The River Goyt is a

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 ...

of the

River Mersey The River Mersey () is a major river in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it h ...

North West England North West England is one of nine official regions of England and consists of the ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The North West had a population of 7,4 ...

Etymology

The name ''Goyt'' may be derived from the

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English pe ...

''gote'', meaning "a watercourse, a stream". Derivation from the Welsh ''gwyth'' meaning "vein" has been suggested, but described as "doubtful".

Course

The Goyt rises on the moors of Axe Edge, near the

River Dane The River Dane is a tributary of the River Weaver that originates in the Peak District area of England. The name of the river (earlier ''Daven'') is probably from the Old Welsh ''dafn'', meaning a "drop or trickle", implying a slow-moving river. ...

and the Cat and Fiddle Inn. The area is known as the

Upper Goyt Valley The Upper Goyt Valley is the southern section of the valley of the River Goyt in North West England. Position The source of the Goyt River is on Axe Edge Moor above Goyt's Moss to the south. The western side of the valley is a long ridge, runn ...

. The old

Cat and Fiddle Road The Cat and Fiddle is a road in England between Buxton, Derbyshire and Macclesfield, Cheshire, named after the Cat and Fiddle Inn public house at its summit. Formed by parts of the A537, A54 and A53, it is famous for its scenic views across ...

from

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the High Peak, Derbyshire, Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, in the East Midlands region of England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.Alston, Cumbria also claims this, but lacks a regu ...

Macclesfield Macclesfield () is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East, Cheshire, England. It is sited on the River Bollin and the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east; the town lies south of Ma ...

crosses the river just as it turns northwards to flow down its well-known valley. The river then flows under Derbyshire Bridge, which was the old boundary between

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

and

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

. Later it reaches an old

packhorse bridge A packhorse bridge is a bridge intended to carry packhorses (horses loaded with sidebags or panniers) across a river or stream. Typically a packhorse bridge consists of one or more narrow (one horse wide) masonry arches, and has low Parapet#Bridg ...

that was moved when Errwood reservoir was built in the 1960s (see photo below). Further downstream there is another

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

, the Fernilee Reservoir, built in 1938. The original line of the

Cromford and High Peak Railway The Cromford and High Peak Railway (C&HPR) was a Standard-gauge railway, standard-gauge line between the Cromford Canal wharf at High Peak Junction and the Peak Forest Canal at Whaley Bridge. The railway, which was completed in 1831, was built t ...

can be seen near this point. The Goyt then passes through

Taxal Whaley Bridge () is a town and civil parish in the High Peak district of Derbyshire, England. It is situated on the River Goyt, south-east of Manchester, north of Buxton, north-east of Macclesfield and west of Sheffield. The parish includes ...

and

Horwich End Horwich ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire. It is southeast of Chorley, northwest of Bolton and northwest of Manchester. It ...

where it is joined by the

Todd Brook Todd Brook is a small river running through the English counties of Cheshire and Derbyshire. The Brook rises beneath Shining Tor on the border between the two counties and flows northwards through east Cheshire, passing by Jenkin Chapel, Win ...

. Thereafter it passes through

Whaley Bridge Whaley Bridge () is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the High Peak Borough Council, High Peak district of Derbyshire, England. It is situated on the River Goyt, south-east of Manchester, north of Buxton, north-east of Mac ...

New Mills New Mills is a small town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England, south-east of Stockport and from Manchester at the confluence of the River Goyt and River Sett, Sett. It is close to the border with Cheshire and above the Torrs, a ...

(where it is joined by the River Sett) and

Marple Bridge Marple Bridge is a district of Marple in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. The River Goyt runs through the centre of the village. Marple Bridge shares borders with Mellor, Marple, Compstall, New Mills, Str ...

. Having been joined by the

River Etherow The River Etherow in northern England is a tributary of the River Goyt. Although now passing through South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Greater Manchester, it historically formed the ancient county boundary between Cheshire and Derbyshire. The up ...

, the Goyt joins the River Tame at

Stockport Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt, Rivers Goyt and River Tame, Greater Manchester, Tame merge to create the River Mersey he ...

, forming the

. The section of the Goyt valley between

Etherow Country Park Etherow Country Park is in Compstall, a village between Marple Bridge and Romiley, in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. It is a Local Nature Reserve and the starting point of the Goyt Way. Description Ethero ...

and Whaley Bridge is followed by the

Goyt Way The Goyt Way is a walking route from Etherow Country Park, Greater Manchester, to Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire, following the valley of the River Goyt. It is part of the longer Midshires Way, which in turn is part of the E2 European long-distance ...

, a walking route and part of the longer Midshires Way. The River Goyt is reputedly haunted by the ghost of a girl whose Royalist lover drowned in the river.

Pollution

The river's

Environment Agency The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body, established in 1996 and sponsored by the United Kingdom government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with responsibilities relating to the protection and enha ...

pollution classification changed from moderate to poor in its lower section from the Etherow to the Mersey in 2016, and in 2015 for the New Mills to Whaley Bridge length. Otherwise the quality is moderate.

Tributaries

*Poise Brook (L) **Ochreley Brook (R) *Torkington Brook (L) **Marple Brook (R) *Padden Brook ? *St Chad's Brook ? *

(R) *Marple Bridge Brook ? (R) *Hollywood Brook ? (R) *Mellor Brook ? (R) *Linnet Brook ? (R) *Strines Brook ? (R) *Higgin's Brook ? (L) * River Sett (R) **

River Kinder The River Kinder ( ) is a small river, only about long, in northwestern Derbyshire, England. Rising on the peat moorland plateau of Kinder Scout, it flows generally westwards to its confluence with the River Sett at Bowden Bridge (a Grade II li ...

(R) ***Upper Brook ? (L) ***William Brook ? (R) ***Blackshaws Brook ? (L) ***Red Brook (L) *Shedyard Brook ? (R) *Waterside Brook ? (R) *Green Botham Brook ? (R) *Todd Brook (L) **Gnathole Brook (L) **Carr Brook (R) *Randal Carr Brook (R) **Meveril Brook (L) ***Brook Houses Brook (R)

Etymology

Course

Pollution

Tributaries

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading