The River Dove is a river the county of North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, and is a tributary of the River Rye, itself a tributary of the River Derwent

River Derwent, Yorkshire

The Derwent is a river in Yorkshire in the north of England. It is used for water abstraction, leisure and sporting activities and effluent disposal as well as being of significant importance as the site of several nature reserves...

. It is the drainage basin

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

 of the moorland

Moorland

Moorland or moor is a type of habitat, in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, found in upland areas, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils and heavy fog...

 of Farndale

Farndale

Farndale is a valley located in the North York Moors National Park in North Yorkshire, England. The nearest town is Kirkbymoorside located some 5 miles to the south. Pickering is some 13 miles to the south east and Helmsley 12 miles to the south west. Farndale is surrounded by some of the most...

, Stocksdale, Baysdale, Greenhow

Greenhow

Greenhow is a village in North Yorkshire, England, often referred to as Greenhow Hill.The place name how is derived from the Old Norse word haugr meaning a hill and a mound....

 and Westerdale

Westerdale

Westerdale is a village, civil parish and dale within the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire, England. The Esk Valley Walk runs through part of the village.According to the 2001 UK census, Westerdale parish had a population of 175.-The Village:...

. It is formed by the confluence of Blakey Gill and West Gill Beck. The name is derived from the Scottish Gaelic dubh meaning black or dark.

Course

The river flows through Farndale

Farndale

Farndale is a valley located in the North York Moors National Park in North Yorkshire, England. The nearest town is Kirkbymoorside located some 5 miles to the south. Pickering is some 13 miles to the south east and Helmsley 12 miles to the south west. Farndale is surrounded by some of the most...

 south east past several small settlements to Church Houses. Here it turns south and continues meandering past Low Mill to Lowna. At Gillamoor

Gillamoor

Gillamoor is a village and civil parish in the Ryedaledistrict of the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated about three miles north of Kirkbymoorside on the edge of the North York Moors National Park. It is an attractive stone-built village typical of the area.Gillamoor is well-known...

 it heads south east again past Hutton-le-Hole

Hutton-le-Hole

Hutton-le-Hole is a very small village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England, about seven miles north west of Pickering. Hutton-le-Hole is a honeypot village...

 before returning southwards past Ravenswick and to the east of Kirkbymoorside

Kirkbymoorside

Kirkbymoorside is a small market town and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England which lies approximately 25 miles north of York midway between Pickering and Helmsley, and has a population of approximately 3,000.-History:...

. It continues past Keldholme and Kikrby Mills to Great Edstone

Great Edstone

Great Edstone is a small village located in the North York Moors, about north of York. It sits on an isolated hill close to the River Dove. It remains a traditional farming village which has existed since the reign of William of Normanby in the eleventh century. back then it had a school, a...

. From there it flows south south east to where it joins the River Rye

River Rye, Yorkshire

The River Rye is a river in the English county of North Yorkshire. It rises just south of the Cleveland Hills, east of Osmotherley, and flows through Hawnby, Rievaulx, Helmsley, Nunnington, West and East Ness, Butterwick, Brawby, and Ryton, before joining the River Derwent at near Malton.On some...

 in the Vale of Pickering

Vale of Pickering

The Vale of Pickering is a low-lying flat area of land in North Yorkshire, England. It is drained by the River Derwent. The landscape is rural with scattered villages and small market towns. It has been inhabited continuously from the Mesolithic period...

 near the village of Salton

Salton, North Yorkshire

Salton is a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England,...

.

The Environment Agency have a gauging station at Kirby Mills where the average low river level is 0.2 metre (0.656167979002625 ft) and the high river level 0.52 metres (1.7 ft) with a record high level of 2.45 metres (8 ft). The record high level shows the river can be susceptible to flooding.

Geography

Both the River Dove and Hodge Beck are partly swallowed by the local limestone

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....

 aquifer

Aquifer

An aquifer is a wet underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. The study of water flow in aquifers and the characterization of aquifers is called hydrogeology...

 and issue again further down the valley. During summer months the bed of Hodge Beck often runs dry. The soil in the valley floor is loam over clay. The bedrock is Jurassic

Jurassic

The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to  Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...

 limestone with some sandstone.

Leisure

Between Church Houses and Low Mill in Farndale, the River Dove is popular with walkers due to its picturesque setting. The banks of the river are known for their wild daffodils which are rumoured to have been planted by monks from nearby Rievaulx Abbey

Rievaulx Abbey

Rievaulx Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey headed by the Abbot of Rievaulx. It is located in Rievaulx , near Helmsley in North Yorkshire, England.It was one of the wealthiest abbeys in England and was dissolved by Henry VIII of England in 1538...

. Along this part of the valley is The Farndale Daffodil Walk, an 11.4 kilometres (7.1 mi) circular walk starting at Lowna Bridge.

Tributaries

• Middle Heads
• Gill Beck
• Gill Dike
• Oak Beck
• Low Dike
• Green Slack Dike
• Fish Beck
• West Gill Beck
• Lapa Green Dike
• Yealand Rigg Slack
• Shortsha Beck
• Hodge Beck
• Carr Dike

Settlements

• Church Houses
• Low Mill
• Lowna
• Gillamoor
• Hutton-le-Hole
• Ravenswick
• Kirbymoorside
• Keldholme
• Kirkby Mills
• Great Edstone
• Salton

Crossings

• Thorn Wath Bridge, Church Houses
• Mill Bridge (foot)
• Waste Bridge, Low Mill
• Mercer's Bridge (foot)
• Dale End Bridge (foot)
• Birch Hagg Bridge
• Lowna Bridge, Lowna
• Yoadwath Ford
• Unnamed road, Ravenswick
• Keldholme Bridge, Keldholme
• A170, Kirbymoorside
• Unnamed road near Salton

External links