River Skirfare

Last updated

River Skirfare
RiverSkirfare.jpg
River Skirfare
Location
Country England
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationConfluence of Foxup Beck and Cosh Beck
 • coordinates 54°11′11″N2°11′49″W / 54.186503°N 2.197014°W / 54.186503; -2.197014
 • elevation1,470 ft (450 m)
Mouth  
 • location
 River Wharfe
 • coordinates
 54°07′09″N2°02′10″W / 54.119264°N 2.035975°W / 54.119264; -2.035975
 • elevation
636 ft (194 m)
Length9.47 miles (15.24 km)
Basin features
EA waterbody IDs GB104027069250
GB104027069230
GB104027064180

River Skirfare is a small river in North Yorkshire, England, that flows through Littondale and ends where it joins the larger River Wharfe. The source is the confluence of Foxup Beck and Cosh Beck at the hamlet of Foxup.

Contents

The name is of Old Norse origin, from skírr "bright" or "clear" and far "river-course". [1]

Course

The source of the river is the confluence of Foxup Beck and Cosh Beck at the hamlet of Foxup, some 1,470 feet (450 m) above sea level. [2] [3] To the east bank lays Hawkswick Moor and on the west bank lays Darnbrook Fell, Hawkswick Clowder and Pen-y-ghent Fell. The river meanders consistently south-east for approximately 9.5 miles (15.3 km) to the confluence with the River Wharfe. [4]

The river drains a catchment area of 20.27 square miles (52.51 km2). [5] [6] [7] The upper reach of the river above the hamlet of Litton is known to dry up in the summer months with the water flowing underground. [8] It is known that there are huge caverns underneath Littondale where the water sinks, but it reappears south of Arncliffe. [9] Outside of summer, the normal range of the water can be up to 1 foot 11 inches (0.58 m), however, the highest level recorded is of 9 feet 2 inches (2.79 m), at Skirfare Bridge on 20 February 2022. [10] The water seeping underground is what Marie Hartley and Joan Ingilby state is the reason that saved the valley of Littondale from becoming a huge reservoir. [11] Leeds council considered taking the waters from the river in the 1850s, which they labelled as the "Skirfare Scheme." [12]

Flora and fauna

Trout and bullhead are known to be in the river and its tributaries. Trout use many of the smaller side streams as nurseries for their fry. [13] Signal crayfish are known to have inhabited the Upper Wharfe and the Skirfare riverine system. Imported signal crayfish were kept in a trout farm on the Wharfe in 1983, and it is thought they have got into the river system from there. [14] Historically, the lady's slipper orchid used to grow along the banks of the River Skirfare (examples were noted in the 1930s), however, they now only grow in one site in the Yorkshire Dales. [15] [16]

Literary connections

The valley of Littondale was also previously known as Amerdale, and in his poem The White Doe of Rylstone, Wordsworth refers to the "..deep fork at Amerdale..". In the Water-Babies by Charles Kingsley, Littondale and the Skirfare are referred to as Vendale. [17]

Lists

Tributaries

From the source of the river:

  • Halton Gill Beck
  • Newshot Gill
  • Hesleden Beck [18]
  • Potts Beck
  • Fosse Beck
  • Cowside Beck [19]
  • Cote Gill [20]
  • Sleets Gill Beck [20]
  • Moss Beck

Settlements

From the source of the river:

(valley called Littondale) [21]

Crossings

River Skirfare in a dry state River Skirfare - geograph.org.uk - 380781.jpg
River Skirfare in a dry state

From the source of the river:

Related Research Articles

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

The River Wharfe is a river in Yorkshire, England originating within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. For much of its middle course it is the county boundary between West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. Its valley is known as Wharfedale.

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

The River Ouse is a river in North Yorkshire, England. Hydrologically, the river is a continuation of the River Ure, and the combined length of the River Ure and River Ouse makes it, at 129 miles (208 km), the sixth-longest river of the United Kingdom and the longest to flow entirely in one county. The length of the Ouse alone is about 52 miles (84 km) but the total length of the river is disputed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arncliffe, North Yorkshire</span> Village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Arncliffe is a small village and civil parish in Littondale, one of the Yorkshire Dales in England. Littondale is a small valley beside Upper Wharfedale, 3 miles (4.8 km) beyond Kilnsey and its famous crag. It is part of the Craven district of the non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire, but is in the historic West Riding of Yorkshire. The population of the civil parish was estimated at 80 in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kettlewell</span> Village in North Yorkshire, England

Kettlewell is a village in Upper Wharfedale, North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies 6 miles (10 km) north of Grassington, at the point where Wharfedale is joined by a minor road which leads north-east from the village over Park Rash Pass to Coverdale. Great Whernside rises to the east. The population of the civil parish was 322 at the 2011 census, with an estimated population of 340 in 2015.

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

The River Dibb, also known as Barben Beck, is a small river located in North Yorkshire, England. It is a tributary of the River Wharfe. Grimwith Reservoir is at the head of the River Dibb at a point some 2.5 miles (4 km) from Appletreewick. The river flows for 5.2 kilometres (3.2 mi), and must maintain a flow of 273,000 cubic metres (9,600,000 cu ft) of water a day into the River Wharfe system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barden, Craven</span> Civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Barden is a civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It consists of the hamlet of Drebley and a few scattered houses in Wharfedale in the Yorkshire Dales. The parish also includes two areas of moorland, Barden Fell to the east of the River Wharfe and Barden Moor to the west of the river. Both moorlands are access land, and are popular with walkers. Barden Fell rises to the prominent peak of Simon's Seat, and Barden Moor includes two scenic 19th century reservoirs. Much of the parish is on the Bolton Abbey estate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buckden, North Yorkshire</span> Village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Buckden is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Buckden is situated in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and on the east bank of the River Wharfe in Wharfedale. The civil parish includes the hamlet of Cray and the whole of Langstrothdale. According to the 2011 Census the parish had a population of 187.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Litton, North Yorkshire</span> Village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Litton is a village and civil parish in Littondale in the Yorkshire Dales in England. It lies in the Craven District of North Yorkshire, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) up Littondale from Arncliffe. From Litton a footpath leads 3 miles (4.8 km) over the fells to the north east to Buckden in Wharfedale. The population of the civil parish was estimated at 70 in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halton Gill</span> Hamlet and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Halton Gill is a hamlet and civil parish in Littondale in the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire, England. It is situated 2 miles (3.2 km) up Littondale from Litton. A minor road leads south west to Silverdale and Stainforth in Ribblesdale.

Foxup is a hamlet in the Yorkshire Dales in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. The hamlet is near Halton Gill and Litton and is 13 miles (21 km) north west of Grassington. Foxup is in the civil parish of Halton Gill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cray, North Yorkshire</span> Hamlet in North Yorkshire, England

Cray is a hamlet on the B6160 road on a steep hill above Wharfedale in the Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire, England. It is near Buckden and the River Wharfe. It is a very popular walking area and is renowned for several waterfalls known collectively as Cray Waterfalls. The name of the settlement derives from the same name for the nearby beck ; Old Welsh Crei, meaning fresh. The settlement was not mentioned in the Domesday Book, first being recorded in 1202 when a meadow was granted as a fine to William de Arches at Creigate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawkswick</span> Hamlet and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Hawkswick is a hamlet and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Situated in the Yorkshire Dales, it lies in Littondale on the River Skirfare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hesleden, North Yorkshire</span> Hamlet in North Yorkshire, England

Hesleden is a hamlet in Littondale in the Yorkshire Dales in England. It lies within the civil parish of Halton Gill in the Craven district of North Yorkshire. Nether Hesleden is 1.1 miles (1.8 km) west of Litton, and Upper Hesleden is a further 1.4 miles (2.3 km) west, on the road from Halton Gill to Stainforth.

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

Littondale is a dale in the Craven district of the non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire, England. It comprises the main settlements of Hawkswick, Arncliffe, Litton, Foxup and Halton Gill, and farmhouses that date from the 17th century. The main waterway in the dale is the River Skirfare which is fed by many small gills and becks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plover Hill</span>

Plover Hill is an area of moorland lying to the north of Pen-y-ghent in the Yorkshire Dales and connected to it by an unbroken area of high ground. Whilst the whole area is now "open access land", the main right-of-way footpaths come directly from the north off Foxup Road and directly from the south from the summit of Pen-y-ghent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crummackdale</span> A valley in North Yorkshire, England

Crummackdale,, is a small valley north of the village of Austwick in the Craven District of North Yorkshire, England. The Valley is drained by Austwick Beck, which flows into the River Wenning, which in turn heads westwards to empty into the Irish Sea. Crummackdale is a narrow south west facing dale, at the south west corner of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fountains Fell Tarn</span> Upland lake in the Yorkshire Dales, England

Fountains Fell Tarn, is an upland lake between the two peaks of Fountains Fell, in North Yorkshire, England. The tarn is close to the Pennine Way, some 4.3 miles (7 km) north west of Malham Tarn, and 4.3 miles (7 km) east of Horton in Ribblesdale. Water from the tarn flows eastwards through Cowside Beck, which is a tributary of the River Skirfare in Littondale. Whilst the water in the lake is acidic, as it runs off the mountain, it flows over Yoredale beds limestone and so becomes a harder water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scoska Wood</span> National Nature Reserve in North Yorkshire, England

Scoska Wood is an IUCN Category IV – habitat or species management area, a British national nature reserve (NNR), and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Littondale, North Yorkshire, England. It is a managed ancient woodland, known for its ash trees, grasses and moths. It was designated as an SSSI in 1975, and was awarded its IUCN status in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cauldron Falls (North Yorkshire)</span> Waterfall in North Yorkshire, England

Cauldron Falls, is a series of waterfalls on Walden Beck in the village of West Burton, North Yorkshire, England. It is known as Cauldron Falls due to the swirls in the plunge pools beneath the cascades of the waterfall. The beck continues on underneath a packhorse bridge where there is another cascade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chapel-le-Dale (valley)</span> Valley in the Yorkshire Dales, England

Chapel-le-Dale is west-facing valley in the Yorkshire Dales, England. The U-shaped valley of Chapel-le-Dale is one of the few which drain westwards towards the Irish Sea, however, the river that flows through the valley has several names with the Environment Agency and the Ordnance Survey listing it as the River Doe. However, some older texts insist the name of the watercourse through the dale is the River Greta, which runs from a point below the hamlet of Chapel-le-Dale, and onwards past Ingleton. The dale is sparsely populated with only one settlement, the hamlet of Chapel-le-Dale, which has a small chapel.

References

  1. ↑ Smith, A. H. (1962). The Place-names of the West Riding of Yorkshire. Vol. 7. Cambridge University Press. p. 138.
  2. ↑ Grey 2020, p. 2.
  3. ↑ Bradley, Tom (1979) [1893]. Yorkshire Anglers Guide: A Guide to the Whole of the Fishing on the Yorkshire Rivers. Olicana Books. p. 92. ISBN   0903116049.
  4. ↑ Chrystal 2017, p. 101.
  5. ↑ "Skirfare from Source to Heselden Beck | Catchment Data Explorer | Catchment Data Explorer". environment.data.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  6. ↑ "Skirfare from Heselden Beck to Cowside Beck | Catchment Data Explorer | Catchment Data Explorer". environment.data.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  7. ↑ "Skirfare from Cowside Beck to River Wharfe | Catchment Data Explorer | Catchment Data Explorer". environment.data.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  8. ↑ "Littondale : Yorkshire Dales National Park". yorkshiredales.org.uk. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  9. ↑ Pritchard, Jonathan (16 June 2023). "Pictures show how river in Yorkshire has dried up as warm weather continues into the weekend". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  10. ↑ "River Skirfare level at Skirfare Bridge - GOV.UK". check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  11. 1 2 Hartley & Ingilby 1991, p. 51.
  12. ↑ "Leeds Town Council". The Leeds Intelligencer and Yorkshire General Advertiser. No. 5201. 19 November 1853. p. 10. OCLC   17722490.
  13. ↑ Grey 2020, p. 6.
  14. ↑ Lee, John Anthony (2015). Yorkshire Dales. London: Collins. p. 243. ISBN   9780007503698.
  15. ↑ "Other Orchids of the Dales : Yorkshire Dales National Park". www.yorkshiredales.org.uk. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  16. ↑ "The Lady's Slipper". The Times. No. 51, 989. 1 May 1951. p. 5. ISSN   0140-0460.
  17. ↑ Venture, Bona (29 July 1939). "Weekend adventure". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. No. 23, 061. p. 3. ISSN   0962-1644.
  18. ↑ Hartley & Ingilby 1991, p. 47.
  19. ↑ Lee, John Anthony (2015). Yorkshire Dales. London: Collins. p. 235. ISBN   9780007503698.
  20. 1 2 Gilbert, O. S. (2006). The ecology of Cowside Beck : a tributary of the river Skirfare in the Malham area of Yorkshire. Settle: Field Studies Council. p. 12. ISBN   9781851532186.
  21. ↑ Chrystal 2017, p. 103.
  22. ↑ Chrystal 2017, p. 35.
  23. ↑ Chrystal 2017, p. 40.
  24. ↑ Chrystal 2017, p. 55.
  25. ↑ Chrystal 2017, p. 13.
  26. ↑ Chrystal 2017, p. 42.
  27. ↑ Historic England. "New Bridge (Grade II) (1132159)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  28. ↑ Historic England. "Arncliffe Bridge over River Skirfare (Grade II) (1316768)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  29. ↑ Historic England. "Hawkswick Bridge (Grade II) (1173548)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  30. ↑ Historic England. "Skirfare Bridge (Grade II) (1296279)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 26 December 2023.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.