Upstream view of the River Monnow - geograph

The River Monnow ( cy, Afon Mynwy) marks the

England–Wales border The England–Wales border ( cy, Y ffin rhwng Cymru a Lloegr; shortened: Ffin Cymru a Lloegr), sometimes referred to as the Wales–England border or the Anglo-Welsh border, runs for from the Dee estuary, in the north, to the Severn estuary i ...

for much of its length. After flowing through southwest

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouths ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, and eastern

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, wit ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, 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

River Wye The River Wye (; cy, Afon Gwy ) is the fourth-longest river in the UK, stretching some from its source on Plynlimon in mid Wales to the Severn estuary. For much of its length the river forms part of the border between England and Wales ...

is approximately south of

Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. ...

. The Monnow rises near Craswall on Cefn Hill just below the high

Black Mountains, Wales The Black Mountains ( cy, Y Mynydd Du or sometimes ) are a group of hills spread across parts of Powys and Monmouthshire in southeast Wales, and extending across the England–Wales border into Herefordshire. They are the easternmost of the ...

. It flows southwards, gaining the waters of its

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 drain ...

the Escley Brook and Olchon Brook near Clodock and the waters of the River Honddu, from the Welsh side of the Black Mountains, near Pandy. The river then flows briefly eastwards, to Pontrilas, where it is joined by its largest tributary, the

River Dore The River Dore ( Welsh: ''Afon Aur'' lit: 'the river of gold') is a tributary of the River Monnow in Herefordshire, England. It rises on Cusop Hill, in the foothills of the Black Mountains, close to the border between England and Wales. It ...

before again turning southwards. At Monmouth, the Monnow joins into the

with the

River Trothy The River Trothy ( cy, Afon Troddi) is a river which flows through north Monmouthshire, in rural south east Wales. The river rises on Campston Hill, northeast of Abergavenny. It flows southwards until Llanvapley, where it turns east. About so ...

. The unique

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

Monnow Bridge Monnow Bridge ( cy, Pont Trefynwy ), in Monmouth, Wales, is the only remaining fortified river bridge in Great Britain with its gate tower standing on the bridge. Such bridge towers were common across Europe from medieval times, but many we ...

in Monmouth is the only remaining

fortified A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere' ...

river bridge in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...

with its

gate tower A gate tower (german: Torturm) is a tower built over or next to a major gateway. Usually it is part of a medieval fortification. This may be a town or city wall, fortress, castle or castle chapel. The gate tower may be built as a twin tower on ...

standing on the bridge. The long-distance Monnow Valley Walk follows the river.

Toponymy

The River Monnow derives its name from the

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

(', ''Myn-wy'') and translates to "swift water". (''myn'' means swift, and ''wy'' is one of the many Welsh words for water)

Brown trout

At one time the river was noted for its substantial

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morp ...

population, with the length from

Pontrilas Pontrilas ('' en, Bridge over Three Rivers'') is a village in south Herefordshire, England, half a mile from the border with Wales. It is in the parish of Kentchurch and lies midway between Hereford and Abergavenny. In 2011 the main village conta ...

to Skenfrith producing record catches. Numbers fell substantially during the 20th century and especially after the 1960s but in more recent years the trout fishing has improved dramatically and the Monnow catchment once again ranks as one of the best wild trout fisheries in England and Wales and it is now also noted for the grayling fishing. A recently opened fish pass at Monmouth allowing migratory fish to by-pass a previously impassable weir has once more given

Atlantic salmon The Atlantic salmon (''Salmo salar'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. It is the third largest of the Salmonidae, behind Siberian taimen and Pacific Chinook salmon, growing up to a meter in length. Atlantic salmon are ...

and

sea trout Sea trout is the common name usually applied to anadromous (sea-run) forms of brown trout (''Salmo trutta''), and is often referred to as ''Salmo trutta'' morpha ''trutta''. Other names for anadromous brown trout are sewin (Wales), peel or peal ...

access to the majority of the catchment and salmon were seen jumping at the now dismantled Kentchurch weir for the first time for many years in the Autumn of 2008. The Monnow Rivers Association works to improve fishing habitats on the river and to encourage responsible fishing.

Hydroelectric power

At Osbaston, immediately north of Monmouth, the Monmouth New Hydro Scheme harnesses the flow of the Monnow to provide 670,000 kWh of electricity per year. The Osbaston fish pass facilitates the passage of river-spawning fish and other species past what would otherwise be an obstruction.

References

External links

* - Information on the river * - Information on canoe touring on the Upper and Lower Monnow {{DEFAULTSORT:Monnow Monmouth, Wales Rivers of Herefordshire Rivers of Monmouthshire England–Wales border 1Monnow

Toponymy

Brown trout

Hydroelectric power

See also

References

External links