River Forth

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River Forth

The River Forth (Gaelic: Uisge For or Abhainn Dhubh, meaning "black river"), 47 km (29 miles) 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 in fact in the south of the country....
of Scotland

Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
.

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 in Scotland. The loch is approximately 4 kilometres long by 2 kilometres wide and runs approximately east-west along a sheltered glen....
in the Trossachs, a mountainous area some 30 km (19 miles) west of Stirling

Stirling

Stirling is a City status in the United Kingdom and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling .The city is clustered around a large Stirling Castle and medi?val old-town....
. It flows roughly eastward, through Aberfoyle

Aberfoyle

Aberfoyle is a village in the region of Stirling , Scotland, northwest of Glasgow.The town is situated at the base of Craigmore and on the Laggan, a head-water of the River Forth....
, 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, Stirling to the north and Kippen to the south....
.

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

Central Belt

Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
.

The Forth rises in Loch Ard

Loch Ard

Stirling

Aberfoyle

Flanders Moss

Flanders Moss is an area of bogland in the Carse of Stirling in central Scotland.It lies between the villages of Thornhill, Stirling to the north and Kippen to the south....
. It is then joined by the River Teith

River Teith

The River Teith is a branch of the River Forth. Originating in Loch Lubnaig the river flows thorough/past Callander, Deanston and Doune before joining the River Forth near Stirling....
(which itself drains Loch Venachar

Loch Venachar

Loch Venachar is a freshwater loch in Stirling district, Scotland, situated between Callander and Brig o' Turk. It lies approximately 82 metres above sea level, and is long with a maximum depth of approximately 33 metres....
, 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.It is around 5 kilometre long, and has depths of up to 44.5 metres....
, Loch Katrine

Loch Katrine

Loch Katrine is a freshwater loch in the district of Stirling_, Scotland. It is roughly 13 kilometres long by 1 kilometre wide and runs the length of Strath Gartney ....
, and Loch Voil) 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 rising of Earth's ocean surface caused by the tidal forces of the Moon and the Sun acting on the oceans. Tides cause changes in the depth of the marine and estuary water bodies and produce oscillating currents known as tidal streams, making prediction of tides important for coastal navigation ....
, and it is here that the last (seasonal) ford of the river exists. From Stirling, the Forth flows east over the Carse

Carse

In Geography of Scotland, a Carse is an area of low-lying, typically alluvial and fertile land occupying certain Scottish river valleys, such as the River Forth, where it contrasts with the Ochil Hills to the north, from which it is separated by the Ochil Fault....
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, Oakdale campus, residence halls, and commuter parking lots....
(where it is joined by the river Devon

River Devon, Clackmannanshire

The River Devon is a tributary of the River Forth in Clackmannanshire, Scotland.The source of the river is Blairdennon Hill in the Ochils at an altitude of the Devon flows east and southeast through Glendevon, turning southwest at Crook of Devon and then continuing westwards along the foot of the Ochil Hills, until it reaches the River...
), Alloa

Alloa

Airth

Airth is a village and former trading burgh in Falkirk, Scotland, eight miles north of Falkirk town, overlooked by Airth Castle. It retains two market crosses and a small number of historic houses....
. Upon reaching Kincardine the river begins to widen into an estuary

Estuary

An estuary is a semi-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 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....
.

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 subdivisions of Scotland of Falkirk , Scotland, and formerly in the County of Stirling. It is on the Firth of Forth, 3 miles east of Falkirk....
, the commercial docks at Leith

Leith

Leith is a district and former municipal burgh in the north of the city of Edinburgh at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is the Seaport of Edinburgh, Scotland....
, oilrig construction yards at Methil

Methil

Methil is a town in Fife , Scotland. It was part of the former Burgh of Buckhaven and Methil. It lies within a continuous urban area described as Levenmouth....
, the ship-breaking facility at Inverkeithing

Inverkeithing

Inverkeithing is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, located on the Firth of Forth. According to population estimates , the town has a population of 5,265....
and the naval dockyard at Rosyth

Rosyth

Rosyth is a town with a population of approx 15,000 located on the Firth of Forth on Scotland's east coast, three miles south of the centre of Dunfermline....
, 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. It is known locally for its sandy Blue Flag beach beach, the 15th century Rossend Castle, and its traditional summer fair and Highland games day....
, Kirkcaldy

Kirkcaldy

Kirkcaldy is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It lies on a shallow bay on the northern shore of the Firth of Forth and is the largest settlement between the cities of Dundee and Edinburgh....
, Bo'ness

Bo'ness

Bo'ness, properly Borrowstounness, is a town in the Falkirk council area of Scotland, lying on a hillside on the south bank of the Firth of Forth....
and Leven

Leven, Fife

Leven is a seaside town in Fife, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth at the mouth of the River Leven, Fife.On the coast immediately south-west of Leven are Methil and Buckhaven....
.

Navigation on the Forth

In medieval times the Forth was navigable at least as far as Stirling

Stirling

Silt

Silt is soil or Rock derived granular material of a Particle size between sand and clay. Silt may occur as a soil or as suspended sediment in a surface water body....
ing and the increase in ship

Ship

A ship is a large watercraft that floats on water. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size. Ships may be found on lakes, seas, and rivers and they allow for a variety of activities, such as the ferry or cargo ships, fishing, cruise ship, Coast guard, and warship....
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)

Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water. It usually refers to the point where a tributary joins a more major river, called the mainstem , when that major river is also the highest Strahler Stream Order in the drainage basin....
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 a gorge, valley, road, Rail tracks, river, body of water, or any other physical obstacle, 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 at Queensferry

South Queensferry

Queensferry , originally a Royal Burgh in West Lothian, is 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 miles from Edinburgh Airport....
the famous rail bridge

Forth Bridge (railway)

The Forth Bridge is a cantilever bridge railway bridge over the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland, to the east of the Forth Road Bridge, and 14 km west of central Edinburgh....
opened in 1890 and a modern road bridge

Forth Road Bridge

The Forth Road Bridge is a suspension bridge in Central Belt Scotland. The bridge, built in 1964, spans the Firth of Forth, connecting the capital city Edinburgh at South Queensferry to Fife at North Queensferry....
in 1964. A swinging railway bridge between Alloa

Alloa

Alloa is a small burgh in Clackmannanshire, Scotland, 7 miles to the east of Stirling, on the north bank of the River Forth. The town was a burgh of barony, and at one time of considerable commercial importance but is now relatively insignificant....
on the north shore and Throsk on the south opened in 1885 and was closed (and largely demolished) in 1970.

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.

River Forth

Settlements on the Forth

Navigation on the Forth

Bridges over the Forth

See also

External links