River Don

Mouth: Jarrow, South Tyneside

Source: Springwell, City of Sunderland

Length: 15.367km [1]

Catchment Area: 42.669km² [1][2]

Tributary Of: River Tyne

Etymology: Probable shared root with River Don, South Yorkshire, with Brittonic dānā, meaning river, and linking to the Goddess Danu of the same etymology.

Islands: 1

Region:

• North East

Counties:

• Tyne and Wear (Ceremonial)

• County Durham (Historical)

Quick Trivia

• The River Don forms part of the Gateshead-Sunderland border.

• River Don seems to have a culverted tributary called the Station Burn. [3;S3]

• River Don has two separating streams at the mouth, the shorter stream is the original stream that flowed into the Tyne, meaning the current mouth is manmade and altered. [3;S23]

• Jarrow Bridge had an incident in 1921 with an explosion. [4]

Image taken 12th October 2025.

Depicts Jarrow Bridge on the River Don at Jarrow.

River Don rises at Springwell, where it flows by Leam Lane and briefly culverts under the A195, and continues, flowing by West Boldon and turning northward. By the Brockley Whins METRO Station, its channel widens and culverts underneath the Tracks and re-emerges after, before culverting straight after under the A19 and re-emerging. River Don flows by Monkton, to where its tributary Monkton Burn flows into the Don, and the Bede's Burn flows into the River Don. It flows east into Jarrow and into the estuary, before flowing into the River Tyne at its mouth.

Course (Mouth to Source)

• Jarrow Bridge

• Bede's Burn

• Monkton Burn

• Calfclose Burn

• Usworth Burn [8]

• Whittle Burn

Overall Rating

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5)