River Great Ouse
|
The Great Ouse at St Neots |
|
After the Brownshill Staunch, near Over |
The
River Great Ouse is a
river in the east of
England. It is 150 miles (240 km) long which makes it the major navigation in
East Anglia, and the fifth-
longest river in the United Kingdom. The lower reaches of the Great Ouse are also known as "Old West River" and "the Ely Ouse".
The river has several sources close to the villages of
Syresham and
Sulgrave in
Northamptonshire. It flows through
Brackley,
Buckingham,
Milton Keynes at
Stony Stratford,
Newport Pagnell,
Olney,
Bedford,
St Neots,
Godmanchester,
Huntingdon,
St Ives, the cathedral city of
Ely,
Littleport,
Downham Market and enters
The Wash at
King's Lynn.
The
Environment Agency is the
navigation authority and it attempts to attract more boaters to the river.
Tributaries of the River Great Ouse: (upstream to downstream by confluence)
*
Padbury Brook*
River Lovat*
Odell Rill*
Ravensden Brook*
Elstow Brook*
Gadsey Brook*
River Kym*
Hen Brook*
Duloe Brook*
Begwary Brook*
River Ivel*
River Cam*
River Lark*
River Little Ouse*
Wissey*
Old Bedford River*
New Bedford River (also known as
Hundred Foot Drain)
The
Ouse Washes are an internationally important area for wildlife.
In 1944 the annual
boat race between the
Oxford and
Cambridge universities took place on this river, between Littleport and Adelaide; it was won by Oxford. The Great Ouse is now used by
CUBC,
CUWBC and
CULRC for training.
*
The Ouse Valley Way (Long distance footpath along the Ouse)
*
RSPB Ouse Washes (
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds reserve)
*
WWT Welney (
Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust reserve)
*
Rivers of the United Kingdom*
The Boat Race*
Useful information on the river from Jim Shead
