The River Brit is a river in west
Dorset
Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
in south-west
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 ...
, which rises just to the north of
Beaminster. It then flows south to
Netherbury and
Bridport, where it is joined by tributaries: the
River Simene and
River Asker. South of Bridport, it reaches
Lyme Bay on the
English Channel
The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
coast, at
West Bay.
[Frome, Piddle & West Dorset Fisheries Associatio]
Retrieved 22 May 2017.
/ref> The Brit has a length of .
Name
The river takes its name from the town of Bridport, which in turn derives from the River Bride, the neighbouring drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
to the east, which has connections with Bridport's early history. Before the establishment of Bridport, the Brit was named the River Wooth. This is still reflected in the names of settlements, such as Wooth Manor and Camesworth.
Natural history
The river has Indian balsam plants on its banks.Dorset Life magazine - the flowers of Dorset's riversides
/ref> It was previously polluted by the local hemp
Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a plant in the botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial and consumable use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest ...
and flax
Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. In 2022, France produced 75% of t ...
industries and by sewage discharges, but the environment of the river has improved in recent years. Fish species found include the stone loach, brown trout and minnows. These in turn support wildlife such as kingfishers and otter
Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which includes weasels, badgers, mink, and wolverines, among ...
s. Conditions are healthy enough to support the parr of salmon and sea trout, which live in the river for two to five years before turning into smolt and returning to the sea; fish passes have been installed to facilitate this.
References
External links
*Video of paddling up the River Bri
Retrieved 22 May 2017.
Brit
{{England-river-stub