River Blackwater (River Loddon)
The
River Blackwater is a tributary of the
River Loddon and, indirectly, of the
River Thames. It rises at
Rowhill on the outskirts of
Aldershot between Aldershot and
Farnham in the
English county of
Hampshire and runs in a northerly direction to join the Loddon near the village of
Swallowfield in the county of
Berkshire. Along part of its length, the river forms the boundary between Hampshire and the county of
Surrey and between Hampshire and Berkshire.
Rowhill is an isolated remnant of the extensive
heathland that once surrounded
Farnborough and Aldershot. What is left of the heathland is used by the
British Army for training exercises.
The Blackwater Valley forms a green corridor. The peace and quiet of this green corridor has been destroyed in recent years by the construction of the Blackwater Valley Relief Road, a motorway in all but name. A cycle route runs alongside the River Blackwater for most of its length.
The
Basingstoke Canal runs east west from the Greywell Tunnel at
Greywell to the
River Wey. It crosses the Blackwater Valley on an embankment. The River Blackwater used to flow under the embankment in a tunnel. Following the construction of the relief road, the Basingstoke Canal now crosses the River Blackwater via a spectacular
aqueduct.
Bats, a protected species, that used to live in the Greywell Tunnel, now live in a nearby bat house.
The new aqueduct affords views of the surrounding countryside. In the distance to the south is the
Hog's Back. This is where the
North Downs narrows. It runs between Farnham and
Guildford. Guildford lies in a gap in the North Downs, cut by the River Wey. The
Hogs Back Brewery, a small local brewery, lies just off the Hog's Back.
This River Blackwater should not be confused with the
River Blackwater in south-west Hampshire, which is a tributary of the
River Test.
*
Surrey/Hampshire County Boundary
