List of rivers of England


This is a list of rivers of England, organised geographically and taken anti-clockwise around the English coast where the various rivers discharge into the surrounding seas, from the Solway Firth on the Scottish border to the Welsh Dee on the Welsh border, and again from the Wye on the Welsh border anti-clockwise to the Tweed on the Scottish border.
Tributaries are listed down the page in an upstream direction, i.e. the first tributary listed is closest to the sea, and tributaries of tributaries are treated similarly. Thus, in the first catchment below, the River Sark is the lowermost tributary of the Border Esk and the Hether Burn is the lowermost tributary of the River Lyne. The main stem river of a catchment is labelled as, left-bank tributaries are indicated by, right-bank tributaries by. Note that in general usage, the 'left bank of a river' refers to the left hand bank, as seen when looking downstream. Where a named river derives from the confluence of two differently named rivers these are labelled as and for the left and right forks. A prime example is the River Tyne, the confluence of the South Tyne and the North Tyne near Hexham. Those few watercourses which branch off a major channel and then rejoin it or another watercourse further downstream are known as distributaries or anabranches and are labelled.
The list is essentially a list of the main rivers of England and which includes those named watercourses for which the Environment Agency has a flood defence function. Difficulties arise otherwise in determining what should and what should not be included. Some minor watercourses are included in the list, especially if they are named as 'river'- such examples may be labelled.
For simplicity, they are divided here by the coastal sections within which each river system discharges to the sea. In the case of the rivers which straddle the borders with Scotland and Wales, such as the Border Esk, Tweed, Dee, Severn and Wye, only those tributaries which lie at least partly in England are included.

Rivers discharging into the Irish Sea

This section includes all rivers entering the Irish Sea from England between the Scottish border and the Welsh border.

Cumbrian coast

All rivers discharging into the Solway Firth, Irish Sea and Morecambe Bay from the Scottish border south to Silverdale on the Cumbria/Lancashire border.

Flowing into the Solway Firth

Border Esk catchment
The lowest reaches of the Esk are in England but most of the river is in Scotland whilst a short section is followed by the England/Scotland border. Tributaries of the Esk which are wholly in Scotland are omitted from this list but may be found at List of rivers of Scotland.
All further upstream tributaries of the Esk are wholly in Scotland.
Eden catchment
Wampool catchment
Minor coastal catchments'''
Derwent catchment
Minor coastal catchments
Ehen catchment
Calder catchment
Cumbrian Esk catchment
Minor coastal catchment
Duddon catchment
Minor Coastal catchment
Leven catchment
Kent catchment
All rivers discharging into the Irish Sea from Silverdale on the Cumbria/Lancashire border south to the Dee Estuary.
Keer catchment
Lune catchment
Cocker catchment
Wyre catchment
Ribble catchment
Minor coastal catchments
Alt catchment
Mersey catchment
The Dee and most of its tributaries arise in Wales. Though a section of it passes through England, it passes into Wales once again before discharging into the Irish Sea via the Dee estuary. For other rivers entering the Irish Sea and Cardigan Bay from Wales, see List of rivers of Wales. Only those tributaries of the River Dee which flow wholly or partly in England are listed here – for a complete list of the rivers and watercourses of the Dee catchment see List of rivers of Wales.
Dee catchment
All further upstream tributaries of the Dee are wholly in Wales.

Rivers discharging into the Bristol Channel and Southwest Approaches

This section includes all rivers entering the Bristol Channel and the sea off the northern coasts of Devon and Cornwall which is referred to variously as the Southwest Approaches or Celtic Sea.

Rivers Severn and Wye

The lowermost Wye forms the boundary between England and Wales. Only those tributaries of the River Wye which flow wholly or partly in England are listed here – for a complete list of the rivers and watercourses of the Wye catchment and for other rivers entering the Bristol Channel from Wales see List of rivers of Wales.
Wye catchment
All further upstream tributaries of the Wye are wholly in Wales.
The River Severn upstream of the M48 Severn Bridge. This section includes all tributaries of the Severn which lie wholly or partly in England. For tributaries of the Severn which lie partly or wholly within Wales, see List of rivers of Wales.
Severn catchment
With the exception of the Morda and parts of the Camlad, Tanat and Cynllaith all tributaries of the Severn and Vyrnwy upstream of their confluence are in Wales. They can be found here.

Bristol Channel

All English rivers discharging into the Severn Estuary and the Bristol Channel from the M48 Severn Bridge south and west to Morte Point, North Devon.
Bristol Avon catchment
Minor coastal catchments
Axe catchment
Brue catchment
Parrett catchment
Minor coastal catchments
Lyn catchment
Minor coastal catchments
Heddon, Sherrycombe, Umber & Wilder catchments
Rivers discharging into the Atlantic Ocean between Morte Point in North Devon and Land's End.
Taw catchment
Torridge catchment
Minor coastal catchments
Camel catchment
Minor coastal catchments
This section includes all rivers entering the sea along England's south coast.

South Coast of Cornwall and Devon

All rivers discharging into the Atlantic Ocean between Land's End, Cornwall and Lyme Regis on the Devon/Dorset border.
Note that there are no watercourses named on either the 1:25,000 or 1:50,000 scale Ordnance Survey maps of the Isles of Scilly.
Minor coastal catchments
Helford catchment
Restronguet catchment
Fal catchment
Percuil catchment
St Austell catchment
Par catchment
Fowey catchment
Pol catchment
Looe catchment
Seaton catchment
Tamar catchment
Plym catchment
Yealm catchment
Erme & Avon catchments etc.
Kingsbridge catchment
Dart catchment
Teign catchment
Exe catchment
Otter catchment
Sid catchment
Axe catchment
All rivers discharging into the English Channel between Lyme Regis on the Devon/Dorset border and Hayling Island on the Hampshire/Sussex border but excluding the Isle of Wight.
Minor coastal catchments
Brit catchment
Coastal catchments
Poole Harbour
Minor coastal catchments
Test catchment
Itchen catchment
Minor coastal catchments'''
All rivers in the Isle of Wight – list taken anticlockwise from Cowes
Medina catchment etc.
Newtown River catchment
Western Yar catchment
Eastern Yar catchment etc.
Wootton Creek catchment etc.
All rivers discharging into the English Channel and Straits of Dover between Hayling Island on the Hampshire/Sussex border and Foreness Point at the northeast corner of Kent. This section includes the entire coast of Sussex and the south and east coasts of Kent.
Minor coastal catchments
Arun catchment
Adur catchment
Ouse catchment
Cuckmere catchment
Pevensey Haven catchment
Wallers Haven catchment
Combe Haven catchment
Rother catchment
Dour catchment
Stour catchment
This section includes all of the rivers along England's east coast.

Thames Estuary

All rivers discharging into the Thames and Medway and their estuaries. This section includes the coast of Kent west of Foreness Point at the northeast corner of Kent and the south coast of Essex, west of Shoeburyness. But see also
Medway catchment
Thames catchment
All rivers discharging into the North Sea along the coast of East Anglia, including the counties of Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk as far as King's Lynn.
Crouch catchment
Blackwater catchment
Colne catchment
Stour catchment
Orwell catchment
Minor coastal catchments
Yare catchment
Coastal catchments
Great Ouse catchment
All rivers discharging into The Wash and the North Sea between King's Lynn and Cleethorpes at the mouth of The Humber.
Nene catchment
Welland catchment
The Haven catchment
Steeping catchment
Saltfleet catchment
Grainthorpe catchment
Tetney Haven catchment
This section includes all rivers entering the Humber, defined as the estuary west of a line between Spurn Head and Cleethorpes. The Humber is often referred to as the River Humber though the name is unusual insofar as it is an entirely tidal stretch of water formed as the Rivers Ouse and Trent combine at Trent Falls.
Minor coastal catchments
Ancholme catchment
Minor catchment
Trent catchment
Yorkshire Ouse catchment
Hull catchment
Minor coastal catchments
All rivers entering the North Sea between Spurn Point at the mouth of the Humber and Redcar, Cleveland. This section includes all rivers meeting the North Sea coast of the traditional county of Yorkshire, save for the Humber and Tees.
Barmston Main Drain catchment
Minor coastal catchments
Yorkshire Esk catchment
Coastal catchments
Skelton Beck catchment
All rivers entering the North Sea from Redcar north to the Scottish border. This section includes the rivers of County Durham and Northumberland.
Tees catchment
Minor coastal catchments
Wear catchment
Tyne catchment
Minor coastal catchment
Blyth catchment
Wansbeck catchment
Lyne catchment
Minor coastal catchment
Coquet catchment
Aln catchment
Minor coastal catchments
Tweed catchment
Tributaries of the Tweed which are wholly in Scotland are omitted from this list but may be found in the List of rivers of Scotland.
All further upstream tributaries of the Tweed are wholly in Scotland.