The River Wansbeck runs through the county of
Northumberland
Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...
,
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. It rises above Sweethope
Lough on the edge of Fourlaws Forest in the area known locally as The Wanneys (Great Wanney Crag, Little Wanney Crag; thus the "Wanneys Beck"); runs through the town of
Ashington
Ashington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, with a population of 27,864 at the 2011 Census. It was once a centre of the coal mining industry. The town is north of Newcastle upon Tyne, west of the A189 and bordered to the ...
before discharging into the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
at Sandy Bay near
Newbiggin-by-the-Sea
Newbiggin-by-the-Sea is a seaside town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, located on the North Sea coast.
The town is a fishing port and formerly a part of a trade route for shipping grain. Newbiggin Colliery operated from 1908 unti ...
.
The River flows through the village of
Kirkwhelpington,
Hartburn, where the
tributary
A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...
Hart Burn joins, the
village
A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...
of
Mitford, where the
River Font joins, and the town of
Morpeth.
The River Wansbeck is nicknamed the River Wanney. The term 'The Wilds of Wanney' is used by people of Tyneside to refer to the rural areas of Northumberland where the Wansbeck rises.
The River lent its name to the former
Wansbeck district which was based in Ashington, and included Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Bedlington and Stakeford.
Barrage and navigation
Between 1974 and 75, a £250,000 barrage with a navigation lock was built near the rivermouth and adjacent to the
A189 road bridge. In so doing the lower three miles of river became a country park and are recognised as England's most northerly inland (locked) navigation. Very little use of the lock has actually been recorded, although rowing and sailing craft are launched and used in the country park.
Stakeford Bridge is about midway in the navigable part. Sheepwash Bridge is near the upper limit of the park and the navigable water.
From 1985, the new navigation was officially recorded in ''The Inland Waterways of Great Britain'', noting that the navigation authority was then
Wansbeck District Council, which means that, since 2009, Northumberland County has held that role.
File:The infant River Wansbeck - geograph.org.uk - 627089.jpg, The infant River Wansbeck as a stream
File:Stepping stones Morpeth - geograph.org.uk - 1533870.jpg, Stepping stones at Morpeth
File:Wallington Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 1585530.jpg, Wallington Bridge between Kirkharle and Cambo
File:Weir at Mitford - geograph.org.uk - 305932.jpg, Weir at Mitford
File:Wansbeck River Mouth - geograph.org.uk - 69518.jpg, River Wansbeck meets the North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
Road and rail river crossings
*North Seaton A189 Bridge, A189 (road, foot)
*North Seaton Railway Bridge (rail), used to carry
Blyth and Tyne Railway now used for freight
*Stakeford Bridge, A196 (road, foot)
*Sheepwash Bridge, A1068 road (road, foot)
*Bothal Mill Bridge, A196 (road, foot)
*Pegswood Railway Viaduct,
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line (ECML) is a electrified railway between its northern terminus at and southern terminus at . The key towns and cities of , , , , and are on the line. The line is a key transport artery on the eastern side of Grea ...
(rail)
*Morpeth
Telford Bridge,
A197 (road, foot)
*Lowford Bridge, B6343 (road, foot)
*Highford Bridge, B6343 (road, foot)
*
A1 Bridge (road)
*
Mitford Bridge, B6343 (road, foot)
*
Meldon Bridge (road, foot)
*Mill House Bridge, B6343 (road, foot)
*Low Angerton Bridge (road, foot)
*Low Angerton Railway Bridge (disused), Used to carry the
Wansbeck Railway
*Middleton Bridge, B6343 (road, foot)
*Wallington Bridge, B6342 (road, foot)
*
Kirkwhelpington Bridge (road, foot)
*
Kirkwhelpington A696 Bridge (road)
*
Sweethope Loughs Road Bridge (road, foot)
See also
*
Rivers of the United Kingdom
References
External links
Canal Plan AC Waterways Gazetteer
{{authority control
Wansbeck