Stort | |
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Location | |
Country | United Kingdom |
Region | Hertfordshire |
City | Bishop's Stortford |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• location | Near Langley, Essex, England |
• coordinates | 52°00′10″N0°04′06″E / 52.0027°N 0.0683°E |
• elevation | 130 m (430 ft) |
Mouth | River Lea |
• location | Near Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire |
• coordinates | 51°45′52″N0°00′51″E / 51.7644°N 0.0141°E Coordinates: 51°45′52″N0°00′51″E / 51.7644°N 0.0141°E |
• elevation | 28 m (92 ft) |
Length | 38 km (24 mi) |
The River Stort is a river in Essex and Hertfordshire, England. It is 24 miles (38 km) long and flows from just south of the village of Langley to the River Lea at Hoddesdon.
The river's name is a back-formation; the town of Bishop's Stortford does not derive its name from the River Stort, but the other way around. The 16th-century cartographers Christopher Saxton and William Camden named it the Stort, assuming the town of Stortford was named for its ford. [1] The river was originally called the Stour. [2]
The Stort Navigation is the canalised section of the River Stort running 22 kilometres (14 mi) from Bishop's Stortford to its confluence with the Lee Navigation. It has 15 locks.
The Stort rises north of Langley according to OS Explorer map 194 (GR 425358). From Langley, the Stort flows in a generally southerly direction through the villages of Clavering and Manuden and the market town of Bishop's Stortford.
It then flows past Sawbridgeworth, before it changes direction and flows west past Harlow and Roydon. It finally empties into the Lea at Feildes Weir, Hoddesdon. This 14-mile (22-km) long section was canalised in the 18th century as the Stort Navigation.
Hertfordshire is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For government statistical purposes, it forms part of the East of England region.
Hoddesdon is a town in the Borough of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, lying entirely within the London Metropolitan Area and Greater London Urban Area. The area is on the River Lea and the Lee Navigation along with the New River.
The River Lea is in South East England. It originates in Bedfordshire, in the Chiltern Hills, and flows southeast through Hertfordshire, along the Essex border and into Greater London, to meet the River Thames at Bow Creek. It is one of the largest rivers in London and the easternmost major tributary of the Thames.
Bishop's Stortford is a historic market town in Hertfordshire, England, just west of the M11 motorway on the county boundary with Essex, 27 miles (43 km) north-east of central London, and 35 miles (56 km) by rail from Liverpool Street station. Stortford had an estimated population of 41,088 in 2020. The district of East Hertfordshire, where the town is located, has been ranked as the best place to live in the UK by the Halifax Quality of Life annual survey in 2020. The town is commonly known as “Stortford” by locals.
The Lee Navigation is a canalised river incorporating the River Lea. It flows from Hertford Castle Weir to the River Thames at Bow Creek; its first lock is Hertford Lock and its last Bow Locks.
Sawbridgeworth is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, close to the border with Essex. It is 12 miles (19 km) east of Hertford and 9 miles (14 km) north of Epping. It is the northernmost part of the Greater London Built-up Area.
The Stort Navigation is the canalised section of the River Stort running 22 kilometres (14 mi) from the town of Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, downstream to its confluence with the Lee Navigation at Feildes Weir near Rye House, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire.
Broxbourne railway station is on the West Anglia Main Line serving the towns of Broxbourne and Hoddesdon in Hertfordshire, England. It is 17 miles 17 chains (27.7 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Cheshunt and Roydon. Its three-letter station code is BXB and it is in fare zone B.
Waltham Cross is a town in the Borough of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, England, located approximately 12 miles north of central London. In the south-eastern corner of Hertfordshire, it borders Cheshunt to the north, Waltham Abbey in Essex to the east, and Enfield in Greater London to the south, forming part of the metropolitan area of London and the Greater London Urban Area.
Broxbourne is a town in Hertfordshire, England, 17.1 miles (27.5 km) north of London, with a population of 15,303 at the 2011 Census. It's located to the south of Hoddesdon, and to the north of Cheshunt. The town is near the River Lea, which forms the boundary with Essex, and 4.5 miles (7.2 km) north of the M25 motorway. To the west of the town are Broxbourne Woods, a national nature reserve. The Prime Meridian runs just east of Broxbourne.
Thorley is a village and civil parish in East Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. The parish includes the hamlets of Thorley Street, Thorley Wash and Old Thorley, and is bordered at the north by the market town of Bishop's Stortford.
The Lea Valley, the valley of the River Lea, has been used as a transport corridor, a source of sand and gravel, an industrial area, a water supply for London, and a recreational area. The London 2012 Summer Olympics were based in Stratford, in the Lower Lea Valley. It is important for London's water supply, as the source of the water transported by the New River aqueduct, but also as the location for the Lee Valley Reservoir Chain, stretching from Enfield through Tottenham and Walthamstow.
Stanstead Abbotts is a village and civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire, England. At the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,983. It lies on the county boundary with Essex, and is situated approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) SSE of Ware, 4 miles (6.4 km) SE of Hertford, 2 miles (3.2 km) NNE of Hoddesdon and 5 miles (8.0 km) W of Harlow. The village is separated from the village of Stanstead St Margarets by the River Lea.
The Lea Valley Walk is a 50-mile (80 km) long-distance path located between Leagrave, the source of the River Lea near Luton, and the Thames, at Limehouse Basin, Limehouse, east London. From its source much of the walk is rural. At Hertford the path follows the towpath of the River Lee Navigation, and it becomes increasingly urbanised as it approaches London. The walk was opened in 1993 and is waymarked throughout using a swan logo.
Spellbrook is a hamlet in Hertfordshire, situated between Bishop's Stortford and Sawbridgeworth.
The Hertford East branch line is a railway line in Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom, running between Hertford East and Broxbourne. The line follows the route of the Lea Valley, serving intermediate towns and villages. It branches off the West Anglia Main Line north of Broxbourne, and could be seen as part of the Lea Valley lines—a collection of commuter routes into London. It is 5 miles 64 chains (9.33 km) in length.
The Hertfordshire Way is a circular walk around the county of Hertfordshire, England. The total length is 312 km (194 mi) which was originally fully waymarked in the anticlockwise direction but is now waymarked in both directions. One section has two optional routes reducing the possible length to 271 km (168 mi).
Turnford is a village in the Borough of Broxbourne, in Hertfordshire, England, in an area generally known as the Lee Valley. It is bounded by Wormley to the north, Cheshunt to the south and west, and its eastern boundary is formed largely by the Lee Navigation. Central London at Charing Cross is approximately 18 miles (29 km) south. At the 2001 census, together with Wormley, the village had a population of 8,146 in 3,399 households.
National Cycle Route 61 is part of the National Cycle Network managed by the charity Sustrans. It runs for 34 miles from Maidenhead (Berkshire) to Hoddesdon (Hertfordshire) via Uxbridge, Watford, St Albans, Hatfield, Welwyn Garden City and Hertford in the United Kingdom.