River Goyt

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River Goyt
River Goyt from Jim Fearnley Bridge.jpg
River Goyt map.png
The River Goyt is highlighted in red
Coordinates: 53°24′51″N2°09′25″W / 53.41420°N 2.15689°W / 53.41420; -2.15689
Location
CountryEngland
Physical characteristics
Source 
  location Axe Edge Moor, Derbyshire
  elevation520 m (1,710 ft) [1]
Mouth  
  location
River Mersey
  elevation
40 m (130 ft) [2]
Length48.844 km (30.350 mi)
Basin features
ProgressionMersey—Irish Sea
Tributaries 
  left Todd Brook
  right Sett, Etherow
River Goyt
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Joins River Tame to form the River Mersey
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A560
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Culvert at Stockport
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Poise Brook at Offerton
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Torkington Brook
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A627 at Marple
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Peak Forest Canal over Marple Aqueduct
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Sheffield–Manchester Line
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River Etherow
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A626 at Marple Bridge
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Hollywood Brook
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Mellor Brook
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Roman Lakes
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Sheffield–Manchester Line
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River Sett
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A6015 at New Mills
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Shedyard Brook
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Sheffield–Manchester Line
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Buxton–Manchester Line
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Black Brook
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A6
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Peak Forest Canal
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A5004 at Whaley Bridge
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Buxton–Manchester Line
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Toddbrook Reservoir
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Randal Carr Brook
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Fernilee Reservoir
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Errwood Reservoir
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Source on Axe Edge Moor

The River Goyt is a tributary of the River Mersey in North West England.

Contents

Etymology

The name Goyt may be derived from the Middle English gote, meaning "a watercourse, a stream". [3] Derivation from the Welsh gwyth meaning "vein" has been suggested, but described as "doubtful". [4]

Course

The Goyt rises on the moors of Axe Edge, near the River Dane and the Cat and Fiddle Inn. The area is known as the Upper Goyt Valley. The old Cat and Fiddle Road from Buxton to Macclesfield crosses the river just as it turns northwards to flow down its well-known valley. The river then flows under Derbyshire Bridge, which was the old boundary between Derbyshire and Cheshire. Later it reaches an old packhorse bridge that was moved when Errwood reservoir was built in the 1960s (see photo below). Further downstream there is another reservoir, the Fernilee Reservoir, built in 1938. [5] The original line of the Cromford and High Peak Railway can be seen near this point.

The Goyt then passes through Taxal and Horwich End where it is joined by the Todd Brook. Thereafter it passes through Whaley Bridge, New Mills (where it is joined by the River Sett) and Marple Bridge. Having been joined by the River Etherow, the Goyt joins the River Tame at Stockport, forming the River Mersey.

The section of the Goyt valley between Etherow Country Park and Whaley Bridge is followed by the Goyt Way, a 10-mile (16 km) walking route and part of the longer Midshires Way. [6]

The River Goyt is reputedly haunted by the ghost of a girl whose Royalist lover drowned in the river. [7]

Pollution

The river's Environment Agency pollution classification changed from moderate to poor in its lower section from the Etherow to the Mersey in 2016, [8] and in 2015 for the New Mills to Whaley Bridge length. [9] Otherwise the quality is moderate. [10] [11]

Tributaries

See also

List of mills in New Mills area

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Etherow</span> River in north west England

The River Etherow is a river in northern England, and a tributary of the River Goyt. Although now passing through South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Greater Manchester, it historically formed the ancient county boundary between Cheshire and Derbyshire. The upper valley is known as Longdendale. The river has a watershed of approximately 30 square miles (78 km2), and the area an annual rainfall of 52.5 inches (1,330 mm).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Mersey</span> Major river emptying into Liverpool Bay

The River Mersey is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed part of the boundary between the historic counties of Lancashire and Cheshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upper Goyt Valley</span> Valley in the Peak District of England

The Upper Goyt Valley is the southern section of the valley of the River Goyt in North West England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Mills</span> Human settlement in England

New Mills is a town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England, 8 miles (13 km) south-east of Stockport and 13 miles (21 km) from Manchester at the confluence of the River Goyt and Sett. It is close to the border with Cheshire and above the Torrs, a 70 feet (21 m) deep gorge cut through carboniferous sandstone, on the north-western edge of the Peak District national park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Tame, Greater Manchester</span> River in Greater Manchester, England

The River Tame flows through Greater Manchester, England. It rises on Denshaw Moor and flows to Stockport where it joins the River Goyt to form the River Mersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Etherow Country Park</span> Park in Compstall, England

Etherow Country Park is situated at Compstall, England, between Marple Bridge and Romiley, in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester. It is a Local Nature Reserve and the starting point of the Goyt Way.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compstall</span> Human settlement in England

Compstall is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England; it is situated between Marple Bridge and Romiley and is historically part of Cheshire. It was formerly a mill village, built by George Andrew in the 1820s to house his 800 workers. Most of the original mill cottages and other structures remain unchanged.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whaley Bridge</span> Town in the High Peak, Derbyshire, England

Whaley Bridge is a town and civil parish in the High Peak district of Derbyshire, England. It is situated on the River Goyt, 16 miles (26 km) south-east of Manchester, 7 miles (11 km) north of Buxton, 9 miles (14 km) north-east of Macclesfield and 28 miles (45 km) west of Sheffield. It had a population of 6,455 at the 2011 census, including Furness Vale, Horwich End, Bridgemont, Fernilee, Stoneheads and Taxal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Sett</span> River in Derbyshire, England

The River Sett is a river that flows through the High Peak borough of Derbyshire, in north western England. It rises near Edale Cross on Kinder Scout and flows through the villages of Hayfield and Birch Vale to join the River Goyt at New Mills. The River Goyt is one of the principal tributaries of the River Mersey. In the past, the river was known as the River Kinder; the modern River Kinder is a right tributary of the Sett, joining the river at Bowden Bridge above Hayfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mersey Basin Campaign</span>

The Mersey Basin Campaign worked within the catchments of the River Mersey and the River Ribble, in the counties of Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Cheshire and in the High Peak area of Derbyshire in the UK. Its primary goal was to repair the damage done by industrialisation and to foster a modern and prosperous future, with an improved environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Kinder</span> River in northwestern Derbyshire, England

The River Kinder is a small river, only about 3 miles (4.8 km) long, in northwestern Derbyshire, England. Rising on the peat moorland plateau of Kinder Scout, it flows generally westwards to its confluence with the River Sett at Bowden Bridge. En route it flows through the Kinder Gates rocks, over the waterfall known as Kinder Downfall, and through Kinder Reservoir, built in 1903–12 by the Stockport Corporation Water Works. Until the 19th century at least, the name was formerly also applied to the River Sett as far as its confluence with the River Goyt in New Mills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Todd Brook</span> River in Cheshire and Derbyshire, England

Todd Brook is a small river running through the English counties of Cheshire and Derbyshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Errwood Hall</span> Ruins of Victorian mansion

The ruin of Errwood Hall is a popular tourist destination in the scenic Upper Goyt Valley within the Peak District of England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hague Bar</span> Human settlement in England

Hague Bar is a hamlet in New Mills, Derbyshire, near Marple and Stockport. The Manchester to Sheffield railway passes through the Goyt valley at this point. Its population is included in the figures shown for New Mills. Hague Bar is the most westerly settlement in Derbyshire. The Goyt Way, part of the Midshires Way and the E2 European long-distance path, passes through the village on its 10-mile (16 km) route from Etherow Country Park to Whaley Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goyt Way</span>

The Goyt Way is a 10-mile (16 km) walking route from Etherow Country Park, Greater Manchester, to Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire, following the valley of the River Goyt. It is part of the longer Midshires Way, which in turn is part of the E2 European long-distance path. The path is waymarked, and intersects with the Cheshire Ring Canal Walk and the Peak District Boundary Walk. It passes through the following settlements: Compstall, Marple, Strines, Brookbottom, Hague Bar, New Mills and Furness Vale. In its latter stages, it follows the towpath of the Peak Forest Canal to its terminus at Whaley Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peak District Boundary Walk</span> Long distance footpath in England

The Peak District Boundary Walk is a circular 190-mile (310 km) walking trail, starting and finishing at Buxton and broadly following the boundary of the Peak District, Britain's first national park. The route was developed by the Friends of the Peak District and was launched on 17 June 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fernilee Reservoir</span> Reservoir in Derbyshire, England

Fernilee Reservoir is a drinking-water reservoir fed by the River Goyt in the Peak District National Park, within the county of Derbyshire and very close to the boundary with Cheshire. The village of Fernliee sits at the north end of the reservoir, with Goyt's Moss to the south and between Hoo Moor to the west and Combs Moss to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burbage Edge</span> Hill in the Derbyshire Peak District

Burbage Edge is a gritstone escarpment overlooking the Burbage district of Buxton in Derbyshire, in the Peak District. The hill's summit is 500 metres (1,600 ft) above sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oak Beck</span> River in North Yorkshire, England

Oak Beck is a watercourse that flows eastwards across the northern part of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. The beck flows through a broad V-shaped valley, before emptying into the River Nidd at Bilton, just upstream from the Nidd Gorge Viaduct. Water from Oak Beck has been used as a water supply for Harrogate and also for industrial purposes further downstream.

References

Route map:

Template:Attached KML/River Goyt
KML is from Wikidata
  1. Environment Agency (March 2004). "The Tame, Goyt and Etherow catchment abstraction management strategy". Environment Agency North West, Warrington. p. 6. Archived from the original (pdf) on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 13 March 2007.
  2. Boyce, D (August 2005). "Mersey and Bollin Catchment abstraction management strategy". Environment Agency North West, Warrington. p. 5. Archived from the original (pdf) on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 13 March 2007.
  3. "The place-names of England and Wales" . Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  4. Studia Celtica. University of Wales Press. 2006. p. 47. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  5. "History". Goyt Valley Online. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  6. "Goyt Way". Long Distance Walkers Association. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  7. Ash, Russell (1973). Folklore, Myths and Legends of Britain. Reader's Digest Association Limited. p. 372. ISBN   9780340165973.
  8. "Catchment Data Explorer - Goyt (Etherow to Mersey)". environment.data.gov.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  9. "Catchment Data Explorer - River Goyt (Sett to Etherow)". environment.data.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  10. "Catchment Data Explorer - River Goyt (Sett to Etherow)". environment.data.gov.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  11. "Catchment Data Explorer - River Goyt (Source to Randall Carr Brook)". environment.data.gov.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2019.

Further reading

"The Goyt Valley (Fact Sheet: 16)" (PDF). Peak District National Park Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 May 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2014.