The River Yeo (often referred to as the Congresbury Yeo, after the village of
Congresbury
Congresbury is a village and civil parish on the northwestern slopes of the Mendip Hills in North Somerset, England, which in 2011 had a population of 3,497. It lies on the A370 between Junction 21 of the M5 and Bristol Airport, south of Bri ...
, through which it flows, to avoid confusion with other similarly named rivers) 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 ...
which flows through
North Somerset
North Somerset is a unitary district in Somerset, South West England. Whilst its area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset, it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the ...
,
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 b ...
.
River course
The river rises in the centre of
Compton Martin
Compton Martin is a small village and civil parish within the Chew Valley in Somerset and in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority in England. The parish has a population of 508. It lies between Chew Valley Lake and Blagdon Lake, no ...
village, in the district of
Bath and North East Somerset
Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority district in England. Bath and North East Somerset Council was created on 1 April 1996 following the abolition of the county of Avon. It is part of the Cer ...
, as a spring which feeds the village duckpond. From there it flows past the village of
Ubley and enters
Blagdon Lake (created in the 1890s by damming the river) just north of the village of
Blagdon. From the lake the river flows south of
Wrington and
Iwood, where there were once a series of
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 along its banks. Its route then takes it around the northern outskirts of Congresbury, and across the
North Somerset Levels roughly parallel to the
A370 road
The A370 is a primary road in England running from the A4 Bath Road, near Bristol Temple Meads railway station to Weston-super-Mare before continuing to the village of East Brent in Somerset. A more direct route from Bristol to East Brent is t ...
, past the site of a Roman villa before crossing under the
M5 motorway
The M5 is a motorway in England linking the Midlands with the South West England, South West. It runs from junction 8 of the M6 motorway, M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Brom ...
and emptying into the
Severn Estuary
The Severn Estuary ( cy, Aber Hafren) is the estuary of the River Severn, flowing into the Bristol Channel between South West England and South Wales. Its high tidal range, approximately , means that it has been at the centre of discussions in t ...
in Woodspring Bay, downstream from
Clevedon
Clevedon (, ) is an English seaside town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, part of the ceremonial county of Somerset. It recorded a parish population of 21,281 in the United Kingdom Census 2011, estimated at 21,442 ...
and west of the village of
Kingston Seymour
Kingston Seymour is a small village and civil parish with royal status in Somerset, England. It is situated within the unitary authority of North Somerset, between Clevedon and Weston-super-Mare on the North Somerset Levels. The parish has a po ...
.
Close to the mouth on the Severn Estuary on land owned by
Environment Agency and leased by the
Avon Wildlife Trust are
Blake's Pools which were dug between 1983 and 1987 to attract wildlife. It forms part of the Severn Estuary
Site of Special Scientific Interest,
Special Protection Area
A Special Protection Area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certa ...
and
Ramsar site.
Flood prevention and conservation
The river falls within the area of th
West Mendip Internal Drainage Board which has a range of policies and guidance about flood prevention and conservation in the area. Levees or high embankments have been erected where the river runs parallel to the A370 and the river is regularly dredged.
See also
*
Wrington Vale Light Railway
The Wrington Vale Light Railway was a railway from Congresbury on the Cheddar Valley line to Blagdon, and serving villages in the Yeo Valley, North Somerset, England. Construction of the line started in 1897 and it opened in 1901. Never more tha ...
*
Yeo Valley Organic
References
External links
Congresbury/Iwood Circular walk
{{authority control
North Somerset
Yeo