The River Ray is a tributary of the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...
in England which flows through
Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...
.
The river rises at
Wroughton
Wroughton is a large village and civil parish in northeast Wiltshire, England. It is part of the Borough of Swindon and lies along the A4361 road, A4361 between Swindon and Avebury; the road into Swindon crosses the M4 motorway between junc ...
to the south of
Swindon
Swindon () is a town in Wiltshire, England. At the time of the 2021 Census the population of the built-up area was 183,638, making it the largest settlement in the county. Located at the northeastern edge of the South West England region, Swi ...
and runs in a generally northern direction, passing to the west of the town via Shaw. Near Roughmoor it is joined from the west by the Lydiard Brook. The river joins the Thames on the southern bank near
Calcutt, east of
Cricklade, just upstream of
Water Eaton House Bridge. Its length is about from its source to the Lydiard Brook, and from there to the Thames.
The river has been subject to a restoration project run by the
Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. The final stage, completed in December 2007, was to build a tunnel near the Great Western Way at Rivermead to allow the nine species of fish to travel the length of the river without obstruction.
BBC News 16 December 2007 ''Tunnel allows fish to swim freely''
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See also
* Tributaries of the River Thames
This article lists the tributaries of the River Thames from the sea to the source, in England. There are also secondary lists of backwaters of the river itself and the waterways branching off.
Note: the River Medway shares the saline lower ...
* List of rivers in England
References
Rivers of Wiltshire
1Ray
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