Editing River Don, Aberdeenshire

{{Short description|River in Aberdeenshire, Scotland}}
{{For|other rivers of the same or similar name|Don River (disambiguation){{!}}Don River}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2017}}
{{Infobox river
| name               = River Don
| native_name        = 
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| name_other         = 
| name_etymology     = 
<!---------------------- IMAGE & MAP -->
| image              = River Don near Alford.jpg
| image_size         = 
| image_caption      = River Don and Castle Forbes near [[Alford, Aberdeenshire|Alford]].
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<!---------------------- LOCATION -->
| subdivision_type1  = Country
| subdivision_name1  = [[Scotland]]
| subdivision_type2  = 
| subdivision_name2  = 
| subdivision_type3  = County
| subdivision_name3  = [[Aberdeenshire]]
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<!---------------------- PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS -->
| length_km = 131
| width_min          = 
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| width_max          = 
| depth_min          = 
| depth_avg          = 
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| discharge1_location= [[Dyce|Parkhill]]
| discharge1_min     = 
| discharge1_avg     = {{convert|20.64|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
| discharge1_max     = 
<!---------------------- BASIN FEATURES -->
| source1            = 
| source1_location   = Ladder Hills
| source1_coordinates= 
| source1_elevation  = 
| mouth              = 
| mouth_location     = [[Bridge of Don]], [[Aberdeen]]
| mouth_coordinates  = {{coord|57.1760|-2.0770|display=inline,title}}
| mouth_elevation    = 
| progression        = 
| river_system       = 
| basin_size_km2 = 1312
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}}

The '''River Don''' ({{langx|gd|Abhainn Dheathain}}) is a [[river]] in north-east [[Scotland]]. It [[Source (river or stream)|rises]] in the [[Grampian Mountains|Grampians]] and flows eastwards, through [[Aberdeenshire]], to the [[North Sea]] at [[Aberdeen]]. The Don passes through [[Alford, Scotland|Alford]], [[Kemnay, Aberdeenshire|Kemnay]], [[Inverurie]], [[Kintore, Aberdeenshire|Kintore]], and [[Dyce]]. Its main [[tributary]], the [[River Ury]], joins at [[Inverurie]].

==Course of the river==
The Don rises in the peat flat beneath ''Druim na Feithe'', and in the shadow of [[River Avon (Strathspey)|Glen Avon]], before flowing quietly past the ice-age [[moraine]] and down to Cock Bridge, below the picturesque site of the recently demolished [[Delnadamph Lodge]]. Several streams, the Dhiver, Feith Bhait, Meoir Veannaich, Cock Burn and the Allt nan Aighean merge to form the embryonic Don. Water from the north of Brown Cow Hill ({{gbmapping|NJ230045}}) drains into the Don, while water from the west side runs into the [[River Spey]] and that from the south side into the [[River Dee, Aberdeenshire|Dee]]. The Don follows a circuitous route eastwards past [[Corgarff Castle]], through [[Strathdon]] and the [[Howe of Alford]] before entering the North Sea just north of [[Old Aberdeen]].

The chief tributaries are [[Conrie Water]], [[Ernan Water]], Water of Carvie, Water of Nochty, Deskry Water, Water of Buchat, Kindy Burn, [[Bucks Burn]], Mossat Burn, Leochel Burn and the [[River Ury]].

==History==
The river was recorded by the 2nd century AD cosmographer [[Ptolemy]] of [[Alexandria]] (d. ''c'' 168) as Δηουανα ''Devona'',<ref>Strang, Alastair. “Explaining Ptolemy's Roman Britain.” Britannia, vol. 28, 1997, pp. 1–30. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/526763. Accessed 21 April 2020.</ref> meaning 'goddess', an indication the river was once a sacred one. Near Kintore, not distant from the Don, is the [[Deers Den]] [[Roman Camp]]. In 1750 the Don's lower reaches were channelled towards the sea, moving its confluence with the sea northwards.

==Hydrology==
{| class="wikitable sortable floatright" 
|-
!colspan=4|Discharge of the River Don at various locations<ref name=hydro/>
|- bgcolor="#dfdfdf"
! Station 
! data-sort-type="number"|Start
! data-sort-type="number"|Catchment <br>Area
! data-sort-type="number"|Mean Flow
|-----
| [[Strathdon|Culfork]]	||align="center"|1997||align="center"|{{convert|103|km2|mi2|0|abbr=on}}||align="center"|{{convert|2.94|m3/s|cuft/s|0|abbr=on}}
|---
| [[Alford, Aberdeenshire|Alford]]||align="center"|1973||align="center"|{{convert|499|km2|mi2|0|abbr=on}}||align="center"|{{convert|10.22|m3/s|cuft/s|0|abbr=on}}
|---
| [[Inverurie|Haughton]]||align="center"|1969||align="center"|{{convert|787|km2|mi2|0|abbr=on}}||align="center"|{{convert|14.33|m3/s|cuft/s|0|abbr=on}}
|---
| [[Dyce|Parkhill (Dyce)]]||align="center"|1969||align="center"|{{convert|1273|km2|mi2|0|abbr=on}}||align="center"|{{convert|20.64|m3/s|cuft/s|0|abbr=on}}
|---
|}
River levels and flows have been measured along the course of the Don at a number of [[Gauging Station|gauging stations]] since 1969. The lowest of these is the gauge at Parkhill near [[Dyce]], with a mean flow of {{convert|20.64|m3/s}}. The station measures 97% of the total {{convert|1312|km2}} [[catchment]] of the river.<ref name=hydro>{{cite book |url= http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/3093/|last=Marsh |first=T J |last2=Hannaford |first2=J |title=UK Hydrometric Register. Hydrological data UK series |publisher=Centre for Ecology & Hydrology |year=2008|page=15}}</ref><ref name=rdt>{{cite web|title=River Don|url=http://www.riverdon.org.uk/ |publisher= River Don Trust|access-date=11 January 2016}}</ref>

Prior to 2016 the maximum levels and flows were recorded during the floods of November 2002, with peak levels on the 22nd of that month reaching {{convert|5.07|m}} at Haughton near Inverurie, and {{convert|4.17|m}} at Parkhill. These were exceeded in January 2016 during the [[2015–16 Great Britain and Ireland floods|2015–16 floods]], when levels at Haughton reached {{convert|5.6|m}}, whilst those at Parkhill were over a metre higher than previously at {{convert|5.5|m}}.<ref name=hydro/><ref name=dailyr>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/scotland-weather-river-don-bursts-7139114 |title=Scotland Weather: River Don bursts its banks as North East of Scotland continues to be battered by heavy rain |work=Daily Record |publisher=Trinity Mirror |date=8 January 2016|access-date=11 January 2016}}</ref> The resultant flooding forced residents along the river to evacuate their homes, in some cases with the help of local rescue teams. Areas affected included Port Elphinstone, [[Kintore, Aberdeenshire|Kintore]], and Donside in Aberdeen where a number of residential care homes were evacuated as a precaution.<ref name=dailyr/><ref>{{cite news|title=Scotland flooding: Record high for river levels|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-35259398|access-date=27 January 2016|publisher=BBC News}}</ref>

==Economy==
Strathdon attracts visitors for [[salmon]] and [[trout]] fishing as well as its [[castle]]s and scenery. A 100kW hydro scheme at [[Tillydrone]] is on the former site of the [[Paper mills of Aberdeen|Donside Papermill]].

==See also==
*[[Aberdeenshire Canal]]
*[[Brig o' Balgownie]]
*[[Glenbuchat Castle]] 
*[[List of rivers of Scotland]]
*[[Rivers and Fisheries Trusts of Scotland]] (RAFTS)
*[[List of navigation authorities in the United Kingdom]]
*[[List of waterway societies in the United Kingdom]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.fishingthefly.co.uk/river-don.html Fishing the Fly]
*[http://www.fish-wild.co.uk/index.php/articles/features/1166-the-don-from-20000-feet Fish-Wild!]
*[http://www.riverdon.org.uk The River Don Trust]

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Rivers of Aberdeen|Don]]
[[Category:Rivers of Aberdeenshire|Don]]