Artle Beck
Encyclopedia
Artle Beck is a minor river
of Lancashire
.
Rising at the confluence
of Udale Beck and Foxdale Beck below Fosdale Bridge and Udale Bridge near Crossgill, Artle Beck flows northwest through steep-sided woodland
, passing beneath Raven Scar on its way to Gresgarth Hall.
From there, the beck
continues north, skirting around the village
of Caton
before meeting the River Lune
opposite Halton Park.
The beck is dammed at Gresgarth Hall and feeds a mill leat
which runs separately through Caton. Two of the (originally three) mills are still standing but have been converted for other uses. The leat empties separately into the Lune at Low Mill about half a mile downstream from the mouth of Artle Beck itself.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
.
Rising at the confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of Udale Beck and Foxdale Beck below Fosdale Bridge and Udale Bridge near Crossgill, Artle Beck flows northwest through steep-sided woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
, passing beneath Raven Scar on its way to Gresgarth Hall.
From there, the beck
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
continues north, skirting around the village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of Caton
Caton, Lancashire
The civil parish of Caton with Littledale is situated in Lancashire, England near the River Lune. The parish lies within the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and contains the villages of Caton, Brookhouse, Caton Green, Littledale and Townend.-History:The original settlement of...
before meeting the River Lune
River Lune
The River Lune is a river in Cumbria and Lancashire, England.It is formed at Wath, in the parish of Ravenstonedale, Cumbria, at the confluence of Sandwath Beck and Weasdale Beck...
opposite Halton Park.
The beck is dammed at Gresgarth Hall and feeds a mill leat
Leat
A leat is the name, common in the south and west of England and in Wales, for an artificial watercourse or aqueduct dug into the ground, especially one supplying water to a watermill or its mill pond...
which runs separately through Caton. Two of the (originally three) mills are still standing but have been converted for other uses. The leat empties separately into the Lune at Low Mill about half a mile downstream from the mouth of Artle Beck itself.
Tributaries
- Foxdale Beck commences at Foxdale Head at High Stephen's Head and flows northwest, being joined by Rushbed Gutter and Whitespout Gutter, draining the north side of Ward's Stone. The beck continues through Littledale, passing Littledale HallLittledale HallLittledale Hall is a former country house in the civil parish of Caton with Littledale in Lancashire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building. It dates from 1849 and, in the absence of documentary evidence, its design has been attributed on stylistic...
, where it is joined by Ragill Beck (flowing down from Haylot Fell and fed by Closegill Beck), before continuing through Crossgill (and fed by Crossgill Beck), beneath which it passes under Fosdale Bridge to meet Udale Beck. - Udale Beck rises on the Black Side of Ward's Stone, flowing north-by-northwest towards Blanch Fell, before moving northwest and picking up several tributariesTributaryA tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
, including Oval Syke, which emerges from a tarnTarn (lake)A tarn is a mountain lake or pool, formed in a cirque excavated by a glacier. A moraine may form a natural dam below a tarn. A corrie may be called a cirque.The word is derived from the Old Norse word tjörn meaning pond...
high on Clougha. Continuing down Littledale, the beck is joined by Bellhill Clough near a ford and Sweet Beck. From there, Udale Beck travels northwards through woodland and under Udale Bridge, below which it joins Foxdale Beck.