River Great Ouse

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River Great Ouse
Image:DSCN1566-goba-mooring-after-brownshill-staunch 1200x900.jpg The River Great Ouse after Brownshill Staunch, near Over
Origin	near Syresham in Northamptonshire
Mouth	King's Lynn
Basin countries	England
Length	150 miles (240 km)
Source elevation	115 m (380 feet)

The River Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. It is 150 miles (240 km) long which makes it the major navigation in East Anglia, and the fourth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The lower reaches of the Great Ouse are also known as "Old West River" and "the Ely Ouse". The name Ouse is Celtic or pre-Celtic, and probably means simply "water". ^[1]

The river has several sources close to the villages of Syresham and Sulgrave in Northamptonshire. It flows through Brackley, Buckingham, Milton Keynes at Stony Stratford, Newport Pagnell, Olney, Bedford, St Neots, Godmanchester, Huntingdon, Hemingford Grey, St Ives, the cathedral city of Ely, Littleport, Downham Market and enters The Wash at King's Lynn.

The Environment Agency is the navigation authority and it attempts to attract more boaters to the river.

The Ouse Washes are an internationally important area for wildlife.

Contents 1 Tributaries 2 Trivia 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Tributaries

Tributaries of the River Great Ouse: (upstream [source] to downstream by confluence)

• River Tove
• River Ouzel (or Lovat)
• River Ivel
• River Kym
• River Cam
• River Lark
• River Little Ouse
• Wissey
• Old Bedford River
• New Bedford River (also known as Hundred Foot Drain)
• River Babingley
• Gaywood River

[edit] Trivia

In 1944 the annual boat race between the Oxford and Cambridge universities took place on this river, between Littleport and Adelaide; it was won by Oxford. The Great Ouse is now used by CUBC, CUWBC and CULRC for training.

[edit] See also

• The Ouse Valley Way (Long distance footpath along the Ouse)
• RSPB Ouse Washes (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds reserve)
• WWT Welney (Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust reserve)
• Rivers of the United Kingdom
• The Boat Race

[edit] References

1. ^ Oxford Dictionary of British Place Names (2003)

[edit] External links

• Useful information on the river from Jim Shead
• Drainage and Rivers of Fens

v • d • e River Great Ouse, UK
Administrative areas: Northamptonshire · Buckinghamshire · Milton Keynes · Bedfordshire · Cambridgeshire · Norfolk Flows into: The Wash Towns (upstream to downstream): Brackley · Buckingham · Old Stratford Milton Keynes (Stony Stratford, Wolverton, New Bradwell) · Newport Pagnell · Olney · Kempston · Bedford · St Neots · Godmanchester · Huntingdon · St Ives · Ely · Littleport · Downham Market · King's Lynn Major tributaries (upstream to downstream by confluence): River Tove  · River Ouzel (or Lovat) · River Ivel River Kym · Old Bedford River · New Bedford River · River Cam · River Lark · River Little Ouse · River Wissey Major bridges (upstream to downstream): Harrold bridge · A428 Turvey bridge · A428 Bromham bypass A6 Bedford Town Bridge · A421 Bedford bypass · Great Barford Bridge A428 Bridge St Neots · St Neots Town Bridge · Godmanchester Chinese Bridge A14 bridge, River Great Ouse · Huntingdon Old Bridge · St Ives Bridge
Longest UK rivers: 1. Severn 2. Thames 3. Trent 4. Great Ouse 5. Wye 6. Tay 7. Spey 8. Nene 9. Clyde 10. Tweed 11. Eden 12. Dee

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