The River Sowe is a
river
A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
in
Warwickshire
Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...
and
West Midlands, England. It is a
tributary
A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''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 into which they ...
of the
River Avon, and flows into it just south of
Stoneleigh about 5 miles (8 km) south of Coventry. The Sowe is about long.
The Sowe rises in
Bedworth 5.5 miles (9 km) to the north of Coventry.
Its route takes it through
Exhall near to Junction 3 of the
M6 motorway and the
A444 road, to the northern and then the eastern suburbs of
Coventry
Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...
, in particular the districts of
Longford,
Wood End,
Walsgrave,
Binley,
Willenhall and near the village of
Baginton.
Near Baginton the river has a large steep bank on its southern side and the remains of the Roman
Lunt Fort have been found at the top of this bank.
There is an established local park called the Sowe Valley Footpath that runs alongside the river for 8½ miles from Hawkesbury Junction Conservation Area to Stonebridge Meadows Local Nature. It also runs through Wyken Slough Local Nature Reserve, Wyken Croft Nature Park and Stoke Floods Local Nature Reserve.
The grade II-listed
Sowe Viaduct carries the Coventry-Rugby railway line across the river.
Crossings
In downstream order from source; listed or notable bridges and A-roads/motorways only:
*
A444 Bedworthy Bypass
*
M6 motorway (junction 3 flyover)
*
A444 road
*''River is culverted under the
Coventry Canal
The Coventry Canal is a navigable narrow canal in the Midlands of England.
It starts in Coventry and ends to the north at Fradley Junction, just north of Lichfield, where it joins the Trent and Mersey Canal. It also has connections with the ...
,
Coventry to Nuneaton railway line, and an industrial estate''
*A4600 Ansty Road
*Access road to
University Hospital Coventry
*A4600 Ansty Road
*A428 Binley Road
*A4082 Allard Way (twice; the road spans a meander)
*
Sowe Viaduct
*
A45 Stonebridge Highway
*
Baginton Bridge (grade II)
*
Stoneleigh Bridge (grade II and scheduled monument)
Gallery
Image:down_sowe_july06.JPG, View downstream from the bridge over River Sowe near the Mill in Baginton.
Image:Up_sowe_july06.JPG, View upstream from the Baginton bridge showing the small weir and the union of the main river with a small diverted waterway from the Mill.
Image:Stoke_Aldermoor_-_River_Sowe_28n06.jpg, Stoke Aldermoor and Pinley Fields by the River Sowe.
References
Rivers of the West Midlands (county)
Rivers of Warwickshire
Rivers of Coventry
1Sowe
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