The River Clun runs mostly through

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

and joins the

River Teme The River Teme (pronounced ; cy, Afon Tefeidiad) rises in Mid Wales, south of Newtown, and flows southeast roughly forming the border between England and Wales for several miles through Knighton before entering England in the vicinity of B ...

Leintwardine Leintwardine ( ) is a small to mid-size village and civil parish in north Herefordshire, England, close to the border with Shropshire. History Roman A popular misconception is that the Romans called the village ''Branogenium''. Branogenium in ...

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

. The Clun Valley is part of the

Shropshire Hills AONB The Shropshire Hills area, in the English county of Shropshire, is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). It is located in the south of the county, extending to its border with Wales. Designated in 1958, the area encompasse ...

(Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty).

Course

The River Clun has its source near the hamlet of

Anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal , used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek ...

(in a marshy area near the public house), close to the border of

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. It flows east through the small town of

Clun Clun ( cy, Colunwy) is a town in south west Shropshire, England, and the Shropshire Hills AONB, Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The 2011 United Kingdom census, census recorded 680 people living in the town.Combined populat ...

until

Aston on Clun Aston on Clun is a village in south Shropshire, England. It lies near to the River Clun, with the brook from Hopesay flowing through the village itself, and is on the B4368 road between the towns of Clun and Craven Arms. The village of Broome, ...

where it flows roughly southwards — the river flows around the north of Clunbury Hill. The river enters the lower valley — which widens and has a flatter floor (an extensive flood plain). The Folly Brook joins the Clun at

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

, and the

River Unk The River Unk is a small river in Shropshire, England that runs for before flowing into the River Clun. Course It rises close to the site of the Bronze Age cross dyke known as the Lower Short Ditch on the Shropshire - Powys border in the no ...

flows into the Clun near

Clun Castle Clun Castle is a medieval ruined castle in Clun, Shropshire, England. Clun Castle was established by the Norman lord Robert de Say after the Norman invasion of England and went on to become an important Marcher lord castle in the 12th century, ...

, whilst the

River Kemp The River Kemp is a tributary of the River Clun which flows through Shropshire, England. Course The river is formed from two small unnamed streams that drain the area around Bishops Castle, the stream on the western side of the town rises ...

flows into the river at Oaker near Aston. Near the end of the river's course, the

River Redlake The Redlake is a minor river in southwest Shropshire, England. Its headwaters are to the south of Newcastle, on the other side of Spoad Hill (alternatively Springhill).Ordnance Survey mapping It flows through Treverward, Purlogue, New Inve ...

joins at

Jay A jay is a member of a number of species of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine birds in the Crow family, Corvidae. The evolutionary relationships between the jays and the magpies are rather complex. For example, the Eurasian m ...

. Just south of

Broadward Broadward is a dispersed settlement, dispersed hamlet (place), hamlet in south Shropshire, England, situated by the border with Herefordshire. It is in the civil parishes in England, civil parish of Clungunford, a village approximately to the n ...

(a Site of Special Scientific Interest for a stretch south of Broadward Bridge) the river flows into Herefordshire where it joins the

Features

Many settlements along the course of the river incorporate the river's name, including Clun, and the villages of

Newcastle-on-Clun Newcastle is a village in the rural south west of Shropshire, England. It lies at the confluence of the River Clun, Shropshire, River Clun and the Folly Brook, 3 miles west of the small town of Clun. The B4368 runs through the village, on its w ...

Clunton Clunton is a village in south Shropshire, England, to the east of the small town of Clun. Location It lies on the B4368 road between Clun and Craven Arms. It is part of the civil parish of Clunbury. The nearest railway station is Hoptonheat ...

Clunbury Clunbury is a village and civil parish in south Shropshire, England. It is near to the small town of Clun and the villages of Clunton, Purslow and Aston on Clun. In the village is the Norman Church of St Swithin and a Church of England primary ...

, Aston on Clun, and

Clungunford Clungunford is a village and civil parish in south Shropshire, England, located near the border with Herefordshire. Village The village features St. Cuthbert's parish church. The River Clun flows just to the west of the village and can be c ...

. In Clun, the historic

Clun Bridge Clun Bridge is a historical bridge in the small town of Clun, Shropshire, England dating from 1450 which crosses over the River Clun. The bridge is still an important bridging point over the River Clun and carries the A488 and B4368 roads ove ...

still takes the

A488 road List of A roads in zone 4 in Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island ...

over the river. A number of other historic crossings — bridges and fords — exist over the river, including

Broadward Bridge Broadward is a dispersed hamlet in south Shropshire, England, situated by the border with Herefordshire. It is in the civil parish of Clungunford, a village approximately to the north.Ordnance Survey mapping Geography The placename is shared ...

Ecology

The River Clun is an ideal habitat for

otters Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes ...

salmon Salmon () is the common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of ...

white-clawed crayfish ''Austropotamobius pallipes'' is an endangered European freshwater crayfish, and the only crayfish native to the British Isles. Its common names include white-clawed crayfish and Atlantic stream crayfish. Distribution It is found from the easter ...

European bullhead The European bullhead (''Cottus gobio'') is a freshwater fish that is widely distributed in Europe, mainly in rivers. It is a member of the family Cottidae, a type of sculpin. It is also known as the miller's thumb, freshwater sculpin, common bu ...

grayling Grayling or Greyling may refer to: Animals Fish * Grayling, generically, any fish of the genus ''Thymallus'' in the family Salmonidae ** European grayling (''Thymallus thymallus''), the European species of the genus ''Thymallus'' ** Arctic grayli ...

and

brook lamprey The brook lamprey (''Lampetra planeri'', also known as the European brook lamprey and the western brook lamprey) is a small European lamprey species that exclusively inhabits freshwater environments. The species is related to, but distinct from, ...

. The river is also noted as a habitat for the

freshwater pearl mussel The freshwater pearl mussel (''Margaritifera margaritifera'') is an endangered species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusc in the family Margaritiferidae. Although the name "freshwater pearl mussel" is often used for this specie ...

. The Clun and one of its tributaries, the

Unk Anthony Leonard Platt (born November 28, 1981) commonly known by his stage name Unk, is an American DJ, hype man, and rapper. Some of his work has featured on the 2K Sports 2K is an American video game publisher based in Novato, Californ ...

, have suffered pollution and sediment build up, undermining the mussel's habitat. The catchment area of the river is mostly rural and produces beef, lamb, potatoes and maize. The Clun is one of only eleven watercourses in England that is home to the mussel and one of three English rivers that has been designated a European Special Area of Conservation.

References

External links

{{authority control

1Clun

Course

Features

Ecology

See also

References

External links