The River Looe ( kw, Logh, meaning ''deep water inlet'') is a river in south-east

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 ...

, which flows into 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 ...

Looe Looe (; kw, Logh, ) is a coastal town and civil parish in south-east Cornwall, England, with a population of 5,280 at the 2011 census. Looe is west of Plymouth and south of Liskeard, divided in two by the River Looe, East Looe ( kw, links= ...

. It has two main branches, the East Looe River and the West Looe River. The eastern branch has its source near

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 ...

only away from the Golitha Falls on the

River Fowey The River Fowey ( ; kw, Fowi) is a river in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It rises at Fowey Well (originally kw, Fenten Fowi, meaning ''spring of the river Fowey'') about north-west of Brown Willy on Bodmin Moor, not far from one of i ...

, and flows south, passing close to the western outskirts of

Liskeard Liskeard ( ; kw, Lyskerrys) is a small ancient stannary and market town in south-east Cornwall, South West England. It is situated approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of Plymouth, west of the Devon border, and 12 miles (20 km) eas ...

. The western branch has its source near

Dobwalls Dobwalls ( kw, Fos an Mogh) is a village and civil parish in south-east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated 3 mi (5 km) west of Liskeard. The name is spelt ''Dubwalls'' on Bartholomew's map and '' Black's Guide'' of 1879. ...

. South of Liskeard, the

Looe Valley Line The Looe Valley Line is an community railway from Liskeard to Looe in Cornwall, United Kingdom, that follows the valley of the East Looe River for much of its course. It is operated by Great Western Railway. History The Looe Valley Line was ...

railway follows the course of the East Looe River to Looe. The railway is so close to the river that flooding is a common occurrence. The lowest stretch of the rivers combine to form the tidal harbour and

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

of Looe. The combined length of the two rivers (including the tidal confluence) is . The river is tidal to Watergate on the West Looe and

Sandplace Sandplace ( kw, Tewesva) is a small village in the parish of Morval, two miles north of Looe in Cornwall, Great Britain. It is situated on the B3254, the old Liskeard to Looe road which joins the A387 to the south. The village is alongside the ...

on the East Looe. After Sandplace, the river was connected to the

Liskeard and Looe Union Canal The Liskeard and Looe Union Canal was a broad canal between Liskeard and Looe in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It was almost long and had 24 locks, and it opened progressively from 1827. The engineer was Robert Coad. Its primary purpose originall ...

so that minerals and stone could be transported from the workings and quarries above

to the harbour at Looe. The tidal estuarine section is an example of a

Ria A ria (; gl, ría) is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea. Definitions Typically rias have a dendritic, treelike outline although they ca ...

(a drowned river valley) and at low tide, the rivers almost dry up to a very small natural level.

References

Rivers of Cornwall {{England-river-stub

See also

References