Rivers Of The Capital Cities Of The British Isles

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The six countries located within the British Isles are England, Ireland, Isle of Man, Scotland and Wales all of which have a capital city which was built upon the banks of a major river.

ENGLAND

The capital of both England and the United Kingdom is London. The city was built along the banks of England's longest river the River Thames. Due to the vast size of London - six hundred and seven square miles - the city and surrounding metropolis is served by way of many other waterways, including nineteen lost or subterranean rivers, all of which are tributaries of the Thames, four canals and the forty two mile long River Lea and the River Roding.

You can read more about the River Thames by visiting our page - River Thames.

London's Canals

The Grand Union Canal - at 286 miles long with one hundred and sixty six locks, it is the longest canal in the country, and travels between London and Birmingham.

The Hertford Union Canal -is just one mile long with three locks and is situated in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

The Limehouse Cut - is also situated in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and is two miles long and has five locks.

The Regents Canal - is just over eight and a half miles long and has thirteen locks. The canal is situated between Paddington and Lime House and also forms part of the Regents Park in central London.

London's Subterranean Rivers

Black Ditch, Counter's Creek and Parr's Ditch.

Beverley Brook, Bollo Brook, Falcon Brook, Hackney Brook and Stamford Brook.

The Rivers Effra, Fleet, Graveney, Langbourne, Moselle, Neckinger, Peck, Tyburn, Walbrooke, Wandle and Westbourne.

ISLE OF MAN

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The capital of the Isle of Man is the coastal town of Douglas, situated on the south east of the island. The town is situated at the mouth of the River Douglas which forms part of the island’s largest shipping port at Douglas Harbour.

The River Douglas flows for just two point three miles from it’s source at the confluence of the eight point five kilometer long River Glass and the ten point five kilometer long River Dhoo, situated on the northern outskirts of the town.

NORTHERN IRELAND

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Six counties in the north of the island of Ireland make up the country of Northern Ireland. The country's capital city is Belfast situated in the east of the country.

Belfast was built along the banks of the River Lagan which starts life just below the summit of Slieve Croob, the highest peak in County Down. The river flows north eastwards for forty miles before draining into the thirty square mile, inter tidal lake, Lough Belfast, located at Stranmills Weir.

Tributaries of the River Lagan include the Blackstaff River, the Carryduff River, the Farset River and the Ravernet River.

The river passes several small towns and villages along it's course, including Donaghcloney, Dromara, Dromore, Magheralin, Moira and the City of Lisburn.

Points of interest along the Lagan's route includes the Lagan Valley National Park, a four thousand, two hundred acre park and wetland, Lagan Meadows, a one hundred and twenty acre woodland, meadows and wetlands park, the twenty seven mile long Lagan Canal, originally built in 1763 and the Lagan Towpath, located between Stranmills in Belfast and Sprucefield in Lisbrun, whose twelve mile route has been designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

The river is served by several bridges along it's route including the stone built, two arch, Newforge Bridge at Magheralin, the stone built, two arch, Spencer's Bridge at Moira, the stone built, three arch, Drum Bridge on Belfast's Upper Malone Road and the stone built, five arch, Shaw's Bridge, built in 1709, on Belfast's Milltown Road.

The river is also served by another weir, Lagan Weir, located between Belfast City centre's Queen Elisabeth Bridge and the M3 road bridge, which is a series of barriers which were constructed in 1994 in order to keep the river at an artificially constant level during low tide.

Belfast is also served by a tunnelled, tributary of the River Lagan called the River Farset, which also drains into Belfast Lough. This river, which runs under the capital's High Street from Legionel to Albert Clock, once formed the city's original docklands and quayside along High Street, and it is from the Irish Gaelic name of this river - Abhainn na Feirste - that the city of Belfast - Beal Feirste - was named.

The river is also renowned for it's wild salmon and brown trout, making it a popular river for fly fishermen.

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

The Republic of Ireland makes up the second largest island of this island group and is situated between the Irish Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The republic's capital city is Dublin which was built on the banks of the River Liffey.

The River Liffey starts life at the Liffey Head Bog on Mount Kippure in the Wicklow Mountains of County Wicklow. The river flows for seventy eight miles in a north easterly direction towards it's estuary which is situated between Baily Lighthouse and the Muglin Rocks on the ten kilometre wide Dublin Bay, situated in the Irish Sea.

The Liffey shares it's estuary with two other Irish rivers which also pass through Dublin, the sixteen mile long River Dodder and the fourteen mile long River Tolka.

The River Liffey is served by several small tributaries, the largest of which are the Rivers Camac, Dodder, Poddle and King's River.

The river flows through several Irish towns and vilages on it's way towards it's estuary, including Athgarven, Ballymore, Cargh, Clare, Celbridge, Eustace, Kilcullen, Leixlip, Lucan and Newbridge.

The river is spanned by thirteen bridges within it's environs of the City of Dublin, the oldest of which is the Mellows Bridge, constructed in1764, which is a one hundred and forty foot long, three arch, stone, road bridge which links Queen's Street with Arran Quay.

The city's newest bridges are the three hundred and fifty foot long, Samuel Becket, cable stayed, swing bridge, opened in 2009, which links Guild Street and North Wall Quay and the one hundred and thirty one foot long, single span, steel road bridge, opened in 2003, which was named in honour of the country's most famous author, James Joyce.

Dublin's most iconic bridge has to be the one hundred and forty one foot long, cast iron, pedestrianised, arch bridge, known as the Ha'Penny Bridge which was built in 1816 and spans the river in the city centre. Another famous city centre bridge is the three arch, stone, road bridge, known as O'Connell's Bridge, which was completed in 1791.

At the mouth of the River Liffey lies Ireland's largest sea port, Dublin Port, a five hundred and ten acre network of wharfs, quays and docks.

The mouth of the River Liffey lies on Dublin Bay, an arm of the Irish Sea which covers an area ten miles wide by seven miles long. The bay's limits stretch from Howth Head in the north to Dalkey Point in the south.

The bay encompasses the coastal suburb of Clontarf, famous for overlooking Bull Island, which is famous for it's three mile long beach called, Dollymount Strand. The island is linked to the mainland by way of a the Bull Bridge.

Also situated along the bays' coastline is the Dublin suburb of Howth, famous for it's harbour and castle, and the popular seaside resort of Dalkey.

The bay is served by three lighthouses, the Baily Lighthouse, situated at Howth Point and the Kish and Poolbeg lighhouses situated at the entrances to Dublin Port.

The bay is fed by several rivers, the largest of which are the Rivers Liffey, Dodder and Tolka. The bay is also home to three islands, the largest of which is Bull Island.

SCOTLAND

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Scotland's capital city, Edinburgh, is situated on the River Forth Estuary, which is also known as the Firth of Forth.

The River Forth starts life at Loch Ard in the Trossachs National Park and flows for twenty nine miles eastwards towards the North Sea, passing through the towns of Stirling, Alloa, Grangemouth and Leith along the way.

The River Forth has several tributaries, the largest of which are the Rivers Teith and Devon and Allan Water, all of which are renowned for their fine stocks of salmon, brown trout and sea trout.

The river becomes tidal at the site of the City of Stirling, where the river is overlooked by the town's medieval fortress and old town.

The Firth of Forth begins at the site of the towns of Kincardine and Falkirk, where it is spanned by the two thousand, six hundred and ninety seven foot long, swing bridge built in 1936.Other towns along the estuary include Inverkeithing, Rosyth, Bo'Ness, Leven and of course, Edinburgh.

The Firth of Forth is also spanned by two of the world's most famous bridges, the Forth Rail Bridge - an eight thousand, two hundred and ninety six foot long by one hundred and fifty one foot high, steel cantilever bridge - which was opened in March 1890 and links the two towns of North Queensferry and South Queensferry, and the Forth Road Bridge - an eight thousand, two hundred and forty two foot long by one hundred and forty five feet high, suspension bridge - which was opened in September 1964 and links the capital city of Edinburgh with the town of Fife. Another bridge of note situated on the estuary is the Clackmannanshire Bridge, which links Fife with Falkirk, which is an impressive one point two kilometer long, concrete road bridge, which was built in 2008.

The Firth of Forth is also the location of twelve islands, most of which are either national nature reserves or RSPB reserves. The most interesting of these islands are Inchmickery, with it's jetty and second world war structures, Inchcolm, the only one of the islands which is accessible, and is famous for it's Augustine Abbey and the Isle of May, which is home to two lighthouses, one which is an impressive Gothic building which was constructed by Robert Stevenson in 1816 and another built in 1843 which is now used as a bird observatory.

For more information about River Forth tours visit - www.forthtours.com.

WALES

The Principality of Wales's capital city is Cardiff, situated in the south of the country.

Cardiff lies along the banks of two rivers, the twenty four mile long River Ely and the forty mile long River Taff.

The River Ely starts life on the eastern slopes of Mynydd Penygraig in Rhonda Fawr and flows south eastwards towards it's estuary at Penarth Marina in Cardiff Bay situated in the Bristol Channel.

The River Ely flows through the Welsh towns of Llantrisant, Pontyclun, Ely and Penarth on it's way to Cardiff Bay.

The river has several small tributaries, the largest of which is the forty two mile long, Afon Clun.

The River Taff originally rises as two rivers - the Taf Fechan and the Taf Fawr - below Corn Du in the Brecon Beacons National Park. The two rivers join at Cefn - Coed - y - Cymmer near Merthyr Tydfil becoming the River Taff, before flowing southwards towards it's estuary at Cardiff Bay, which it also shares with the River Severn and several other rivers, situated in the Bristol Channel.

The river also passes through the Welsh towns of Merthyr Tydfil and Pontypridd before arriving in Cardiff.

The river has several small tributaries, some small waterfalls and rock formations.

There is a ferry service across the River Taff within the environs of the City of Cardiff, for more details about this service visit - www.cardiffaquabus.com

The Rivers Ely and Taff form a five hundred acre freshwater lake on Cardiff Bay, which has become the site of the Cardiff Bay Barrage, Cardiff Docks and and a wetlands reserve. The area around Cardiff Bay has been extensively redeveloped in recent years and is now the home to several commercial ventures, including a retail park, a sports village, the city's Pierhead, the National Assembly buildings, the Welsh National Opera House, Mermaid Quay and a popular visitor centre.

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