Congresbury Yeo

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Congresbury Yeo
Compton martin duck pond.JPG
Location
Country England
County Somerset
Cities Ubley, Congresbury, Wrington, Iwood
Physical characteristics
SourceCompton Martin Duck Pond
  locationCompton Martin, Somerset, England
  coordinates 51°18′38″N2°39′12″W / 51.31056°N 2.65333°W / 51.31056; -2.65333
Mouth Severn Estuary
  location
Kingston Seymour, Somerset, England
  coordinates
51°23′43″N2°54′39″W / 51.39528°N 2.91083°W / 51.39528; -2.91083 Coordinates: 51°23′43″N2°54′39″W / 51.39528°N 2.91083°W / 51.39528; -2.91083
  elevation
0 ft (0 m)

The River Yeo (often referred to as the Congresbury Yeo, after the village of Congresbury, through which it flows, to avoid confusion with other similarly named rivers) is a river which flows through North Somerset, England.

Contents

River course

The river rises in the centre of Compton Martin village, in the district of Bath and North East Somerset, as a spring which feeds the village duckpond. From there it flows past the village of Ubley and enters Blagdon Lake (created in the 1890s by damming the river) just north of the village of Blagdon. From the lake the river flows south of Wrington and Iwood, where there were once a series of watermills along its banks. Its route then takes it around the northern outskirts of Congresbury, and across the North Somerset Levels roughly parallel to the A370 road, past the site of a Roman villa before crossing under the M5 motorway and emptying into the Severn Estuary in Woodspring Bay, downstream from Clevedon and west of the village of Kingston Seymour.

Close to the mouth on the Severn Estuary on land owned by Environment Agency and leased by the Avon Wildlife Trust are Blake's Pools which were dug between 1983 and 1987 to attract wildlife. It forms part of the Severn Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest, Special Protection Area and Ramsar site. [1]

Waterfall on the Yeo, south west of Wrington Yeowaterfall.jpg
Waterfall on the Yeo, south west of Wrington

Flood prevention and conservation

The river falls within the area of the West Mendip Internal Drainage Board, which has a range of policies and guidance about flood prevention and conservation in the area. Levees or high embankments have been erected where the river runs parallel to the A370 and the river is regularly dredged.

See also

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Wrington Village in the Mendips of Somerset, England

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Blagdon Human settlement in England

Blagdon is a village and civil parish in the ceremonial county of Somerset, within the unitary authority of North Somerset, in England. It is located in the Mendip Hills, a recognised Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. According to the 2011 census it has a population of 1,116. The village is about 12 miles (19 km) east of Weston-super-Mare on the A368 between Churchill and Compton Martin.

Wrington Vale Light Railway

The Wrington Vale Light Railway was a railway from Congresbury on the Cheddar Valley line to Blagdon, and serving villages in the Yeo Valley, North Somerset, England. Construction of the line started in 1897 and it opened in 1901. Never more than a purely local line, it closed to passengers in 1931, and completely in 1963.

Blagdon Lake Lake in the United Kingdom

Blagdon Lake lies in a valley at the northern edge of the Mendip Hills, close to the village of Blagdon and approximately 10 miles (16 km) south of Bristol, England. The lake was created by Bristol Water, when it dammed the River Yeo, starting construction in 1898, to designs by Charles Hawksley, and completing this in 1905. The Wrington Vale Light Railway was constructed primarily to bring building materials for the lake.

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Redhill, Somerset Human settlement in England

Redhill is a compact village at the foot of a 173 m (AOD) hill of the same name to its east and north-east. Its lower level local authority is the civil parish of Wrington which is in North Somerset, England. It straddles the A38 Bridgwater-Bristol Road. It is about 8 miles (12.9 km) SSW of Bristol and close to Bristol Airport.

Blakes Pools

Blake's Pools are a 4 hectare nature reserve owned by Environment Agency and leased by the Avon Wildlife Trust, on the banks of the Congresbury Yeo close to its mouth, near Kingston Seymour, Somerset, in South West England.

Portbury Ashlands

Portbury Ashlands which is now known as Portbury Wharf Nature Reserve is a nature reserve between Portishead and the Royal Portbury Dock in Somerset, England. It was formed from the redevelopment of the area of Portishead formerly occupied by two power stations. To the east of the harbour, an area known as "the Ashlands" was used for over 50 years to get rid of power station waste which was dumped into lagoons on the site.

Land Yeo River in north Somerset, England

The Land Yeo is a small river which flows through North Somerset, England.

References

  1. "Blake's Pools". Reserves. Avon Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 1 June 2008.