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The River Forth is a major river in central Scotland, long, which drains into the North Sea on the east coast of the country. Its
drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
covers much of Stirlingshire in
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...
's
Central Belt The Central Belt of Scotland is the area of highest population density within Scotland. Depending on the definition used, it has a population of between 2.4 and 4.2 million (the country's total was around 5.4 million in 2019), including Gre ...
. The
Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, an ...
name for the upper reach of the river, above
Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...
, is ''Abhainn Dubh'', meaning "black river". The name for the river below the tidal reach (just past where it is crossed by the M9 motorway) is ''Uisge For''.


Name

''Forth'' derives from
Proto-Celtic Proto-Celtic, or Common Celtic, is the ancestral proto-language of all known Celtic languages, and a descendant of Proto-Indo-European. It is not attested in writing but has been partly reconstructed through the comparative method. Proto-Celt ...
''*Vo-rit-ia'' (slow running), yielding '' Foirthe'' in Old Gaelic.


Course

The Forth rises in the Trossachs, a mountainous area west of
Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...
. Ben Lomond's eastern slopes drain into the
Duchray Water Duchray Water, also called Dachray Water, is a headstreamDuchray Water
. www.scottish-plac ...
, which meets with Avondhu River coming from
Loch Ard Loch Ard (Scottish Gaelic: Loch na h-Àirde) is a loch, located in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, Stirling council area, Scotland. Overview The name of the loch comes from ''àird'', the Scottish Gaelic word for a ''promontory, ...
. The confluence of these two streams is the nominal start of the River Forth. From there it flows roughly eastward through Aberfoyle, joining with the
Kelty Water Kelty (Scottish Gaelic: Cailtidh) is a former coal mining village located in Fife, Scotland. Lying in the heart of the old mining heartlands of Fife, it is situated on the Fife/Kinross-shire boundary and has a population of around 6,000 r ...
about 5 km further downstream. It then flows into the flat expanse of the
Carse In Scottish geography, a Carse (the modern form of older Scots ; Scottish Gaelic or ) is an area of fertile, low-lying (typically alluvial) land occupying certain Scottish river valleys, such as that of the River Forth. Carse of Forth The ...
of Stirling, including Flanders Moss. Just west of the M9, it is joined by the River Teith (which itself drains
Loch Venachar Loch Venachar (Scottish Gaelic: Loch Bheannchair) is a freshwater loch in Stirling district, Scotland. Geography The loch is situated between Callander and Brig o' Turk. It lies approximately above sea level, and is long with a maximum de ...
,
Loch Lubnaig Loch Lubnaig (Loch Lùbnaig in Gaelic) is a small freshwater loch near Callander in the Stirling council area, Scottish Highlands. It lies in the former county of Perthshire. It is part of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. Th ...
,
Loch Achray Loch Achray is a small freshwater loch west of Callander in Stirling district, Scotland. The loch lies between Loch Katrine and Loch Venachar in the heart of the Trossachs and has an average depth of . History Loch Achray was for a time the ...
,
Loch Katrine Loch Katrine (; or ) is a freshwater loch in the Trossachs area of the Scottish Highlands, east of Loch Lomond, within the historic county and registration county of Perthshire and the contemporary district of Stirling. The loch is about ...
, and
Loch Voil Loch Voil ( gd, Loch a' Bheothail) is a small freshwater loch that lies to the west of Balquhidder in the Stirling council area of Scotland. It is a short, narrow loch. It is separated from Loch Doine by fluvial deposits from the Monachyle Bu ...
). The next tributary is the
Allan Water The Allan Water ( gd, Uisge Alain) is a river in central Scotland. Rising in the Ochil Hills, it runs through Strathallan to Dunblane and Bridge of Allan before joining the River Forth. It is liable to cause floods in lower Bridge of Allan. ...
, just east of the M9. From there the Forth
meander A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank ( cut bank) and deposits sediments on an inner, convex ban ...
s into the ancient port of Stirling. At Stirling the river widens and becomes tidal. This is the location of the last (seasonal) ford of the river. From Stirling, the Forth flows east, accepting the
Bannock Burn The Bannock Burn ( gd, Allt a' Bhonnaich) is a stream (''burn'' is Scots for stream) which rises at about 1,300 feet on Touchadam Moor, NS715891, just to the north of Earl's Hill in the Touch Hills to the south-west of Stirling in central Sc ...
from the south before passing the town of Fallin. It then passes two towns in
Clackmannanshire Clackmannanshire (; sco, Clackmannanshire; gd, Siorrachd Chlach Mhannainn) is a historic county, council area, registration county and Lieutenancy area in Scotland, bordering the council areas of Stirling, Fife, and Perth & Kinross and the ...
: firstly
Cambus Cambus is an American public transport bus system, primarily serving the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City, Iowa. The service is intended to provide transportation for students, faculty, and staff around the main campus, University of Iowa R ...
(where it is joined by the River Devon), closely followed by
Alloa Alloa (Received Pronunciation ; educated Scottish pronunciation /ˈaloʊa/; gd, Alamhagh, possibly meaning "rock plain") is a town in Clackmannanshire in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It is on the north bank of the Forth at the spot wher ...
. Upon reaching Airth (on the river’s south shore) and Kincardine (on its north shore), the river begins to widen and becomes the
Firth of Forth The Firth of Forth () is the estuary, or firth, of several Scottish rivers including the River Forth. It meets the North Sea with Fife on the north coast and Lothian on the south. Name ''Firth'' is a cognate of ''fjord'', a Norse word meani ...
.


Settlements on the river

The banks have many settlements along them, including Aberfoyle,
Gargunnock Gargunnock is a small village in the Stirling council area, west of Stirling, in Scotland. The census population was 912. It is situated on the south edge of the Carse of Stirling, at the foot of the Gargunnock Hills, part of the Campsie Fel ...
,
Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...
, Fallin,
Cambus Cambus is an American public transport bus system, primarily serving the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City, Iowa. The service is intended to provide transportation for students, faculty, and staff around the main campus, University of Iowa R ...
,
Throsk Throsk (In gd, Badan Deathach, meaning the thicket among the mist) is a village in the Stirling council area of Scotland. It lies on the A905 road east of Fallin close to the River Forth. The United Kingdom Census 2001 recorded the populati ...
,
Alloa Alloa (Received Pronunciation ; educated Scottish pronunciation /ˈaloʊa/; gd, Alamhagh, possibly meaning "rock plain") is a town in Clackmannanshire in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It is on the north bank of the Forth at the spot wher ...
, South Alloa, Dunmore, Airth, and Kincardine. Beyond these settlements, the water turns brackish, and is usually considered part of the Firth of Forth.


Port activities

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries,
Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...
harbour was a busy port, with goods coming into Scotland and being exported to Europe. As a result, Stirling had very close ties with the
Hansa Hansa may refer to: Places * Hanseatic League, a 13th–17th century alliance of European trading cities * Hansa (shopping centre), in Turku, Finland *Hansa-Park, a German attraction park * 480 Hansa, a main-belt asteroid, a minor planet orbiting ...
towns, with
Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...
in
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...
, and with Veere (known at the time as Campvere) in the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. After 1707, trade with America became the new focus, and so a lot of trade activity shifted from Stirling in the east to the port of Glasgow in the west. During World Wars I and II, Stirling harbour began thriving again: It became a gateway for importing supplies of tea into Scotland. After the wars, other trade activities slowly returned, but growth was slow because the harbour’s owners levied heavy shore duties on shipping, making it less economically attractive to the few agricultural merchants who were based at Stirling. Today, Stirling's harbour has fallen into disuse, but there are plans to redevelop it.


Bridges

Upstream from Stirling, the river is rather narrow and can be crossed in numerous places. (Crossing used to be more difficult before the installation of modern drainage works, because the ground was often treacherously marshy near the riverbank.) However, after its
confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...
with the Teith and Allan, the river becomes wide enough that a substantial bridge is required. At Stirling, there has been a bridge over the river since at least the 13th century, and it was the easternmost road crossing until 1936, when another road crossing was opened at Kincardine. The
Clackmannanshire Bridge The Clackmannanshire Bridge is a road bridge over the Firth of Forth in Scotland which opened to traffic on 19 November 2008. Prior to 1 October 2008 the bridge was referred to as the upper Forth crossing while the name was chosen. Background T ...
, just upstream of the Kincardine Bridge, opened on 19 November 2008. A railway bridge, the
Alloa Swing Bridge The Alloa Swing Bridge was a railway swing bridge across the River Forth that connected Throsk and Alloa as part of the Alloa Railway. The structure was in use from 1885 until 1968. History The Alloa Railway obtained authority through an A ...
, previously connected
Alloa Alloa (Received Pronunciation ; educated Scottish pronunciation /ˈaloʊa/; gd, Alamhagh, possibly meaning "rock plain") is a town in Clackmannanshire in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It is on the north bank of the Forth at the spot wher ...
on the northern shore with
Throsk Throsk (In gd, Badan Deathach, meaning the thicket among the mist) is a village in the Stirling council area of Scotland. It lies on the A905 road east of Fallin close to the River Forth. The United Kingdom Census 2001 recorded the populati ...
on the southern shore. It opened in 1885 and was closed and mostly demolished in 1970: Only the metal piers remain. Much further downstream, joining
North Queensferry North Queensferry is a village in Fife, Scotland, situated on the Firth of Forth where the Forth Bridge, the Forth Road Bridge, and the Queensferry Crossing all meet the Fife coast, some from the centre of Edinburgh. It is the southernmost ...
and
South Queensferry Queensferry, also called South Queensferry or simply "The Ferry", is a town to the west of Edinburgh, Scotland. Traditionally a royal burgh of West Lothian, it is administered by the City of Edinburgh council area. It lies ten miles to the n ...
, is another railway bridge, the famous Forth Bridge, which opened in 1890, and the Forth Road Bridge, which opened in 1964. To the west of the Forth Road Bridge is
Queensferry Crossing The Queensferry Crossing (formerly the Forth Replacement Crossing) is a road bridge in Scotland. It was built alongside the existing Forth Road Bridge and carries the M90 motorway across the Firth of Forth between Edinburgh, at South Queensfer ...
, construction of which began in 2011: It finally opened on 4 September 2017.


Islands

Two islands (known as “inches”) lie in the meandering
estuarine 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 environmen ...
waters downstream from
Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...
: Tullibody Inch, near
Cambus Cambus is an American public transport bus system, primarily serving the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City, Iowa. The service is intended to provide transportation for students, faculty, and staff around the main campus, University of Iowa R ...
, and Alloa Inch, near
Alloa Alloa (Received Pronunciation ; educated Scottish pronunciation /ˈaloʊa/; gd, Alamhagh, possibly meaning "rock plain") is a town in Clackmannanshire in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It is on the north bank of the Forth at the spot wher ...
. Both islands are fairly small, and are uninhabited.


On film and TV

# ''River Forth'' (1956): A silent, 15-minute, black-and-white film that includes scenes of animals being herded through the streets. #''
Britain's Lost Routes with Griff Rhys Jones ''Britain's Lost Routes with Griff Rhys Jones'' is a British documentary television series broadcast on BBC One. It is about the history of travel routes through Great Britain and is presented by Griff Rhys Jones Griffith Rhys Jones (bor ...
'' (2012): Episode 3 explores the difficulties that cattle drovers might have encountered at Frew, shows cows being taken across the Auld Brig, and includes aerial shots. #''Sruth gu Sal'', Episode 1: A 25-minute look at the Forth River (2 Nov 2009).


See also

* 275 kV Forth Crossing *
List of rivers of Scotland This list of rivers in Scotland is organised geographically, taken anti-clockwise, from Berwick-upon-Tweed. Tributaries are listed down the page in an upstream direction. (L) indicates a left-bank tributary and (R) indicates a right-bank tr ...
*
Rivers and Fisheries Trusts of Scotland The Rivers and Fisheries Trusts of Scotland (RAFTS) (also known as the Association of Scottish River & Fishery Management Trusts) is a waterway society, an unincorporated association, a Scottish charity, and an umbrella organisation for river ...
(RAFTS) * Shipping Forecast


References


External links


Scottish Parliament: Forth Crossing Bill Committee Report, March 2010River Forth Crossing: House of Commons debates 18 May 2009British Waterways: River ForthSCRAN image: Steam dredger, River forth, late 19th CenturyForth Ports PLCScottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA): River level data for River ForthForth District Salmon Fishery BoardRiver Forth Fisheries TrustForth Bridges Visitor Centre TrustRIVER FORTH (1956)FORTH - POWERHOUSE FOR INDUSTRY (1968)
(archive films about the River Forth from the National Library of Scotland: Scottish Screen Archive) {{Authority control
Forth Forth or FORTH may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''forth'' magazine, an Internet magazine * ''Forth'' (album), by The Verve, 2008 * ''Forth'', a 2011 album by Proto-Kaw * Radio Forth, a group of independent local radio stations in Scotla ...
Forth Forth or FORTH may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''forth'' magazine, an Internet magazine * ''Forth'' (album), by The Verve, 2008 * ''Forth'', a 2011 album by Proto-Kaw * Radio Forth, a group of independent local radio stations in Scotla ...
Tourist attractions in Stirling (council area)