The River Fowey ( ; kw, Fowi) is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...
in
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
, England, United Kingdom.
It
rises at Fowey Well (originally kw, Fenten Fowi, meaning ''spring of the river Fowey'') about north-west of
Brown Willy
Brown Willy (possibly meaning "hill of swallows" or meaning "highest hill") is a hill in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The summit, at above sea level, is the highest point of Bodmin Moor and of Cornwall as a whole. It is about northwest ...
on
Bodmin Moor, not far from one of its tributaries rising at
Dozmary Pool
Dozmary Pool is a small lake, in the civil parish of Altarnun on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, UK. It is situated from the sea and lies about north-east of Bodmin and south of Bolventor. It originated in the post-glacial period. The outflow fro ...
and
Colliford Lake
Colliford Lake is a reservoir on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Covering more than , it is the largest lake in Cornwall. It is situated south of the A30 trunk road near the village of Bolventor, the approximate centre of the ...
, passes
Lanhydrock House
Lanhydrock House, commonly known simply as Lanhydrock, is a country house and estate in the parish of Lanhydrock, Cornwall, UK.
The great house stands in extensive grounds (360 hectares or 890 acres) above the River Fowey and it has been owned ...
,
Restormel Castle
Restormel Castle ( kw, Kastel Rostorrmel) lies by the River Fowey near Lostwithiel in Cornwall, England, UK. It is one of the four chief Norman castles of Cornwall, the others being Launceston, Tintagel and Trematon. The castle is notable for ...
and
Lostwithiel
Lostwithiel (; kw, Lostwydhyel) is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and small town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom at the head of the estuary of the River Fowey. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,739, increas ...
, then broadens below
Milltown before joining the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
at
Fowey. The estuary is called Uzell ( kw, Usel, meaning ''howling place''). It is only navigable by larger craft for the last . 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
Bodmin Parkway railway station ( kw, Fordh Bosvena) is on the Cornish Main Line that serves the nearby town of Bodmin and other parts of mid-Cornwall, England. It is situated south-east of the town of Bodmin in the civil parish of St Winnow, ...
is known as the Glynn Valley ( kw, 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
The Cornwall Railway was a broad gauge railway from Plymouth in Devon to Falmouth in Cornwall, England, built in the second half of the nineteenth century. It was constantly beset with shortage of capital for the construction, and was eventu ...
in 1859). The railway line is carried on
eight stone viaducts along this stretch.
History
Donyarth ( la, Doniert), or Dungarth (died 875), was the last-recorded king of
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
. He is thought to be the 'Doniert' recorded on an inscription on
King Doniert's Stone
King Doniert's Stone ( kw, Menkov Donyerth Ruw) consists of two pieces of a decorated 9th-century cross, near St Cleer on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall. The inscription is believed to commemorate Dungarth, King of Cornwall, who died around 875.
Histor ...
, a ninth-century cross shaft which stands in
St Cleer
St Cleer ( kw, Ryskarasek) is a civil parish and village in east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is situated on the southeast flank of Bodmin Moor approximately two miles (3 km) north of Liskeard. The population of the par ...
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...
in Cornwall, although he is not given any title in the inscription.
According to the ', 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
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and ...
, who were harrying the West Saxons and briefly occupied
Exeter in 876 before being driven out by
Alfred the Great.
Philip Payton
Philip John Payton is a Cornish-Australian historian and Emeritus Professor of Cornish and Australian Studies at the University of Exeter and formerly Director of the Institute of Cornish Studies based at Tremough, just outside Penryn, Corn ...
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
The River Camel ( kw, Dowr Kammel, meaning ''crooked river'') is a river in Cornwall, England. It rises on the edge of Bodmin Moor and with its tributaries its catchment area covers much of North Cornwall. The river flows into the eastern Ce ...
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
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 and is affected by the reservoirs at
Colliford and Sibleyback and by abstraction of water for public supply.
Wildlife and conservation
![Entrance to Golitha Woods - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Entrance_to_Golitha_Woods_-_geograph.org.uk_-_6061.jpg)
The river runs through two
Sites of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...
(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
A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler a ...
vegetation and
herbaceous valley-floor
mire
A mire, peatland, or quagmire is a wetland area dominated by living peat-forming plants. Mires arise because of incomplete decomposition of organic matter, usually litter from vegetation, due to water-logging and subsequent anoxia. All types ...
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 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
The Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty covers in Cornwall, England, UK; that is, about 27% of the total area of the county. It comprises 12 separate areas, designated under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 for ...
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 Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (c. 37), known informally as the CRoW Act or "Right to Roam" Act is a United Kingdom Act of Parliament affecting England and Wales which came into force on 30 November 2000.
Right to roam
The Act imp ...
.
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
A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word '' qajaq'' ().
The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each s ...
and
canoeists
A canoe is a lightweight narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle.
In British Englis ...
: from the
whitewater
Whitewater forms in a rapid context, in particular, when a river's gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that froths, making the water appear opaque and ...
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
The Lost Gardens of Heligan ( kw, Lowarth Helygen, meaning "willow tree garden") are located near Mevagissey in Cornwall, England and are considered to be amongst the most popular in the UK. The gardens are typical of the 19th century ...
, finishing the journey on foot or by taxi.
References
External links
Golitha Falls
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fowey, River
Rivers of Cornwall
National nature reserves in Cornwall
Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cornwall
Cornish Killas