The River Wye Facts: One Of Britain's Most Scenic Areas

The fourth-longest river in the United Kingdom is called the River Wye and is famous for being the cornerstone of British tourism. It is named after the Welsh word Gwy, meaning flow or flood.

This river attracted many famous poets to sing its praises, such as William Wordsworth. The River Wye covers more than 155 mi (250 km), and flows into the Irish Sea.

Each year, the event Wye Float Festival is held. People come to Wye the river with their inflatables and also the local rowing club brings paddling pools.

Canoe hire and supervised outings are also available in the Wye Valley. Canoe trips are especially popular. There are also many picturesque bridges crossing the Wye, including an old railway bridge at Redbrook which carries a steam-hauled stone train, as well as the Victoria bridge, Chepstow bridge, and Beaufort bridge.

The normal tidal limit of this river is Bigsweir. In Wales, the area the tidal Wye flows through is called Hay-on-Wye, and in Welsh this is known as Afon Gwy.

The Wye Valley is a popular tourist destination, its natural beauty attracting many visitors, and is a short trip from South Wales, and the capital city of Wales, Cardiff.

Interested in finding out more fascinating facts about this major U.K. river? Read on below to find out more!

Pollution In The River Wye

The beauty of the River Wye hides a dark secret: read on to find out more abut river pollution:

Huge degrees of hazardous poisons have been found at practically all phases of the River Wye, from close to its source in the mountains of mid-Wales, through Herefordshire, and into Gloucestershire, before running through the tributaries out into the ocean at the Severn Estuary.

Sewage-treatment organizations unloading sewage into the streams is one of the major issues the River Wye is facing. Another issue is chicken feces. The city of Gloucestershire is famous for its poultry farming and produces a huge amount of chicken and eggs.

Chicken defecation is famous for being high in phosphates and sometimes is utilized as compost as the compound guide for plant development. The problem is, this is being directly dumped into the water with no proper treatment and hence it is making the river water poisonous, even for life in the water.

And further, this influences the numbers of wild birdlife the river supports.

An investigation by Greenpeace found that Environment Agency austerity staff cuts had reduced inspections by up to one third. However, new nature conservation rules have been introduced to prevent farm slurry stores being released into Wye the river.

History Of The River Wye and Valley

Interested in reading about one of the best rivers in Britain? Read below for more about the history of the entire river:

The historical backdrop of the River Wye stretches back to Neolithic times, with Hay on Wye native tribes building a long-barrow tomb alongside Wye the river, called Arthur's table, as the king was rumoured to have broken it.

The Romans used the river for transport, moving boatloads of stone, coal, wood, and iron. They built a scaffold of wood and stone upstream of present-day Chepstow, on the Wales-England border, some remaining parts of which were found in the stream bed during an archeological dive in 1911.

The River Wye was used to ship coal from the Forest of Dean, fruit juice from Hereford, along with Italian wine, iron, stone, and lumber.

British tourism is said to have started in the 18th century, in Ross on Wye, and spread throughout the Wye Valley.

Today, the town of Hay on Wye, in the Wye Valley, is world-famous for its annual literary festival. The word 'hay' comes from the Norman word for fenced enclosure. It is also an official Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Branches Of The River Wye

Find out more facts about the River Wye and its tributaries below:

The River Wye flows from the slopes of Plynlimon to the Severn Estuary.

The river then joins the Elan near Rhayader. A dam shapes repositories which further provides water access to Birmingham. The river is joined by Lugg at Hereford and at Tintern Abbey, and flows to the estuary at Chepstow.

The Wye abuts a range of areas of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in England and Wales, including the upper and lower Wye gorges.

2020 Floods: River Wye

The River Wye can also be deadly. Find out more about how Storm Dennis caused chaos:

In 2020, Hereford and nearby towns were hit by floods as the River Wye arrived at its most elevated water levels on record. The locals were shocked as levels at Old Wye Bridge topped 20 ft (6.11 m).

It was the consequence of Storm Dennis, which created chaos everywhere. There were reportedly four fatalities, and buildings and cars were deluged while residents could do nothing but watch.

A wide-scale rescue operation took place and the British administration worked hard to help civilians evacuate and reach a place of safety. Churches and recreation halls were opened to let the evacuated population have shelter.

Social Developments

There are many projects to conserve the Wye Valley, so read on for more interesting facts:

The Wye and Usk Foundation is concerned with the ecology and fisheries of the river. The Wye and Usk Foundation protects brown trout and salmon, and some scientists say the tributaries constitute an important migration route for fish. This makes it attractive for Wye rod-catch fisher people.

There are many projects to conserve the Wye Valley. One such project, called the River Wye Habitat Restoration Project, is committed to building a park for residents.

The project also aims to bring in schools to help with the project.

More River Wye Facts

Have you enjoyed reading about the Wye River? Here are some fun facts to check out as well:

• There are three rivers named Wye in the U.K. One is in Buckinghamshire, the other in Derbyshire.
• Ross on Wye is a market town in England, near the border with Wales.
• Hereford is a cathedral city on the River Wye.
• Hay on Wye is often abbreviated to just Hay.
• The river forms part of the border between Wales and England.
• The Wye river flows through wooded hills and constitutes an important migration route.
• The Upper Wye valley consists of the Welsh mountains.
• The River Wye was once a very important salmon river in Europe.