River Wharfe
Linton Falls, on the upper Wharfe near Grassington
Origin	Beckermonds, Langstrothdale Chase 54°13′03″N 2°11′39″W / 54.217481°N 2.194231°W / 54.217481; -2.194231
Mouth	River Ouse at Wharfe's Mouth, near Cawood 53°50′39″N 1°07′46″W / 53.8441°N 1.129544°W / 53.8441; -1.129544
Basin countries	England
Length	97km (60 mi)
Source elevation	310m (1020 ft)
Mouth elevation	4.9m (16 ft)

River Wharfe

Legend Oughtershaw Beck/Green Field Beck Deepdale Bridge Deepdale Gill Hagg Gill Bowther Gill Strans Gill Hubbersholme Bridge Kirk Gill Cow Close Gill Buckden Bridge Buckden Beck Step Gill Cam Gill Beck Falcon Beard Beck Hush Gutter Kettlewell Beck B6160 Kettlewell New Bridge Black Geld River Skirfane How Beck Conistone Bridge White Beck Davy Keld Scar Lash Waterall Dib Beck Robin Hood's Beck B6265 Grassington Bridge Captain Beck Tin Bridge (footbridge) Linton Falls Brow Well Isingdale Beck Howling Beck Suspension Bridge (footbridge) Hebden Beck Sandbed Beck Barden Beck The Old Gutter Mill Island Hall Wells Dike Foul Sike Fir Beck Bumby Dike Gill Beck Barden Bridge Footbridge Barden Beck The Strid Hollin Beck Posforth Gill Ludd Stream Islands Footbridge Cowpert Gill Stead Dike Pickles Beck Waterfall Bridge (footbridge) Raven's Gill Beck Bolton Bridge A59 Bridge Kex Beck Lathehouse Beck Wine Beck Footbridge Footbridge West Hall Beck Footbridge Dean Beck Mill Stream Hawksworth Island Footbridge New Brook Street Bridge Ilkey Footbridge Beanlands Island Denton Bridge West Beck Mill Dam Beck Boot's Beck B6451 Bridge Street Otley Footbridge River Washburn The Goit A658 Pool Bridge Railway Bridge (York-Harrogate-Leeds Line) Weeton Beck Mill Race A61 Harewood Bridge Stank Beck Woodhall Bridge (footbridge) Linton Bridge Collingham Collingham Beck Footbridge A661 Wetherby A58 Wetherby A1 Wetherby Thorp Arch Bridge Boston Spa Wharfe Brdige (dismantled railway) Hay Dike " Viaduct Walk Tadcaster (footbridge)" A659 Tadcaster Bridge A64 Bridge Cock Beck Railway Bridge (York-Leeds/Sheffield Line) Footbridge Owl Sike East Coast Main Line Railway Bridge Pailbank Drain The Fleet River Ouse

The River Wharfe is a river in Yorkshire, England. For much of its length it is the county boundary between West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. The name Wharfe is Celtic and means "twisting, winding".

The valley of the River Wharfe is known as Wharfedale. The river source is at Beckermonds, Langstrothdale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park and flows through Kettlewell, Grassington, Bolton Abbey, Addingham, Ilkley, Burley-in-Wharfedale, Otley, Wetherby and Tadcaster. It then flows into the River Ouse near Cawood. The section of the river from its source to around Addingham is known as Upper Wharfedale and has a very different character to the river downstream.

The river is approximately 97 km long before it joins the River Ouse. It is a public navigation from the weir at Tadcaster to its junction with the River Ouse near Cawood and tidal from Ulleskelf.

Course[link]

The river source is the confluence of Oughtershaw Beck and Green Field Beck in Langstrothdale near Beckermonds. It flows east and south east taking the flows from many small streams, whose sources are the shake holes from Yockenthwaite Moor on the north bank and Horse Head Moor on the south bank. After Hubberholme, the river flows south past Buckden and Starbotton and then south east past Kettlewell before flowing south again. Near Conistone are the gentle waterfalls of Scar Lash. Shortly before reaching Grassington, the river turns south east over Linton Falls. South of Appletreewick, the river flows south west for a short distance until it reaches Gill Beck and returns southward. To the north of Bolton Bridge, the river narrows and goes over waterfalls in an area known as The Strid. The river winds south and south east towards Ilkley where it heads east through Otley and Collingham. It briefly flows north to Wetherby before turning south and then south east past Ulleskelf to the confluence with the River Ouse.

Water levels[link]

• Low and High Water Levels are an average figure.

Natural history[link]

Fauna[link]

There are over 230 species of bird observed along the river valley including Eagle-Owl, Red Grouse, Stonechat, Whinchat, Golden Plover, Pied Flycatcher, Redstart, Wood Warbler, Common Sandpiper, Grey Wagtail, Dipper, Tawny Owl, Sparrowhawk, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Treecreeper and, in wetter places, Snipe and Woodcock, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Garden Warbler, and Twite.^[2]

The Wharfe has populations of Signal Crayfish and the few White-clawed Crayfish remaining are at great risk.^[3]

There are populations of Rabbit, Red Fox, Grey Squirrel, Otter, Water Voles and deer.^[4][5][6]

Flora[link]

Ferns found here include Wall Rue, Maidenhair Spleenwort, Brittle Bladder-fern, Hart's-tongue and Hard Shield-fern. In Upper Wharfedale the scars and screes support a range of plants including the Alpine Cinquefoil and Hoary Whitlowgrass. Also to be found are Lesser Meadow-rue, Goldenrod, Scabious and Bloody Crane's-bill with, to a lesser extent, Mountain Melick, Limestone Fern, Wood Crane's-bill and Melancholy Thistle, Green Spleenwort, Wall Lettuce and Hairy Stonecrop.^[7]

Lower down the valley, species including Alpine Cinquefoil, Lily-of-the-valley, Mountain Melick and Herb Paris, blue sesleria, Common Valerian and Wild Angelica. The limestone outcrops have uncommon species including Rock Whitebeam and Solomon's Seal as well as Bird's-eye Primrose, Butterwort, Rockrose, Dropwort and Limestone Bedstraw.

The limestone pavements of the area are a habitat for several species usually confined to woodlands, such as Dog's Mercury, Wood Anemone and Ramsons. Rarer species to be found in the grikes include Baneberry and Downy Currant. Ferns in the moist grikes include Rigid Buckler-fern. Also to be found are Alternate-leaved Golden Saxifrage, Reed Canary-grass and Stone Bramble.

Some of the inaccessible cliffs are home to ledge dwelling flora including mosses and liverworts, such as Red Leskea, Sharp Rock-bristle and the very rare Zygodon gracilis. The ledges also support Woodrush, Polypody and Water Avens, Purple Saxifrage, Yellow Saxifrage, Hoary Whitlowgrass and Roseroot.

Blue Moor-grass can also be found, with Sheep's-fescue and herbs such as Thyme, Salad Burnet and Common Rock-rose. There is Wild Thyme, Common Milkwort, Fairy Flax, Bird's-foot Trefoil, Autumn Gentian, Harebell, Eyebright.

Species of tree and shrub include Ash, Downy Birch, Hazel, Hawthorn, Yew and Rowan. In the woods shrubs such as Wild Privet and Spindle can be found. More rare is Dark Red Helleborine.^{[8][9][10][11]}

Geology[link]

Upper Wharfedale is an area from the Lower Carboniferous era and lies north-west of Burnsall. Its main features are the Great Scar Limestone which forms a base to the overlying Yoredale Beds, a 300-metre deep strata of hard limestones, sandstones and shale. These have been slightly tilted, toward the east. To the south-east of the area are the Millstone Grit laid down in the Upper Carboniferous era, and is covered by heather moorland, hard crags and tors.^[12][13]

Weathering of the Yoredale Beds has produced a stepped profile to the valley sides, consisting of a shelf of limestone, sometimes grassy but often displaying such karst features as limestone pavement, gorges and sinkholes. During the last ice age, the local ice cap at the head of the Dales fed glaciers to produce the classic U-shaped profiles seen today.^[14]

Where the river valley changes course into Lower Wharfedale, the change of underlying rock can be seen in the darker stone in the field walls. The Millstone Grit outcrops at the Cow and Calf Rocks near Ilkley form a rolling dissected plateau. Due to the impermeable nature of the rock, blanket bogs and mires form, and drier areas have wet and dry heaths and acid grasslands.^[15]

Coarse sandstones in the area are known as Addingham Edge and Bramhope Grits. The Otley Shell Beds become exposed at Otley Chevin. At Great Dib Wood the Otley Shell Bed is sandwiched between two Namurian sandstones.

Glacial lakes once filled Lower Wharfedale and deposited sand and gravel. These were quarried and now form the basis of the Otley Wetland Reserve, and Ben Rhydding and Knotford Nook gravel pits.^[16]

Waterfalls[link]

Linton Fall (Grid Reference: SE001633) are located just south of Grassington and can be accessed from the village down Sedber Lane. There is a footbridge straddling the falls for viewing.

The Strid (Grid Reference: SE064565) is a deceptive series of waterfalls caused by the dramatic narrowing of the River Wharfe from approximately 25m wide just to the north of the start of the Strid, to 6.5m less than 250m later. The river is calm in dry weather, but becomes a dangerous torrent after rain. The Strid walk is very popular and is accessed from the car park at Bolton Abbey.^[17]

History[link]

Wharfe is a Celtic river name meaning the winding river.^[18][19]

Iron Age fields and hut circles can still be seen in outline on the hills above Grassington and Kettlewell.^[20] The Romans built a road through Wharfedale that went over Stake Moss into neighboring Wensleydale. The local tribe of Brigantes were subdued by the Romans in AD 74. The Romans mined lead in the hills on Greenhow Hill overlooking Appletreewick until AD 410.^[21] After AD 620 the Celtic settlers were joined by Angles and increased the amount of forest clearing to establish fields for crops and animals. These were overrun by Danes initially before they too settled to farming near Burnsall and Thorpe. Vikings then settled the area in the 10th century, lending their language to some of the names of hamlets and landscape features of Upper Wharfedale, especially near the head of the valley.^[22] During Anglo-Saxon times, large estates were established and the River Wharfe and its valley came under the protection of Earl Edwin of Bolton-in-Craven. After the Norman invasion, the lands were given to Robert Romilly.^[23]

In medieval times low intensity methods were used to produce both crops and livestock but the great monasteries of Fountains, Rievaulx and Bolton Priory had large sheep flocks and sold their wool on the European market. In 1155, Alice de Romilly donated land for the establishment of Bolton Priory and land at Kilnsey to Fountains Abbey. The monasteries helped develop vast sheep farms and the founding of drove roads, which can still be seen and walked today. The success of the monasteries was also responsible for the growth of the market towns of Grassington and Kettlewell.^[24]

When the monasteries were dissolved in 1539, and wool prices fell, many tenant farmers took to cattle and sheep rearing. However, at the end of the 17th century there was still small-scale arable production. By the early nineteenth century there was a demand for food from the growing industrial towns and farmers and many farms began to produce milk from the lower lands and use the higher fells for sheep.^[25]

In 1992, the town of Grassington was used as a filming location for the 1992 film of Wuthering Heights.^[26] The 2003 film, Calendar Girls, was filmed at several locations in the river valley including Buckden, Burnsall, Kettlewell and Kilnsey.^[27]

Economy[link]

A lack of investment in the Dales farms has led to problems related to more intensive farming methods. The loss of unproductive farms has led to land being merged with adjoining or nearby businesses, and an increase in second home ownership by people from outside the area. There are fewer people looking after the land with labour-intensive jobs such as sheepherding, rebuilding walls and barns, maintaining woodland no longer taking place. The increase in sheep-ranching has gone hand in hand with reduction in the number of cattle.^[28][29]

Lead mining was once the main industry in Wharfedale. From the seventeenth century to the late nineteenth it employed hundreds of men and boys, exploiting the veins in the limestone at Greenhow, Hebden, Grassington, Linton and Conistone, Appletreewick and elsewhere. The heaps of mining waste remain, contaminated with lead, and on which little will grow. The few plants that will are known as 'lead plants' such as spring sandwort and alpine penny-cress.^[30][31]

Tourism is big part of the rural economy in Wharfedale and there are many short, mid and long distance walks, with clear waymarkers. There are also other outdoor activities such as rock climbing, most notably at Kilnsey Crag, and canoeing. Other activities include cycling, mountain biking, horse riding and caving.^[32] The following Long Distance Walks pass near or over the river^[33]:

• Dales Way (follows the river valley from Beckermonds to Ilkley)
• Lady Anne's Way (enters the river valley near Hubberholme and leaves to the west of Bolton Abbey)
• Inn Way to the Yorkshire Dales (part of walk from Grassington to Buckden)
• The Way of the Roses (part of the cycle route from Appletreewick to Thorpe)

Lists[link]

All lists are from the source of the river:-

Gallery[link]

Along the River Wharfe

Oughtershaw beck and Green Field Beck in Langstrothdale near Beckermonds become the River Wharfe 54°13′0.6″N 2°11′39.34″W / 54.216833°N 2.1942611°W / 54.216833; -2.1942611   River Wharfe in Langstrothdale 54°12′33.62″N 2°9′22.87″W / 54.2093389°N 2.1563528°W / 54.2093389; -2.1563528   River Wharfe, Langstrothdale, east from the Dalesway Long Distance Walk 54°12′59.34″N 2°11′13.38″W / 54.2164833°N 2.18705°W / 54.2164833; -2.18705   River Wharfe below Grassington Bridge 54°4′6.01″N 2°0′16.38″W / 54.0683361°N 2.00455°W / 54.0683361; -2.00455   Linton Falls near Grassington   River Wharfe Upstream of Hebden suspension bridge   River Wharfe at Loup Scar Gorge 54°3′3.21″N 1°57′5.02″W / 54.0508917°N 1.9513944°W / 54.0508917; -1.9513944   Barden Bridge, River Wharfe 54°0′45.32″N 1°55′19.15″W / 54.0125889°N 1.9219861°W / 54.0125889; -1.9219861   The Strid near Bolton Abbey 54°0′15.18″N 1°54′13.3″W / 54.0042167°N 1.903694°W / 54.0042167; -1.903694   Bolton Abbey and the River Wharfe 53°59′0.39″N 1°53′12.53″W / 53.9834417°N 1.8868139°W / 53.9834417; -1.8868139   River Wharfe, Ilkley from footbridge 53°55′56.94″N 1°48′56.43″W / 53.9324833°N 1.815675°W / 53.9324833; -1.815675   River Wharfe at Otley   Bridge over River Wharfe at Otley   River Wharfe east of Otley looking upstream 53°54′38.72″N 1°40′37.97″W / 53.9107556°N 1.6772139°W / 53.9107556; -1.6772139   River Wharfe east from Harewood Bridge 53°54′49.31″N 1°31′18.97″W / 53.9136972°N 1.5219361°W / 53.9136972; -1.5219361   River Wharfe at Pool-in-Wharfedale east from A658 bridge   River Wharfe from Linton Bridge 53°54′47.53″N 1°24′38.92″W / 53.9132028°N 1.4108111°W / 53.9132028; -1.4108111   River Wharfe, Wetherby 53°55′35.68″N 1°23′21.48″W / 53.9265778°N 1.3893°W / 53.9265778; -1.3893   River Wharfe at Tadcaster with St Mary the Virgin Church in background 53°53′4.24″N 1°15′38.16″W / 53.8845111°N 1.2606°W / 53.8845111; -1.2606   Wharfe's Mouth south of Cawood 53°50′38.73″N 1°7′50.17″W / 53.8440917°N 1.1306028°W / 53.8440917; -1.1306028

References[link]