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 wate ...
that flows from the plateau of the southern
Pays de Caux
The Pays de Caux (, , literally ''Land of Caux'') is an area in Normandy occupying the greater part of the French ''département'' of Seine Maritime in Normandy. It is a chalk plateau to the north of the Seine Estuary and extending to the cliffs ...
in the
Seine-Maritime
Seine-Maritime () is a department of France in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre. Until 1955 it was named Seine-Inféri ...
''
département
In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivity, territorial collectivities"), between the regions of France, admin ...
'' of
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
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 ...
. It is long.
The river rises at
Saint-Victor-l'Abbaye
Saint-Victor-l'Abbaye () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in north-western France.
Geography
A farming village situated by the banks of the river Scie in the Pays de Caux, some south of Dieppe at the junction ...
and passes through
Auffay
Auffay () is a former commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Val-de-Scie.Saint-Maclou-de-Folleville
Saint-Maclou-de-Folleville () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France.
Geography
A farming village situated by the banks of the river Scie in the Pays de Caux, at the junction of the D929 and the ...
,
Longueville-sur-Scie
Longueville-sur-Scie (, literally ''Longueville on Scie'') is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France.
Geography
A farming village situated by the banks of the river Scie in the Pays de Caux, some s ...
Saint-Aubin-sur-Scie
Saint-Aubin-sur-Scie (, literally ''Saint-Aubin on Scie'') is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France.
Geography
A farming village situated by the banks of the river Scie in the Pays de Caux, at the ...
and finally
Hautot-sur-Mer
Hautot-sur-Mer (, literally ''Hautot on Sea'') is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France.
Geography
A small town of farming and light industry situated in the Pays de Caux, immediately to the west of ...
.
Economy
In the past, the river was host to 43
watermill
A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production of ...
s that powered machinery to process
wheat
Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...
,
cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...
,
tannin
Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids.
The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner'', ...
and
flax
Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...
for linen.Albert Hennetier, ''Aux sources normandes: Promenade au fil des rivières en Seine-Maritime'', p. 150.Les moulins de la Scie sur le site de l'Association régionale des amis des moulins de Haute-Normandie. Consulté le 11 juin 2008. Two mills still exist today, at
Saint-Maclou-de-Folleville
Saint-Maclou-de-Folleville () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France.
Geography
A farming village situated by the banks of the river Scie in the Pays de Caux, at the junction of the D929 and the ...
(the moulin of Arbalète) and at
Auffay
Auffay () is a former commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Val-de-Scie. Today, the activities of the valley includes the production of apples and
cider
Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and the Republic of Ireland. The UK has the world's highest per capita consumption, ...