River Blackwater (River Loddon)

This article is about the tributary of the Loddon. For the tributary of the Test, see River Blackwater (River Test).

Blackwater (Loddon)
River
River Blackwater at Eversley bridge
Country	England
Counties	Hampshire, Surrey, Berkshire

Tributaries
- left	River Whitewater


Source
- location	Rowhill, Aldershot, Hampshire
- elevation	135 m (443 ft)
Mouth	River Loddon

Length	27 km (17 mi)
Discharge	for Swallowfield ^[1]
- average	3.07 m³/s (108 cu ft/s)
- max	42.3 m³/s (1,494 cu ft/s) (17 September 1968)
- min	0.48 m³/s (17 cu ft/s) (17 August 1953)
Discharge elsewhere (average)
- Farnborough	0.52 m³/s (18 cu ft/s)

The River Blackwater is a tributary of the River Loddon in England and, indirectly, of the River Thames. It rises at Rowhill on the outskirts of Aldershot between Aldershot in Hampshire and Farnham in Surrey and runs northwards to join the Loddon near the village of Swallowfield in Berkshire. Along part of its length, the river forms the boundary between Hampshire and Surrey, and then between Hampshire and Berkshire. It rises in Rowhill Nature Reserve, Aldershot Rowhill, an isolated remnant of the extensive heathland that once surrounded Farnborough and Aldershot. After 20 miles (32 km) the Blackwater is joined by the River Whitewater near Eversley. The river gives its name to the small town of Blackwater, Hampshire, upon the river near Camberley.

Blackwater Valley

The River Blackwater runs down the centre of the Blackwater Valley, which is maintained as an open space along the borders of the counties of Berkshire, Hampshire and Surrey. It runs for approximately 30 km, from the source of the River Blackwater at Rowhill Nature Reserve near Aldershot in the south, northwards to Swallowfield where the river joins the River Whitewater and then the Loddon. The Loddon eventually flows into the River Thames near Reading.

The Source Of The River Blackwater at Rowhill

Although surrounded by urban development the Valley provides an important green corridor for local residents. As well as the Blackwater Valley Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a small part of the Basingstoke Canal SSSI, three nature reserves within the Valley catchment and many other areas have been recognised for their ecological importance. The local planning authorities covering the Valley have designated 31 other areas as ‘Wildlife Sites’. As a result of an improvement programme, wildlife is returning, including the Otter which has been absent for over 40 years, fishing stocks are improving and the construction of the long distance riverside path has opened up much of the riverbank.

A cycle route runs alongside the River Blackwater for most of its length. There is a running club named Blackwater Valley Runners who run there regularly.

Ash Aqueduct

The Basingstoke Canal runs east west from the Greywell Tunnel at Greywell to the River Wey. It crosses the Blackwater Valley on an embankment. The River Blackwater used to flow under the embankment in a culvert. Following the construction of the relief road, the Basingstoke Canal now crosses the River Blackwater via the spectacular Ash Aqueduct. Bats that used to roost in the culvert now live in a purpose-built bat house on a nearby island. The new aqueduct affords views of the surrounding countryside. In the distance to the south is the Hog's Back. This is where the North Downs narrows. It runs between Farnham and Guildford.

References

↑ Marsh, T; Hannaford, J, eds. (2008). UK Hydrometric Register (PDF). Hydrological data UK series. Wallingford, Oxfordshire: Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. ISBN 978-0-9557672-2-7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 March 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to River Blackwater (River Loddon).

Blackwater Valley runners - Running club that runs the BlackWater Valley path

Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Berkshire

Aldermaston Gravel Pits Ashridge Wood Avery's Pightle Bisham Woods Blackwater Valley Bowdown and Chamberhouse Woods Boxford Chalk Pit Boxford Water Meadows Bray Meadows Bray Pennyroyal Field Briff Lane Meadows Brimpton Pit Broadmoor to Bagshot Woods and Heaths Cannoncourt Farm Pit Catmore and Winterly Copses Chawridge Bourne Chilton Foliat Meadows Cleeve Hill Cock Marsh Cold Ash Quarry Combe Wood, Frilsham Croker's Hole Decoy Pit, Pools and Woods Easton Farm Meadow Enborne Copse Englemere Pond Fognam Chalk Quarry Freeman's Marsh Great Thrift Wood Greenham and Crookham Commons Hampstead Marshall Pit Heath Lake Hog's Hole Holies Down Inkpen and Walbury Hills Inkpen Common Inkpen Crocus Fields Irish Hill Copse Kennet and Lambourn Floodplain Kennet Valley Alderwoods King's Copse Lardon Chase Lodge Wood and Sandford Mill Longmoor Bog Old Copse, Beenham Parkfarm Down Pincent's Kiln Redhill Wood River Kennet River Lambourn Sandhurst to Owlsmoor Bogs and Heaths Seven Barrows Snelsmore Common Stanford End Mill and River Loddon Streatley Warren Sulham and Tidmarsh Woods and Meadows Swinley Park and Brick Pits Thatcham Reed Beds Wasing Wood Ponds Wellington College Bog West Woodhay Down West's Meadow, Aldermaston Westfield Farm Chalk Bank White Shute Windsor Forest and Great Park Winterbourne Chalk Pit Woolhampton Reed Bed Wraysbury and Hythe End Gravel Pits Wraysbury No 1 Gravel Pit Wykery Copse

Neighbouring areas Buckinghamshire Hampshire London Oxfordshire Surrey Wiltshire

Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Hampshire

Basingstoke Canal Beacon Hill, Warnford Blackwater Valley Boulsbury Wood Bourley and Long Valley Burghclere Beacon Butser Hill Catherington Down Cheesefoot Head Chichester Harbour Dibden Bay Ebblake Bog Fleet Pond Foxlease And Ancells Meadows Galley Down Wood Greywell Tunnel Hurst Castle And Lymington River Estuary Itchen Navigation Ladle Hill Langstone Harbour Lymington River Lymington River Reedbeds Mottisfont Bats New Forest Noar Hill Old Burghclere Lime Quarry Old Winchester Hill Pamber Forest and Silchester Common Portsmouth Harbour River Avon System River Itchen River Test Selborne Common Southampton Common Sowley Pond St. Catherine's Hill Trodds Copse Woolmer Forest

Neighbouring areas Berkshire Dorset Isle of Wight Surrey West Sussex Wiltshire

Hydrology of Hampshire

Main rivers	River Alre River Anton Avon Water River Avon Bartley Water Beaulieu River River Blackwater (River Loddon) River Blackwater (River Test) Bourne Rivulet Candover Brook Cove Brook Dark Water (river) River Dever River Dun (River Test) River Ems (Chichester Harbour) River Hamble River Itchen, Hampshire Kingsley Stream River Loddon Lymington River River Meon Monks Brook Oakhanger Stream Oxney Stream River Rother, West Sussex River Test River Wallington River Wey River Whitewater

Canals and Navigations	Andover Canal Basingstoke Canal Itchen Navigation Portsmouth and Arundel Canal Salisbury and Southampton Canal Titchfield Canal

Ordinary watercourses	Bentworth Stream West End Brook

Lakes, ponds and wetlands	Chessel Bay Eyeworth Pond Fleet Pond Keyhaven, Pennington, Oxey and Normandy Marshes Farlington Marshes Lakeside Country Park Manor Farm duck pond Testwood Lakes Waggoners Wells

Coast	Chichester Harbour Langstone Harbour Portsmouth Harbour Solent Southampton Water

Categories: Rivers, Canals

Coordinates: 51°23′06″N 0°57′29″W / 51.385°N 0.958°W / 51.385; -0.958

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, January 12, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.

River Blackwater (River Loddon)

Blackwater Valley

Ash Aqueduct

See also

References

External links