The River Leven () is a stretch of water in West Dunbartonshire,

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, flowing from

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; ) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault (HBF), often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Central Scotland and the Highlands.Tom Weir. ''The Scottish Lochs''. pp. 33-43. Published by ...

in the north to the

River Clyde The River Clyde (, ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde, in the west of Scotland. It is the eighth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the second longest in Scotland after the River Tay. It runs through the city of Glasgow. Th ...

in the south. The river is about long. It is very popular with

salmon Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...

and sea trout anglers, trying to catch one of these migratory fish going up to Loch Lomond. The Vale of Leven is a collection of communities in the northern part of the river, whilst the town of

Dumbarton Dumbarton (; , or ; or , meaning 'fort of the Britons (historical), Britons') is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven, Dunbartonshire, River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. ...

sits at the southern end.

Dumbarton Castle Dumbarton Castle (, ; ) has the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Scotland. It sits on a volcanic plug of basalt known as Dumbarton Rock which is high and overlooks the Scottish town of Dumbarton. History Dumbarton Rock was forme ...

sits at the confluence of the river with the Clyde. The Leven is a relatively short river but is widely claimed to be the second fastest flowing river in Scotland, after the River Spey. Possibly because of this, or possibly because it passes through a built-up area, it has a reputation as a dangerous river with many drownings over the years. The Linnbrane Hole in Alexandria is reputed to be the most dangerous spot. The river is crossed by nine bridges and two weirs. There is a path for pedestrians and cyclists near the river, which connects with a cycle path to

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

. It follows the river very closely from Balloch to Renton, less closely from Renton to Dumbarton. The river includes two large

meander A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the Channel (geography), channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erosion, erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank (cut bank, cut bank or river cl ...

bends, at Cordale and Dalquhurn. In the past the river was used to get steamers into Loch Lomond, although they sometimes did not find it an easy journey and could have difficulty getting past the bridges.''The Old Vale and its Memories'' Nowadays the river is considered to be not navigable. The height of the river can vary, sometimes being a good deal higher in winter than summer.

References

External links

*
History of the River Leven - Clyde Waterfront Heritage
{{authority control Leven, Dunbartonshire River Clyde Protected areas of West Dunbartonshire Loch Lomond Vale of Leven Dumbarton

See also

References

External links