This is a list of rivers and natural waterways that flow either wholly or partially through the ceremonial county of Wiltshire. The list is not comprehensive as there are many small brooks and streams without a recorded name on most official maps. There are three notable rivers that flow through the county: the River Avon (Bristol), the River Avon (Hampshire) and the River Thames.
Due to the geology of the county, the rivers and waterways discharge to the west, east and south. In addition to the natural waterways, the Kennet and Avon Canal crosses the county.
The River Severn, at 220 miles (354 km) long, is the longest river in Great Britain. It is also the river with the most voluminous flow of water by far in all of England and Wales, discharging an average of 107 m3/s (3,800 cu ft/s) into the Bristol Channel at Apperley, Gloucestershire. It rises in the Cambrian Mountains in mid Wales, at an altitude of 2,001 feet (610 m), on the Plynlimon massif, which lies close to the Ceredigion/Powys border near Llanidloes. The river then flows through Shropshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. The three county towns of Shrewsbury, Worcester and Gloucester lie on its course.
Water transport played a vital role in the United Kingdom's industrial development. The beginning of the 19th century saw a move from roads to waterways,.
The River Avon, also known as the River Aune, is a river in the county of Devon in the southwest of England. It rises in the southern half of Dartmoor National Park in an area of bog to the west of Ryder's Hill. Close to where the river leaves Dartmoor a dam was built in 1957 to form the Avon reservoir. After leaving the moor it passes through South Brent and then Avonwick and Aveton Gifford and flows into the sea at Bigbury-on-Sea. Near Loddiswell the valley flows through Fosse Copse a 1.88 hectares woodland owned and managed by the Woodland Trust.
The River Avon in central England flows generally southwestwards and is a major left-bank tributary of the River Severn, of which it is the easternmost. It is also known as the Warwickshire Avon or Shakespeare's Avon, to distinguish it from several other rivers of the same name in the United Kingdom.
The River Avon is in the south of England, rising in Wiltshire, flowing through that county's city of Salisbury and then west Hampshire, before reaching the English Channel through Christchurch Harbour in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole conurbation of Dorset.
The River Avon is an English river in the south west of the country. To distinguish it from a number of other rivers of the same name, this river is often also known as the Bristol Avon. The name ‘Avon’ is a cognate of the Welsh word afon, ‘river’.
The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of 87 miles (140 km), made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section. From Bristol to Bath the waterway follows the natural course of the River Avon before the canal links it to the River Kennet at Newbury, and from there to Reading on the River Thames. In all, the waterway incorporates 105 locks.
The Avon River is a river in Perth County, Ontario, Canada. The river was named after the River Avon in England when the town of Stratford was founded on its banks in 1832. The Avon River rises northeast of Stratford and flows southwest, entering the North Thames River near St. Marys. It was originally known as the Little Thames River.
The Avon River is a river in Western Australia. A tributary of the Swan River, the Avon flows 240 kilometres (150 mi) from source to mouth, with a catchment area of 125,000 square kilometres (48,000 sq mi).
The Frome, historically the Froom, is a river that rises in Dodington Park, South Gloucestershire, and flows south westerly through Bristol, joining the former course of the river Avon in Bristol's Floating Harbour. It is approximately 20 miles (32 km) long, and the mean flow at Frenchay is 60 cubic feet per second (1.7 m3/s). The name Frome is shared with several other rivers in South West England and means 'fair, fine, brisk’. The river is known locally in east Bristol as the Danny.
County Lock is a lock on the River Kennet in Reading town centre in the English county of Berkshire. It is now administered by the Canal & River Trust as part of the Kennet and Avon Canal. Downstream from the lock is Brewery Gut, a particularly fast flowing, narrow and dangerous stretch of the river.
Avon River, a perennial stream of the Manning River catchment, is located in the Upper Hunter region of New South Wales, Australia.
The Dale River is a perennial river located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia.
Newbury Lock is a lock on the Kennet and Avon Canal in the town centre of Newbury, in the English county of Berkshire. It has a rise/fall of 3 ft 6 in, and is situated just upstream of Newbury Bridge.
Woolhampton Lock is a lock on the Kennet and Avon Canal, in the village of Woolhampton in the English county of Berkshire. The lock has a rise/fall of 8 feet 11 inches (2.72 m) and is administered by the Canal and River Trust.
The Mortlock River is a perennial river located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia.
Salt River is a river in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. It is a tributary of the Avon River, taking water from two of the Avon's sub-catchments, the Yilgarn River and the Lockhart River, from their junction where it passes through a hydrological-topographical pinch-point at 'Caroline Gap'.
Lockhart River is a river in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. It is a sub-catchment of the Avon River, and has an area of 32,400 square kilometres (12,500 sq mi). At its junction with the Yilgarn River to form the Salt River, it passes through a hydrological-topographical pinch-point at 'Caroline Gap'.
The River Sem is a natural waterway that flows through the ceremonial county of Wiltshire in England. It flows approximately 4 1⁄4 miles (7 km) from its source near East Knoyle to join the River Nadder near Wardour.
Yilgarn River is a river in the eastern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. It is a sub-catchment of the Avon River, and has an area of 55,900 square kilometres (21,600 sq mi). At its junction with Lockhart River, their combined flow passes through a hydrological-topographical pinch-point at 'Caroline Gap'.