The
River Derwent is a
riverA river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
on the border between
County DurhamCounty Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
and
NorthumberlandNorthumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
in the north east of England. It broadens into the Derwent Reservoir, west of
ConsettConsett is a town in the northwest of County Durham, England, about southwest of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is home to 27,394 .Consett sits high on the edge of the Pennines. In 1841, it was a village community of only 145, but it was about to become a boom town: below the ground was coking coal and...
. The Derwent is a
tributaryA tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the
River TyneThe River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
, which it joins near the MetroCentre. The river flows for 35 miles from its origin, where two streams meet approximately a mile west of
BlanchlandBlanchland is a model village in Northumberland, England, right on the County Durham boundary with picturesque houses, set against a backdrop of deep woods and open moors....
, to Derwenthaugh where it flows into the
River TyneThe River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
. On its journey, the river flows through places such as
AllensfordAllensford is a small country park in County Durham, in England. It is situated a short distance to the west of Consett,and to the east of Castleside on the River Derwent....
,
Shotley BridgeShotley Bridge is a village in the Derwent Valley, adjoining the town of Consett in County Durham, England. Shotley Bridge was once the heart of Britain's swordmaking industry.The origins of swordmaking here dated from 1691...
, Blackhall Mill and
Rowlands GillRowlands Gill is a village situated along the A694, between Winlaton Mill and Blackhall Mill, on the north bank of the River Derwent, Tyne and Wear, England. With the coming of the Derwent Valley Railway in 1867, Rowlands Gill became both a coal mining village, and during the early part of the...
. The river is known locally as "The Divvy" . Derwent Walk Country Park named after it is at Rowlands Gill. Fishing permits on the river are usually priced at £3.00 on each stretch.
The name Derwent comes from the
BrythonicThe Brythonic or Brittonic languages form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family, the other being Goidelic. The name Brythonic was derived by Welsh Celticist John Rhys from the Welsh word Brython, meaning an indigenous Briton as opposed to an Anglo-Saxon or Gael...
/Early
WelshWelsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
word for oak
derw, harking back to the time when the Derwent Valley was inhabited by a British-speaking population.
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