The River Petteril is a
river
A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
running through the
English county
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
of
Cumbria
Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...
.
The source of the Petteril is near
Penruddock and
Motherby, from where the
young river runs southeast through
Greystoke, Blencow and Newton Reigny, before passing under the
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. It is located entirely within England, running for just over from the Midlands to the border with Scotland. It begins at Junction 19 of the M1 motorway, M1 and the western end of t ...
, after which the river turns north, and the motorway roughly follows the course of the river towards
Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England.
Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...
.
Having reached Carlisle, the Petteril runs a course through the south east of Carlisle, dividing the suburbs of Harraby, Upperby and
Botcherby, and running alongside the
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...
for a significant distance, before joining the
River Eden on its journey to the
Solway Firth
The Solway Firth is an inlet on the west coast of Great Britain, forming part of the border between England and Scotland. The firth (a Scottish term for an inlet of the sea) divides Cumbria (including the Solway Plain) from Dumfries and Gallow ...
. Along its course, the major tributaries of the Petteril include the River North Petteril, Stony Beck, Calthwaite Beck, Blackrack Beck, and Woodside Beck.
The Petteril was in the news in 2022 following a freight train derailment on 19 October, where the railway crosses the river near Carlisle. One cement wagon ended up upside down in the river.
[Photographs and article, ''RAIL'' issue 969, 2 November 2022]
Sources
Rivers of Cumbria
Eden catchment
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