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River Forth

River Forth

Overview
The River Forth 47 km (29.2 mi) long, is the major river draining the eastern part of the central belt
Central Belt
The Central Belt of Scotland is a common term used to describe the area of highest population density within Scotland. Despite the name, it is not geographically central but is nevertheless situated at the 'waist' of Scotland on a conventional map and the term 'central' is used in many local...

 of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

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Encyclopedia
The River Forth 47 km (29.2 mi) long, is the major river draining the eastern part of the central belt
Central Belt
The Central Belt of Scotland is a common term used to describe the area of highest population density within Scotland. Despite the name, it is not geographically central but is nevertheless situated at the 'waist' of Scotland on a conventional map and the term 'central' is used in many local...

 of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

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The Forth rises in Loch Ard
Loch Ard
Loch Ard is a body of fresh water in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park of the Stirling District in Scotland. -Overview:...

 in the Trossachs, a mountainous area some 30 km (18.6 mi) west of Stirling
Stirling
Stirling is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth...

. It flows roughly eastward, through Aberfoyle
Aberfoyle
Aberfoyle is a village in the region of Stirling, Scotland, northwest of Glasgow.The town is situated on the River Forth at the base of Craigmore...

, joining with the Duchray Water and Kelty Water, and out over the flat expanse of the Flanders Moss
Flanders Moss
Flanders Moss is an area of bogland in the Carse of Stirling in central Scotland.It lies between the villages of Thornhill to the north and Kippen to the south....

. It is then joined by the River Teith
River Teith
The River Teith in Scotland flows from the north-west into the River Forth near Drip north-west of Stirling.- Etymology :The name comes from the Scottish Gaelic Uisge Theavich, which translates into English as the "pleasant river".- Course :...

 (which itself drains Loch Venachar
Loch Venachar
Loch Venachar is a freshwater loch in Stirling district, Scotland, situated between Callander and Brig o' Turk...

, Loch Lubnaig
Loch Lubnaig
Loch Lubnaig is a small loch near Callander in the Stirling council area, Scotland. It lies in the former county of Perthshire....

, Loch Katrine
Loch Katrine
Loch Katrine is a freshwater loch in the district of Stirling, Scotland. It is roughly 8 miles long by 2/3 of a mile wide and runs the length of Strath Gartney...

, and Loch Voil
Loch Voil
Loch Voil is a small freshwater loch in Scotland. It is a short, narrow loch approximately 5 km in length, It is separated from Loch Doine by the River Larig and is drained at its northern end by the River Balvaig at Balquhidder. The Loch can be reached by a small single track road from...

) and the River Allan
Allan Water
The Allan Water is a river in central Scotland, United Kingdom. Rising in the Ochil Hills, it runs through Strathallan to Dunblane and Bridge of Allan before joining the River Forth....

, before meandering through the ancient city of Stirling. At Stirling the river widens and becomes tidal
Tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the Earth....

, and it is here that the last (seasonal) ford of the river exists. From Stirling, the Forth flows east over the Carse
Carse
In Scottish geography, a Carse is an area of low-lying, typically alluvial and fertile land occupying certain Scottish river valleys, such as that of the River Forth.-Carse of Forth :...

 of Stirling and past the towns of Cambus
Cambus
Cambus is a public transport bus system, primarily serving the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City, IA. The service is intended to provide transportation for students, faculty, and staff around the main campus, University of Iowa Research Park, residence halls, and commuter parking lots. Cambus...

 (where it is joined by the river Devon
River Devon, Clackmannanshire
The River Devon is a tributary of the River Forth in Clackmannanshire, Scotland.-Geography:The source of the river is Blairdenon Hill in the Ochils at an altitude of ....

), Alloa
Alloa
Alloa is a town and former burgh in Clackmannanshire, set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on on the north bank of the Firth of Forth close to the foot of the Ochil Hills, east of Stirling and north of Falkirk....

, Fallin
Fallin
- Music :* "Fallin'", a song by Alicia Keys* "Fallin'" , a song by De La Soul and Teenage Fanclub* "Fallin'" , a song written by Neil Sedaka and Harry Greenfield- See also :* Falling...

 and Airth
Airth
Airth is a Royal Burgh, village, former trading port and civil parish in Falkirk, Scotland. It is north of Falkirk town and sits on the banks of the River Forth. Airth lies on the A905 road between Grangemouth and Stirling and is overlooked by Airth Castle, the village retains two market crosses...

. Upon reaching Kincardine the river begins to widen into an estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....

, the Firth of Forth
Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotland's River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea, between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh and East Lothian to the south...

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Settlements on the Forth


There are a number of towns which line the shores, as well as the petrochemical complexes at Grangemouth
Grangemouth
Grangemouth is a town and former burgh in the council area of Falkirk, Scotland. The town lies in the Forth Valley, on the banks of the Firth of Forth, east of Falkirk, west of Bo'ness and south-east of Stirling. Grangemouth had a resident population of 17,906 according to the 2001...

, the commercial docks at Leith
Leith
-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....

, oilrig construction yards at Methil
Methil
Methil is an eastern coastal town in Scotland. It was part of the former Burgh of Buckhaven and Methil. It lies within a continuous urban area described as Levenmouth.Methil lies geographically between Largo bay to the east and Wemyss Bay to the west....

, the ship-breaking facility at Inverkeithing
Inverkeithing
Inverkeithing is a town and a royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, located on the Firth of Forth. According to population estimates , the town has a population of 5,265. The port town was given burgh status by King David I of Scotland in the 12th century and is situated about 9 miles north from...

 and the naval dockyard at Rosyth
Rosyth
Rosyth is a town located on the Firth of Forth, three miles south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town has a population of 12,790....

, with numerous other industrial areas including the Forth Bridgehead area, Burntisland
Burntisland
Burntisland is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland on the Firth of Forth. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town has a population of 5,940....

, Kirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. The town lies on a shallow bay on the northern shore of the Firth of Forth; SSE of Glenrothes, ENE of Dunfermline, WSW of Dundee and NNE of Edinburgh...

, Bo'ness
Bo'ness
Bo'ness, properly Borrowstounness, is a coastal town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on a hillside on the south bank of the Firth of Forth within the Falkirk council area, north-west of Edinburgh and east of Falkirk. At the 2001 census, Bo'ness had a resident population of 13,961...

 and Leven
Leven, Fife
Leven is a seaside town in Fife, set in the east Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the coast of the Firth of Forth at the mouth of the River Leven, north-east of Kirkcaldy and east of Glenrothes....

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Navigation on the Forth



In medieval times the Forth was navigable at least as far as Stirling
Stirling
Stirling is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth...

, but silt
Silt
Silt is granular material of a size somewhere between sand and clay whose mineral origin is quartz and feldspar. Silt may occur as a soil or as suspended sediment in a surface water body...

ing and the increase in ship
Ship
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...

 sizes now mean that traffic upstream of Kincardine is rare.

Bridges over the Forth


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
Confluence (geography)
In geography, a confluence is the meeting of two or more bodies of water. It usually refers to the point where two streams flow together, merging into a single stream...

 with the Teith and Allan, the river is sufficiently wide that a significant bridge is required. A bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...

 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. The Clackmannanshire Bridge just upstream of the Kincardine Bridge opened on Wednesday, 19th November 2008. Much further downstream joining North Queensferry
North Queensferry
North Queensferry is a village in Fife, Scotland, on the Firth of Forth, between the Forth Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge, and from Edinburgh. According to the 2008 population estimate, the village has a population of 1,150. It is the southernmost settlement in Fife.The Scottish Gaelic name...

 and South Queensferry
South Queensferry
South Queensferry , also called Queensferry, is a former Royal Burgh in West Lothian now part of the City of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located some ten miles to the north west of the city centre, on the shore of the Firth of Forth between the Forth Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge, approximately 8...

 is the famous Forth bridge
Forth Bridge (railway)
The Forth Bridge is a cantilever railway bridge over the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland, to the east of the Forth Road Bridge, and 14 kilometres west of central Edinburgh. It was opened on 4 March 1890, and spans a total length of...

 (a railway bridge) opened in 1890, and the Forth Road Bridge
Forth Road Bridge
The Forth Road Bridge is a suspension bridge in east central Scotland. The bridge, opened in 1964, spans the Firth of Forth, connecting the capital city Edinburgh, at South Queensferry, to Fife, at North Queensferry...

 which opened in 1964. A swinging railway bridge between Alloa
Alloa
Alloa is a town and former burgh in Clackmannanshire, set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on on the north bank of the Firth of Forth close to the foot of the Ochil Hills, east of Stirling and north of Falkirk....

 on the north shore and Throsk
Throsk
Throsk is a settlement in the Stirling council area of Scotland. It lies on the A905 road east of Fallin close to the River Forth. The United Kingdom Census 2001 recorded the population as 231....

 on the south opened in 1885 and was closed (and largely demolished) in 1970. Only the metal piers remain.

Plans to construct a new road bridge slightly to the West of the existing Forth Road Bridge have been announced by the Scottish Government. It is planned to open in 2016.

See also

  • 380kV Forth Crossing
    380kV Forth Crossing
    The 380kV Forth Crossing is the tallest electricity pylon in Scotland. It stands next to the Clackmannanshire Bridge and the Kincardine Bridge, and crosses the River Forth....

  • List of rivers of Scotland
  • Rivers and Fisheries Trusts of Scotland
    Rivers and Fisheries Trusts of Scotland
    The Rivers and Fisheries Trusts of Scotland is a waterway society, an unincorporated association, a Scottish charity, and an umbrella organisation for river trusts in Scotland, based in Edinburgh.RAFTS is the representative of all of Scotland's river systems...

     (RAFTS)
  • Forth, the name of one of the sea areas of the British Shipping Forecast
    Shipping Forecast
    The Shipping Forecast is a four-times-daily BBC Radio broadcast of weather reports and forecasts for the seas around the coasts of the British Isles. It is produced by the Met Office and broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. The forecasts sent over the Navtex...

    .

External links