Forth
River
The River Forth meanders over fertile farmlands near Stirling
Country	Scotland
Councils	Stirling
City	Stirling
Source	Loch Ard (Loch Chon)
- elevation	33 m (108 ft)
- coordinates	56°11′00″N 4°28′00″W / 56.1833333°N 4.4666667°W / 56.1833333; -4.4666667
Mouth	Firth of Forth, North Sea
- elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Length	47 km (29 mi)
Course of River Forth

The River Forth (Gaelic: Uisge For or Abhainn Dhubh, meaning "black river"), 47 km (29 mi) long, is the major river draining the eastern part of the central belt of Scotland.

The Forth rises in Loch Ard in the Trossachs, a mountainous area some 30 km (19 mi) west of Stirling. It flows roughly eastward, through Aberfoyle, joining with the Duchray Water and Kelty Water, and out over the flat expanse of the Flanders Moss. It is then joined by the River Teith (which itself drains Loch Venachar, Loch Lubnaig, Loch Katrine, and Loch Voil) and the River Allan, before meandering through the ancient city of Stirling. At Stirling the river widens and becomes tidal, and it is here that the last (seasonal) ford of the river exists. From Stirling, the Forth flows east over the Carse of Stirling and past the towns of Cambus (where it is joined by the river Devon), Alloa, Fallin and Airth. Upon reaching Kincardine the river begins to widen into an estuary, the Firth of Forth.

Settlements on the Forth[link]

There are a number of towns which line the shores, as well as the petrochemical complexes at Grangemouth, the commercial docks at Leith, oilrig construction yards at Methil, the ship-breaking facility at Inverkeithing and the naval dockyard at Rosyth, with numerous other industrial areas including the Forth Bridgehead area, Burntisland, Kirkcaldy, Bo'ness and Leven.

Navigation on the Forth[link]

The meandering Forth viewed from the Wallace Monument. The river flows from right to left, and the former limit of navigation was in the left distance.

In medieval times the Forth was navigable at least as far as Stirling, but silting and the increase in ship sizes now mean that traffic upstream of Kincardine is rare.

Bridges over the Forth[link]

Upstream of Stirling, the river is rather small and is crossed in numerous places (although prior to modern drainage works, the ground was often treacherously marshy near the riverbank). After its confluence with the Teith and Allan, the river is sufficiently wide that a significant bridge is required. A bridge has existed at Stirling since at least the 13th century, and until the opening of the road crossing at Kincardine in 1936, Stirling remained the easternmost road crossing. A swinging railway bridge between Alloa on the north shore and Throsk on the south opened in 1885 and was closed (and largely demolished) in 1970. Only the metal piers remain. The Clackmannanshire Bridge just upstream of the Kincardine Bridge opened on 19 November 2008. Much further downstream joining North Queensferry and South Queensferry is the famous Forth Bridge (a railway bridge) opened in 1890, and the Forth Road Bridge which opened in 1964. Construction of the Forth Replacement Crossing to the west of the Forth Road Bridge began in 2011. It is planned to open in 2016.

See also[link]

• 380kV Forth Crossing
• List of rivers of Scotland
• Rivers and Fisheries Trusts of Scotland (RAFTS)
• Forth, the name of one of the sea areas of the British Shipping Forecast.

External links[link]

• Scottish Parliament: Forth Crossing Bill Committee Report, March 2010
• River Forth Crossing: House of Commons debates 18 May 2009
• British Waterways: River Forth
• Gazetteer for Scotland: River Forth
• SCRAN image: Steam dredger, River forth, late 19th Century
• Stirling Council: River Forth
• Forth Ports PLC
• Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA): River level data for River Forth
• Forth Estuary Forum, a Scottish Charity
• Forth District Salmon Fishery Board
• River Forth Fisheries Trust
• Forth Bridges Visitor Centre Trust
• FYCA Alloa Swing Bridge
• RIVER FORTH (1956) FORTH - POWERHOUSE FOR INDUSTRY (1968) (archive films about the River Forth from the National Library of Scotland: Scottish Screen Archive)