West Lyn River | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | England |
County | Somerset |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• location | The Chains, Somerset, England |
• coordinates | 51°10′36″N3°38′40″W / 51.17667°N 3.64444°W |
• elevation | 400 m (1,300 ft) |
Mouth | Lynmouth |
• location | Devon, England |
• coordinates | 51°13′46″N3°49′44″W / 51.22944°N 3.82889°W |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
Basin features | |
Tributaries | |
• left | River West Lyn |
The West Lyn is a river in England which rises high in Exmoor, Somerset, and joins the East Lyn at Lynmouth in Devon.
The upper reaches have been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, because of the geomorphological landforms created in the 1952 flood. [1]
The lower reaches of the river towards Lynmouth, known as the Glen Lyn Gorge, is a tourist attraction including a museum about the local water cycle, the floods of 1952, and a small hydroelectric plant.
Water is piped from the river to power the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway, a water-balance funicular railway.
Exmoor is loosely defined as an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England. It is named after the River Exe, the source of which is situated in the centre of the area, two miles north-west of Simonsbath. Exmoor is more precisely defined as the area of the former ancient royal hunting forest, also called Exmoor, which was officially surveyed 1815–1818 as 18,810 acres (7,610 ha) in extent. The moor has given its name to a National Park, which includes the Brendon Hills, the East Lyn Valley, the Vale of Porlock and 55 km (34 mi) of the Bristol Channel coast. The total area of the Exmoor National Park is 692.8 km2 (267.5 sq mi), of which 71% is in Somerset and 29% in Devon.
Lynton is a town on the Exmoor coast in the North Devon district in the county of Devon, England, approximately 17 miles (27 km) north-east of Barnstaple and 18 miles (29 km) west of Minehead, and close to the confluence of the West Lyn and East Lyn rivers. Lynton sits directly above the neighbouring village of Lynmouth; the two settlements are separated by a steep gorge.
The A39 is an A road in south west England. It runs south-west from Bath in Somerset through Wells, Glastonbury, Street and Bridgwater. It then follows the north coast of Somerset, Devon and Cornwall through Williton, Minehead, Porlock, Lynmouth, Barnstaple, Bideford, Stratton, Camelford, Wadebridge and St Columb Major. It then joins the route of the A30 road for around 5 miles (8.0 km), re-emerging near Zelah to head for the south Cornish coast via Truro and Falmouth.
Lynmouth is a village in Devon, England, on the northern edge of Exmoor. The village straddles the confluence of the West Lyn and East Lyn rivers, in a gorge 700 feet (210 m) directly below the neighbouring town of Lynton, which was the only place to expand to once Lynmouth became as built-up as possible. The villages are connected by the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway, which works two cable-connected cars by gravity, using water tanks.
The Lynton and Barnstaple Railway (L&B) was a single track, 1 ft 11+1⁄2 in narrow gauge railway. It opened in May 1898 and ran for slightly more than 19 miles (31 km) through the area bordering Exmoor in North Devon, England. Although it opened after the Light Railways Act 1896 came into force, it was authorised and constructed before that act. It was authorised under its own Act of Parliament and built to higher standards than similar railways of the time. It was notable as the only narrow gauge railway in Britain that was required to use main-line standard signalling. For a short period, it earned a modest return for shareholders, but for most of its existence it made a loss. In 1923, the L&B was taken over by the Southern Railway, and eventually closed in September 1935.
The Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway is a water-powered funicular joining the twin towns of Lynton and Lynmouth on the rugged coast of North Devon in southwest England.
Project Cumulus was a 1950s UK government initiative to investigate weather manipulation, in particular through cloud seeding experiments. Known jokingly internally as Operation Witch Doctor, the project was operational between 1949 and 1952. A conspiracy theory has circulated claiming that the Lynmouth Flood was caused by Project Cumulus. This claim is still ultimately unproven, and weather patterns have shown similar floods dating back to both the 18th and 19th centuries throughout Northern Wales and the UK.
Barbrook is a village in Devon, England. It is close to the source of the West Lyn River.
The East Lyn is a river which rises high in Exmoor, in the English county of Somerset. It flows through the East Lyn Valley in Devon.
A landslide dam or barrier lake is the natural damming of a river by some kind of landslide, such as a debris flow, rock avalanche or volcanic eruption. If the damming landslide is caused by an earthquake, it may also be called a quake lake. Some landslide dams are as high as the largest existing artificial dam.
The Lyn and Exmoor Museum is a small museum in Lynton, Devon, England, housed in the town's oldest surviving domestic dwelling, a Grade II listed, whitewashed, stone cottage.
The Lynmouth Flood occurred on the night of 15–16 August 1952, principally affecting the village of Lynmouth, in North Devon. A storm with heavy rainfall, combined with already saturated soil and flood debris, led to the flooding of the village and a total loss of 34 lives.
East Lyn Valley is a valley of Exmoor, covering northern Devon and western Somerset, England.
Malmsmead is a hamlet on the border between the English counties of Devon and Somerset. The nearest town is Lynton, which lies approximately 4.7 miles (7.6 km) west of the hamlet. The hamlet is situated in the Doone Valley within the Exmoor National Park.
The Secret of Crickley Hall is a 2006 supernatural thriller novel by the British writer James Herbert.
The River Bray is a small river in North Devon, England. It is a tributary of the River Mole, which in turn is a tributary of the River Taw. It rises in Exmoor, near the border with Somerset.
Lynton Village railway station is a station in Lynton, Devon, England served by the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway, a water-powered funicular railway.
Lynmouth Bay railway station is a station in Lynmouth, Devon, England, served by the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway, a water-powered funicular railway. The station has two platforms, a ticket booth, not an office, a bench and plenty of room. It opened in 1890.
Lynton and Lynmouth is a civil parish in the North Devon district of Devon, England. The parish is named after its two main settlements of Lynton, which stands on a plateau above the Glen Lyn Gorge, and Lynmouth which lies at the foot of the gorge where the West Lyn River and East Lyn River converge and then meet the sea. The two are connected by the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway, a water-powered funicular railway.
The Rhenish Tower is a building located on the pier of Lynmouth, in Devon, England, originally built in the 19th century. It is Grade II listed. The tower has been called "a Lynmouth icon".