British watershed
The British watershed is the 1,800-mile (2,900 km) drainage divide in Great Britain that separates river systems that flow to the east and south into the North Sea and the English Channel from those that flow to the west and north into the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea. In British English the word "watershed" refers to a drainage divide, the line between drainage basins, while in American English it refers to the drainage basin.[1]
This watershed is self-defining, and is not marked on the ground in any way. Alfred Wainwright explained the concept in his Pennine Way Companion (a guide to the Pennine Way, a walking route along the Pennine Hills in northern England) as follows:
The main watershed of northern England is the line that divides the west-flowing streams (Irish Sea) and the east-flowing streams (North Sea). This watershed is, naturally, the crest of the Pennine Range. It is not an arbitrary or imaginary line; obviously it exists although not marked on maps and not often clearly defined on the ground. It must exist, just as the law of gravity exists – rain falling on the Pennines must run off by pre-destined courses, downhill, and whether ultimately to east or west depends on where it falls. ... A walk ... keeping strictly to the main watershed, would be extremely arduous ... The route of the Pennine Way is kinder. Only rarely does it coincide with the main watershed... before deflecting to the easier flanks.[2]
Line of the watershed
[edit]Although the Scottish watershed has been walked and described by several people, the English section of the British watershed has apparently received less attention. Its northern section, the Pennine watershed, is described and illustrated by Andrew Bibby in his book The Backbone of England.[3] The UK Environment Agency has a website which identifies the catchment areas of the river systems, and can thus be used to trace the watersheds between them.[4] The Foundation for Water Research displayed a map showing the "river basin districts" into which it divided the country, thus illustrating the watershed except in the south west of England which was considered as one district.[5]
Here is a summary of the line of the watershed from north to south.
Scotland
[edit]| Section of watershed | Endpoints and distance in miles | Main summits | Major rivers to the north and west | Major rivers to the south and east |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Flow Country | John o'Groats to Loch Merkland 145 miles (233 km) |
Ben Hee | Thurso, Naver | Helmsdale |
| The Northwest Highlands | Loch Merkland to the Great Glenn (Loch Oich)
190 miles (306 km) |
40 Munros (from Conival to Sgurr nan Goirechan) | Broom, Carron, Lochy | Oykel, Bran, Beauly, Moriston, Garry |
| The Grampian Mountains | The Great Glen to Drymen 180 miles (290 km) | 10 Munros (from Stob Poite Coire Ardair to Ben Lomond) | Spean, Orchy | Spey, Tummel, Lyon, Earn, Forth |
| The Central Lowlands | Drymen to Shotts
75 miles (121 km) |
Campsie Fells | Clyde | Forth, Tweed |
| The Southern Uplands | Shotts to the Border
155 miles (249km) |
Hart Fell, Ettrick Pen, Peel Fell | Clyde, Annan | Tweed, Tyne |
England
[edit]| Section of watershed | Endpoints and distance | Main summits | Major rivers to the north and west | Major rivers to the south and east |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Pennines | The Border to Settle
150 miles (241 km) |
Cross Fell, High Seat, Pen-y-Ghent | Eden, Lune, Ribble, Mersey | Tyne, Tees, Ure, Trent |
| The Peak District | Settle to Buxton
130 miles (209 km) |
Bleaklow, Kinder Plateau | Goyt, Tame | Derwent, Dove |
| The Midlands | Buxton to Daventry
210 miles (338 km) |
The Roaches | Severn, Avon, Stour | Trent, Nene, Welland |
| The Northamptonshire Uplands and Cotswolds | Daventry to Swindon
130 miles (209 km) |
Cleeve Hill | Severn, Avon, Churn | Swere, Windrush, Colne, Thames |
| Wessex | Swindon to Exmoor
190 miles (306 km) |
Salisbury Plain, Dunkery Beacon | Parrett, Tone | Wylye, Culm |
| The Southwest | Exmoor to Land's End
240 miles (386 km) |
Dartmoor, Bodmin Moor | Taw, Torridge, Camel, Hayle | Exe, Tamar, Fowey, Fal |
Walking the watershed
[edit]There are a number of possible termini for the complete British watershed, but most people who attempt the end-to-end journey (by whatever means) travel from Land's End to John o' Groats or vice versa.[6]
The only way to complete a journey along the watershed is on foot. Two people are known to have completed it:
- Mike Allen walked a route from Land's End to Cape Wrath, in numerous mainly short sections, April 1988 – October 1994. The working title for this achievement was "Mike's Silly Walk", but it was never written up before his death.[7]
- Malcolm Wylie completed a 130-day traverse of the UK on a slightly different route, from John o'Groats to Land's End in 14 sections between 1996 and 2009, covering 1800 miles. This is described in his book Walking the British Watershed.[8][9][10]
References
[edit]- ^ Quinion, Michael (9 October 1999). "Watershed: Origin and Meaning of This Dividing Line Word". www.worldwidewords.org. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
- ^ Wainwright, Alfred (1968). Pennine Way Companion. Kendal: Westmorland Gazette. p. iv.
- ^ Bibby, Andrew (2008). The Backbone of England. Frances Lincoln. ISBN 978-0-7112-2825-2.
- ^ Environment Agency. "Explore catchment data".
- ^ "River Basin Districts". fwrinformationcentre.co.uk. Archived from the original on 15 January 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ^ "Land's End - John o'Groats Association website".
- ^ Smith, Bob (24 April 2011). "Scottish watershed walks spark debate". Grough. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
The late Mike Allen did the whole UK route, in numerous chunks, from Land's End to Cape Wrath, April 1988–October 1994.
- ^ Wylie, Malcolm (2025). Walking the British Watershed. Brown Dog Books. ISBN 978-1-83952-989-4.
- ^ Falconer, Ken (April 2026). "Book Reviews - Walking the British Watershed". Strider (journal of the LDWA - Long Distance Walkers Association). April 2026 (April 2026): 58.
- ^ "Walking the British Watershed: John o'Groats to Land's End without crossing flowing water: by Malcolm Wylie (1967)". Trinity Hall Cambridge: News: Editor's choice. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
Further reading
[edit]- Lewin, John (2018). British Rivers. Routledge. ISBN 9781032735825.
External links
[edit]- West Midlands Watershed: video and blog about a 30-mile section of watershed through Wolverhampton and Dudley
- The British Watershed Line, a photographic book by Jason Bascombe, taking a watershed line which terminates on the Sussex coast. Preview available online