The River Dee is a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the ...

running through the extreme south east of

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. ...

, a part of the

Craven Craven may refer to: * Craven in the Domesday Book, an area of Yorkshire, England, larger area than the district ** Craven District, a local government district of North Yorkshire formed in 1974 Places * Craven, New South Wales, Australia, see ...

region traditionally part of the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

. Its name possibly derives from Brythonic ''deva'' meaning ''goddess'', or from Dent or

Dentdale Dentdale is a dale or valley in the north-west of the Yorkshire Dales National Park in Cumbria, England. It is the valley of the River Dee, but takes its name from the village of Dent. The dale runs east to west, starting at Dent Head, which ...

, through which the river flows. The river rises above Dent Head Farm (on the

Dales Way The Dales Way is an long-distance footpath in Northern England, from (south-east to north-west) Ilkley, West Yorkshire, to Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria. This walk was initially devised by the West Riding Ramblers' Association with the 'leadi ...

), formed from several smaller streams emanating from Blea Moor Moss, the River Dee makes its way northward past Stone House, where it is joined by Arten Gill, to Cowgill, where it turns left into Dentdale. In Dentdale, it picks up the waters of Deepdale Beck (travelling north from

Whernside Whernside is a mountain in the Yorkshire Dales in Northern England. It is the highest of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, the other two being Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent. It is the highest point in the ceremonial county of North YorkshireMickle Fel ...

) before passing Dent and

Gawthrop Gawthrop is a hamlet in the South Lakeland district, in the county of Cumbria, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies within the Yorkshire Dales The Yorkshire Dales is an upland area of the Pennines in the histo ...

. The river later passes Lenacre and Rash on its way to meeting the

River Rawthey The River Rawthey is a river in Cumbria in northwest England. The headwaters of the Rawthey are at Rawthey Gill Foot, where Rawthey Gill meets Haskhaw Gill. The source of Rawthey Gill is unclear, but is either on Knoutberry Haw or near to the E ...

at Catholes, near the town of

Sedbergh Sedbergh ( or ) is a town and civil parish in Cumbria, England. The 2001 census gave the parish a population of 2,705, increasing at the 2011 census to 2,765. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies about east of Kendal, no ...

. The old water mill at Rash Bridge is thought to have been an inspiration for the folk song "The Jolly Miller of Dee". The Rawthey goes on to join the

River Lune The River Lune (archaically sometimes Loyne) is a river in length in Cumbria and Lancashire, England. Etymology Several elucidations for the origin of the name ''Lune'' exist. Firstly, it may be that the name is Brittonic in genesis and deri ...

References

Dee 2Dee {{England-river-stub