The River Menalhyl ( kw, Dowr Melynheyl, meaning ''river of the estuary mill'') 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, that flows through the civil parishes of
St Columb Major
St Columb Major is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Often referred to locally as ''St Columb'', it is approximately southwest of Wadebridge and east of Newquay
Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 200 ''Newqua ...
and
Mawgan-in-Pydar
St Mawgan or St Mawgan in Pydar ( kw, Lanherne) is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The population of this parish at the 2011 census was 1,307. The village is situated four miles northeast of Newquay, and the ...
. Its length is about 12 miles and it flows in a generally north-west direction.
The name comes from the Cornish words ''melyn'' meaning mill and ''heyl'' meaning estuary - ''estuary mills''. The name was recorded as ''Mellynheyl'' in the 19th century, but it had been known as ''Glyvion''.
Sources
The source of the river's longest branch is near
Nine Maidens, about 2 miles to the north of St Columb,, at a height of approximately 490 feet above mean sea level. The Menalhyl enters the sea at
Mawgan Porth on the north coast of the county, .
Tributaries
Tributaries
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainag ...
to the river include one that rises between the village of Tregonetha and
Castle an Dinas, and one whose source is south-east of
Tregatillian. A smaller river, from
Talskiddy, joins the Menalhyl a short distance from its mouth.
The river flows through the settlements of St Columb (the north part of the town, known as ''Bridge''),
St Mawgan and Mawgan Porth. Its valley, from St Columb downstream, is called the Vale of Lanherne; it is wooded for much of its length and is popular with walkers.
Mills
There are a small number of disused mills along the length of the Menalhyl, and the river feeds some small lakes and ponds. It is also used for agricultural purposes along most of its course. Lawry's Mill was a tourist attraction in Victorian times and many postcards were produced featuring the Mill.
Fishing
The river is fished by anglers, especially in its lower course, and fish species such as
brown trout, sea trout, lamprey, eel and minnow have been recorded.
[
]
Geology
The bedrock of the catchment area largely consists of Devonian calcareous slates, grits and limestone.[
]
References
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Menalhyl