The River Irt is a river in the county of Cumbria

Cumbria

Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...

 in northern 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...

. It flows from the south-western end of Wast Water

Wast Water

Wast Water or Wastwater is a lake located in Wasdale, a valley in the western part of the Lake District National Park, England. The lake is approximately 4.6 kilometres long and 600 metres wide. It is the deepest lake in England at 79 metres , and is owned by the National Trust...

, the deepest lake in 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...

, leaving the lake at the foot of Whin Rigg

Whin Rigg

Whin Rigg is a fell is the English Lake District, situated in the western segment of the national park, 22 kilometres south east of the town of Whitehaven...

, the southern peak of the famous Wastwater Screes.

On its short journey to the coast, the Irt is crossed by the Cumbria Coastal Way

Cumbria Coastal Way

The Cumbria Coastal Way is a long distance footpath allowing users to travel from Cumbria's southern border to just north of the English - Scottish border. It follows some interesting scenery such as the red sandstone cliffs of St...

 long distance footpath, at Drigg

Drigg

Drigg is a village situated in the civil parish of Drigg and Carleton on the West Cumbria coast of the Irish Sea and on the boundary of the Lake District National Park in the county of Cumbria, England....

 Holme packhorse bridge

Packhorse bridge

A packhorse bridge is a bridge intended to carry packhorses across a river or stream. Typically a packhorse bridge consists of one or more narrow masonry arches, and has low parapets so as not to interfere with the horse's panniers.Packhorse bridges were often built on the trade routes that...

. The Irt flows through the Drigg Dunes and Irt Estuary Nature Reserve before joining the River Esk

River Esk, Cumbria

The River Esk is a river in the Lake District in Cumbria, England. It is one of two River Esks in Cumbria, and not to be confused with the River Esk which flows on the Scottish side of the border....

 and River Mite

River Mite

The River Mite is a river in the county of Cumbria in northern England.The valley through which the river Mite runs is called Miterdale. The name Mite is thought to be of British origin and related to a root such as 'meigh': to urinate or dribble, possibly a wry reflection of the relatively minor...

 at Ravenglass

Ravenglass

Ravenglass is a small coastal village and natural harbour in Cumbria, England. It is the only coastal town within the Lake District National Park...

.

In the 19th Century the River Irt was famous for the extremely rare black pearls that grew in its fresh-water mussels. Poaching of the pearls is thought to have led to the mussels becoming extinct in the River Irt.

Tributaries

• Greathall Beck
• Cinderdale Beck
• Black Beck
• Kid Beck
• River Bleng
  River Bleng
  The River Bleng is a tributary of the River Irt in the county of Cumbria in northern England.The river gives its name to the valley that it flows through which is called Blengdale...