Editing River Fowey

{{Short description|River in Cornwall, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox river
| name = River Fowey
| image = Golant, River Fowey - geograph.org.uk - 495276.jpg
| image_size = 
| image_alt = 
| image_caption = River Fowey at Golant
| map = FoweyLooeRiversMapCornwallUK.gif
| map_size = 
| map_alt = 
| map_caption = The course of the River Fowey and neighbouring rivers in Cornwall
| source1_location = [[Bodmin Moor]]
| mouth_location = [[Fowey]] estuary
| mouth_coordinates = {{coord|50|19|40|N|4|38|30|W|display=inline,title|region:GB_type:river}}
| length = {{Convert|40|km|mi|abbr=on}}
| source1_elevation = {{cvt|298|m}}
| mouth_elevation = 
| discharge1_avg = {{cvt|4.78|m3/s}}
| basin_size = 
}}
{{River Fowey Routemap}}
The '''River Fowey''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=En-uk-Fowey.ogg|ˈ|f|ɔɪ}} {{respell|FOY|'}}; {{langx|kw|Fowi|label=[[Standard Written Form]]}})<ref>[http://www.magakernow.org.uk/default.aspx?page=520 Place-names in the Standard Written Form (SWF)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515091028/http://www.magakernow.org.uk/default.aspx?page=520 |date=2013-05-15 }} : [http://www.magakernow.org.uk/idoc.ashx?docid=79ba408d-7c02-499e-8cd6-b18dd48de58d&version=-1 ''List of place-names agreed by the MAGA Signage Panel''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515071635/http://www.magakernow.org.uk/idoc.ashx?docid=79ba408d-7c02-499e-8cd6-b18dd48de58d&version=-1 |date=2013-05-15 }}. [[Cornish Language Partnership]].</ref> is a [[river]] in [[Cornwall]], [[England]], [[United Kingdom]]. Its [[source (river)|source]] is at Fowey Well (originally {{langx|kw|Fenten Fowi}}, meaning ''spring of the river Fowey'') about {{convert|1|mi}} north-west of [[Brown Willy]] on [[Bodmin Moor]], not far from one of its tributaries rising at [[Dozmary Pool]] and [[Colliford Lake]], passes [[Lanhydrock House]], [[Restormel Castle]] and [[Lostwithiel]], then broadens below [[Milltown, Lanlivery|Milltown]] before joining the [[English Channel]] at [[Fowey]]. The estuary is called Uzell ({{langx|kw|Usel}}, meaning ''howling place''). It is only navigable by larger craft for the last {{convert|7|mi}}. From Fowey, there is a passenger [[ferry]] to [[Polruan]] and a car ferry to [[Bodinnick]]. The first road crossing going upstream is in Lostwithiel. The river has seven tributaries, the largest being the [[Lerryn|River Lerryn]]. The section of the Fowey Valley between [[Doublebois]] and [[Bodmin Parkway railway station]] is known as the Glynn Valley ({{langx|kw|Glyn}}, meaning ''deep wooded valley''). The valley is the route of both the A38 trunk road and the railway line (built by the [[Cornwall Railway]] in 1859). The railway line is carried on [[Cornwall Railway viaducts|eight stone viaducts]] along this stretch.

==History==
[[Image:king-donierts-stone.jpg|thumb|[[King Doniert's Stone]] (2007)]]

[[Donyarth]] ({{langx|la|Doniert}}), or Dungarth (died 875), was the last-recorded king of [[History of Cornwall|Cornwall]]. He is thought to be the 'Doniert' recorded on an inscription on [[King Doniert's Stone]], a ninth-century cross shaft which stands in [[St Cleer]] [[civil parish|parish]] in Cornwall, although he is not given any title in the inscription.<ref>{{cite book |author-link=Charles Thomas (historian) |first=Charles |last=Thomas |year=1986 |title=Celtic Britain |series=Ancient Peoples & Places Series |location=London |publisher=Thames & Hudson }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Mark |last=Stoyle |author-link = Mark Stoyle|year=2002 |title=West Britons: Cornish Identities and the Early Modern British State |publisher=University of Exeter Press |isbn=0-85989-687-0 }}</ref><ref name=P56>{{cite book |last=Payton |first=Philip |author-link=Philip Payton |title=Cornwall: A History |edition=2nd |year=2004 |page=56 |publisher=Cornwall Editions Ltd |location=Fowey |isbn=1-904880-00-2 }}</ref>
According to the ''{{lang|la|[[Annales Cambriae]]}}'', he drowned in 875. His death may have been an accident, but it was recorded in Ireland as a punishment for collaboration with the [[Vikings]], who were harrying the West Saxons and briefly occupied [[Exeter]] in 876 before being driven out by [[Alfred the Great]]. [[Philip Payton]] states that one must imagine that he drowned in the River Fowey, near King Doniert's Stone.<ref name="P56"/>

The Polbrock Canal, approved by Parliament in the 1790s but never built, would have provided a link between the north and south coasts of Cornwall by joining the [[River Camel]] with the Fowey at Bodmin.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://canalrivertrustwaterfront.org.uk/heritage/feature-pos3-imagined-canals/|title=Imagined canals|date=5 July 2018}}</ref>

==Geology and hydrology==
The upper reaches of the Fowey are mainly moorland giving way to woodland and farmland, predominantly livestock. This means that 63.6% of the catchment is grassland, with a further 18.3% woodland and 10.7% arable land. Of the remaining 7.5%, 2.6% is urban or built-up areas, 2.5% is mountain, heath and bog and the remainder is inland waters.<ref name="NERC">{{Cite web| title =Fowey at Restormel: Land use| publisher =Natural Environment Research Council.| url =http://www.nwl.ac.uk/ih/nrfa/spatialinfo/LandUse/landuse048011.html| access-date =2010-02-18| url-status =dead| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110716152138/http://www.nwl.ac.uk/ih/nrfa/spatialinfo/LandUse/landuse048011.html| archive-date =2011-07-16}}</ref>

The catchment area of the River Fowey covers a total of {{Convert|41800|acre|mi2}}<ref name="NERC2">{{Cite web| title =48011 – Fowey at Restormel| publisher =Natural Environment Research Council.| url =http://www.nwl.ac.uk/ih/nrfa/station_summaries/048/011.html| access-date =2010-02-18| url-status =dead| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110716152149/http://www.nwl.ac.uk/ih/nrfa/station_summaries/048/011.html| archive-date =2011-07-16}}</ref> consisting of granite (in part kaolinised) on Bodmin Moor, Devonian slates and grits, and peat and valley gravels.<ref name="NERC2"/> Data collected by the National River Flow Archive shows that average flow at the Restormel monitoring station is {{Convert|4.78|m3/s|abbr=on}} and is affected by the reservoirs at [[Colliford]] and Sibleyback and by abstraction of water for public supply.<ref name="NERC2"/>

==Wildlife and conservation==
[[Image:FoweyGolithaFalls2.jpg|thumb|Golitha Falls]]
[[File:Entrance to Golitha Woods - geograph.org.uk - 6061.jpg|thumb|Entrance to Golitha Woods]]
[[Image:FoweyAtTragoMills.jpg|upright|thumb|River Fowey at Trago Mills]]
[[Image:Lostwithiel bridge river Fowey Cornwall.jpg|thumb|12th-century bridge at Lostwithiel, crossing the Fowey]]
The river runs through two [[Sites of Special Scientific Interest]] (SSSI), one of which is also part of a [[national nature reserves in England|national nature reserve]] (NNR). The Upper Fowey SSSI is a floodplain on the southern slopes of Bodmin Moor and is designated for its wet [[heath]] vegetation and [[herbaceous]] valley-floor [[Bog|mire]] communities.<ref>{{cite web|title=Upper Fowey SSSI|url=http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1001958.pdf|publisher=[[Natural England]]|year=1989|access-date=29 October 2011}}</ref> Downstream at Golitha Falls, part of the woodland is designated a NNR and is within the Draynes Wood SSSI. At this point the river runs through a gorge and is of particular importance for ″lower plants″ such as [[Marchantiophyta|liverworts]], [[moss]]es and [[lichen]]s.<ref>{{cite web|title=Golitha Falls NNR|url=http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/designatedareas/nnr/1006060.aspx|publisher=[[Natural England]]|access-date=29 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Draynes Wood SSSI|url=http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1003106.pdf|publisher=[[Natural England]]|year=1985|access-date=29 October 2011}}</ref> Golitha (pronounced ''Goleetha'') is derived from the [[Cornish language|Cornish]] word for ''obstruction''. There is a {{convert|1|to|3|mi|adj=on}} riverside walk, from the visitor car park.<ref>{{cite web|title=Golitha Falls|url=http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=13380|publisher=Cornwall Council|access-date=29 October 2011}}</ref> Golitha Falls is the site of Wheal Victoria copper mine.<ref>{{cite web|title = Wheal Victoria Copper Mine - PhotoFile Cornwall|url = http://www.photofilecornwall.co.uk/cornwall-mineheritage/whealvictoria/wheal-victoria-copper-mine.htm|access-date = 27 January 2016}}</ref>

== Recreation ==
The upper part of the Fowey valley is within the Bodmin Moor area of the [[Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty]] so many hikers, holidaymakers and tourists visit the places of interest. The river has very pleasant sites and special paths made for hiking and walking along the banks and in the countryside surrounding the towns; most of [[Bodmin Moor]] is designated as 'open access' under the [[Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000]].

The River Fowey is famous for its sailing because of its natural harbour. In the past it has been visited by up to 7,000 yachts in one season. Almost all sections of the river have been paddled by [[kayakers]] and [[canoeists]]: from the [[whitewater]] sections high up on the moor, all the way down to the estuary. Fowey has an excellent local chandlery.

Many fish can be caught in the River Fowey so many fishermen come to enjoy the excellent fishing conditions.

== Ferry services ==
Fowey to Polruan passenger and cycle ferry – runs year round.

Fowey to Bodinnick Ferry – there has been a ferry crossing the narrows between Fowey and [[Bodinnick]] since at least the 14th century.<ref>{{cite web| url =https://www.theoldferryinn.co.uk/about-us | title =History of the Old Ferry Inn | website =The Old Ferry Inn, Bodinnick | publisher =The Old Ferry Inn, Bodinnick, Cornwall | access-date =19 May 2019 }}</ref> Today there is a vehicle ferry that runs year round between Bodinnick slipway and Caffa Mill slipway in Fowey.<ref>{{cite web | url =https://www.foweyharbour.co.uk/leisure-information/activities/ferries-water-taxis | title =Ferry and Water Taxi services | date =2016
 | website =Fowey Harbour Commissioners | publisher = Fowey Harbour Commissioners | access-date =19 May 2019 }}</ref>

The Fowey to Mevagissey Passenger Ferry – a timetabled summer service leaving Whitehouse Slip. Journey time is around 40 minutes. It provides an alternative route to the [[Lost Gardens of Heligan]], finishing the journey on foot or by taxi.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Cornwall}}
{{commons category|River Fowey}}
* [http://www.photofilecornwall.co.uk/cornwall-stcleerminions/golithafalls/golitha-falls.htm Golitha Falls]

{{Cornwall}}
{{SSSIs Cornwall biological}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fowey, River}}
[[Category:Rivers of Cornwall]]
[[Category:National nature reserves in Cornwall]]
[[Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cornwall]]
[[Category:Cornish Killas]]