The River Hamps is a river in Staffordshire,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It is tributary of the

River Manifold The River Manifold is a river in Staffordshire, England. It is a tributary of the River Dove (which also flows through the Peak District, forming the boundary between Derbyshire and Staffordshire). The Manifold rises at Flash Head just sout ...

, which itself flows into the River Dove near Ilam. For much of its length the river flows through the

Peak District National Park Peak or The Peak may refer to: Basic meanings Geology * Mountain peak ** Pyramidal peak, a mountaintop that has been sculpted by erosion to form a point Mathematics * Peak hour or rush hour, in traffic congestion * Peak (geometry), an (''n''-3)-d ...

Etymology

The name Hamps derives from its

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English ...

title, "Hanespe" which derives from the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

name, which means "summer dry", i.e. dry in summer. This is because the river disappears underground during the summer.

Course

The Hamps rises on the high moorland (), on the south side of Merryton Low, east of Upper Hulme. It flows south through the villages Onecote and Winkhill, then flows east, to Waterhouses and finally north to meet the Manifold under

Beeston Tor Beeston Tor () is a limestone cliff in Staffordshire. It overlooks the confluence of the River Hamps with the River Manifold, and is a popular venue for rock climbing (seasonal restrictions for rock climbing apply). There was a small station ...

. The woodlands of this last stretch are part of the National Trust's South Peak Estate. From Waterhouses to the River Manifold the valley carries the track of the former

Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway The Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway (L&MVLR) was a narrow gauge railway in Staffordshire, England that operated between 1904 and 1934. The line mainly carried milk from dairies in the region, acting as a feeder to the system. It also ...

, now part of the

Manifold Way The Manifold Way is a footpath and cycle way in Staffordshire, England. Some in length, it runs from Hulme End in the north to Waterhouses in the south, mostly through the Manifold Valley and the valley of its only tributary, the River Ham ...

, an 8-mile walk- and cycle-path. During the summer months the river disappears underground and re-emerges at Hamps Spring near Ilam. During this time the river bed from north of Waterhouses through to the confluence with the

runs dry. In the 1960/70s there were controversial proposals to build a major new reservoir just north of Winkhill, inside the National Park. The reservoir would have been broad and relatively shallow. However, in the end these proposals were dropped in favour of the reservoir at

Carsington Water Carsington Water is a reservoir operated by Severn Trent Water located between Wirksworth and Kniveton in Derbyshire, England. The reservoir takes water from the River Derwent at Ambergate during winter months, pumping up to the reservoir by l ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamps Rivers and valleys of the Peak District Rivers of Staffordshire 2Hamps

Etymology

Course

See also

References

External links