River Ure

The earliest recorded name of the river is Earp in about 1025, probably an error for Ear ƿ, where ƿ represents the Old English letter wynn or 'w', standing for ƿæter ("water").[1] By 1140 it is recorded as Jor, hence Jervaulx (Jorvale) Abbey, and a little later as Yore. In Tudor times, antiquarians John Leland and William Camden used the modern form of the name.[2]

The name probably means "the strong or swift river".[3] This is on the assumption that the Brittonic name of the river was Isurā, because the Roman name for Aldborough was Isurium; intervocalic s is known to have been lost in Brittonic at an early date. This explanation connects the river name with an Indo-European root is- meaning "strong" and the names of the Isar in Germany and the Isère in France.[1]

River Ure
Ure Head (Source) Fording Point Green Bridge (foot) Ure Crook How Beck Bridge Footbridge Tongue Gill Grass Gill Scars Gill Fording Point Keld Gill Blades Footbridge Unnamed road Johnston Gill South Lunds Sike Ure Force Unnamed road Lunds Gill Thorn Tarn gill Scothole Gill Thwaite Bridge Carr Gill  A684  Mossdale Beck Footbridge Cottersdale Beck  A684  New Bridge Widdale Beck Hardraw Beck Thorne Sike Footbridge Gayle Beck Haylands Bridge Hawes Footbridge Blackburn Sike Eller Beck Nicholl Gill Raygill Sike Yore Bridge Bainbridge Grays Beck River Bain Paddock Beck West Mawks Sike Worton Bridge Worton Newbiggin Beck Footbridge Craike Sike Gutter Sister Ings Beck Starra Beck Wanley Beck Gill Beck Footbridge Eller Beck Footbridge Mill Race Low Beck Aysgarth Falls Yore Bridge Bishopdale/Walden Becks Kendall Beck Belden Beck/Swan River Batt Island Mill Beck  A684  Wensley Bridge Wensley Beck  A6108  Middleham Bridge Mill Beck Harmby/Spennithorne Becks Ulshaw Bridge The Batts River Cover Harker Beck Kilgram Bridge Footbridge The Island Markfield Goit  A6108  Masham Bridge Footbridge River Burn Black Robin Beck The Batts  A6108  Tanfield Bridge Mill Batts Light Water The Sike Hutton Mill Deep North Bridge Ripon  A61  Ripon By-pass River Skell  B6265  Hewick Bridge Ripon Canal Bishop Monkton Cutt Scour Gutter Ings Drain The Island Westwick Lock Croft Drain Sleight  A1(M)   A168  Arrows Bridge Borough Bridge Milby Lock River Tutt River Swale Holbecks Beck Closes Drain Footbridge Aldwark Bridge (Toll) Cuddy Shaw Reach River Ouse

The source of the river is Ure Head on Abbotside Common, where it flows west-southwest to the valley floor and then turns south. Where it reaches the A684, it turns east along Wensleydale as far as Wensley. From here, it flows south-east to Jervaulx Abbey and shortly after south to Mickley. Here, it returns east and then south to Ripon. A little way after Ripon, it flows east again to Boroughbridge.

To the east of Boroughbridge, the Ure is joined by the River Swale. About 6 miles (9.7 km) downstream of this confluence, at Cuddy Shaw Reach near Linton-on-Ouse, the river name changes to the River Ouse.

Upper Wensleydale is a high, open, and remote, U-shaped valley overlying Yoredale Beds. The gradient is gentle to the north end of the valley, becoming steeper further south. Glacial drumlins lie either side of the river, which is shallow but fast flowing. The river is fed from many gills cutting through woodland and predominantly sheep farmsteads. The Settle to Carlisle railway runs along the western side of the valley here.

Mid Wensleydale is made of Great Scar limestone under Yoredale beds that make up the valley sides, which are marked with stepped limestone scars. The valley floor is made from glacial drift tails and moraine. The river here is broad and gently flowing in meanders in a stony channel. The four tributary valleys contribute to several waterfalls in this area.

Lower Wensleydale is a broader version of mid Wensleydale with the river gently meandering until it drops significantly at Aysgarth over the platformed waterfalls. The valley sides become increasingly wooded.

From Middleham onwards, the river is a typical middle-aged river and meanders in wider arcs as it flows south-east. [5]

The valley has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Examples of earthworks and other artifacts from the Bronze and Iron Ages can be seen in the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes, and the Romans built a fort at Bainbridge. Place names in the valley denote the different types of settlers, such as Angles and Norse with typical suffixes such as "ton" and "sett".

During medieval times, much of the upper dale was sheep country belonging to Middleham Castle and Jervaulx Abbey. In 1751, the Richmond to Lancaster Turnpike was created and originally followed the Roman road from Bainbridge. In 1795, it was diverted along the valley to Hawes and took the Widdale route, now the B6255 to Ingleton.[6]

More recently in 1990, Aysgarth Falls was used as a location in Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves, in the scene where Robin Hood fights Little John.[7] It also featured in the 1992 film of Wuthering Heights[8] and the 1984 TV miniseries, A Woman of Substance.[9]

Farming (including dairying), tourism, and quarrying are the mainstays of the modern economy of the valley. The dairy at Hawes produces Wensleydale cheese. Brewing takes place in Masham at the Black Sheep and Theakston Breweries.

Many waymarked footpaths and open countryside are seen. The Pennine Way passes through Hawes.[6]

The River Ure is navigable upstream as far as its junction with the Ripon Canal, 2 miles (3 km) south-east of Ripon, a distance of 13.6 miles (21.9 km). Some locks are at Milby, where a short-cut bypasses the weir at Boroughbridge, and at Westwick.

Navigation to Swale Nab, at the confluence with the River Swale, was opened in January 1769 as part of the River Ouse Navigation.[10] Navigation to the Ripon Canal was opened in January 1772.[11]

The Leeds and Thirsk Railway bought the navigation in January 1846.[12] The navigation was neglected, and the lack of dredging resulted in boats having to be loaded with less cargo. A brief upturn in trade occurred in the 1860s, but the decline continued after that. By 1892, no traffic proceeded past Boroughbridge, and the North Eastern Railway took action to prevent the waterway above Boroughbridge from being used.[12]

Until 1999, the navigation authority to Swale Nab was the Linton Lock Navigation Commissioners. The commissioners had insufficient income to maintain the navigation, and in 1999, it was transferred to British Waterways.[13] The navigation authority for the whole navigation is now the Canal & River Trust.

The differing habitats of the area have their own populations of flora such as cranesbill, bistort, pignut, and buttercup. Other species that can be seen in the area are wood anemones, violets, primroses, purple orchids, cowslips, and herb paris. Some plants, such as spring sandwort, have managed to grow where lead mining took place. Large populations of badgers, roe deer, red foxes and rabbits occur in the valley. Among the variety of birds that can be seen in the valley are golden plovers, curlews, and oystercatchers.[6] Fish populations along the river include[14] brown trout, grayling, barbel, chub, roach, and perch.

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  The River Ure near its source
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  River Ure west of Hawes
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  The River Ure near Worton Bridge
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  River Ure near Aysgarth with Batt Island in view
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  The River Ure at Hackfall Gorge near Mickley
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  River Ure near West Tanfield
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  Bridge over River Ure near Ripon
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  River Ure, Roecliffe
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  B6265 Hewick Bridge over River Ure
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  River Ure taken from Arrows Bridge