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River Skirfare

Summary

River Skirfare is a small river in North Yorkshire, England, that flows through Littondale and ends where it joins the larger River Wharfe. The source is the confluence of Foxup Beck and Cosh Beck at the hamlet of Foxup.

River Skirfare
River Skirfare
Location
CountryEngland
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationConfluence of Foxup Beck and Cosh Beck
 • coordinates54°11′11″N 2°11′49″W / 54.186503°N 2.197014°W / 54.186503; -2.197014
 • elevation1,470 ft (450 m)
Mouth 
 • location
River Wharfe
 • coordinates
54°07′09″N 2°02′10″W / 54.119264°N 2.035975°W / 54.119264; -2.035975
 • elevation
636 ft (194 m)
Length9.47 miles (15.24 km)
Basin features
EA waterbody IDsGB104027069250
GB104027069230
GB104027064180

The name is of Old Norse origin, from skírr "bright" or "clear" and far "river-course".[1]

Course edit

The source of the river is the confluence of Foxup Beck and Cosh Beck at the hamlet of Foxup, some 1,470 feet (450 m) above sea level.[2][3] To the east bank lays Hawkswick Moor and on the west bank lays Darnbrook Fell, Hawkswick Clowder and Pen-y-ghent Fell. The river meanders consistently south-east for approximately 9.5 miles (15.3 km) to the confluence with the River Wharfe.[4]

The river drains a catchment area of 20.27 square miles (52.51 km2).[5][6][7] The upper reach of the river above the hamlet of Litton is known to dry up in the summer months with the water flowing underground.[8] It is known that there are huge caverns underneath Littondale where the water sinks, but it reappears south of Arncliffe.[9] Outside of summer, the normal range of the water can be up to 1 foot 11 inches (0.58 m), however, the highest level recorded is of 9 feet 2 inches (2.79 m), at Skirfare Bridge on 20 February 2022.[10] The water seeping underground is what Marie Hartley and Joan Ingilby state is the reason that saved the valley of Littondale from becoming a huge reservoir.[11] Leeds council considered taking the waters from the river in the 1850s, which they labelled as the "Skirfare Scheme."[12]

Flora and fauna edit

Trout and bullhead are known to be in the river and its tributaries. Trout use many of the smaller side streams as nurseries for their fry.[13] Signal crayfish are known to have inhabited the Upper Wharfe and the Skirfare riverine system. Imported signal crayfish were kept in a trout farm on the Wharfe in 1983, and it is thought they have got into the river system from there.[14] Historically, the lady's slipper orchid used to grow along the banks of the River Skirfare (examples were noted in the 1930s), however, they now only grow in one site in the Yorkshire Dales.[15][16]

Literary connections edit

The valley of Littondale was also previously known as Amerdale, and in his poem The White Doe of Rylstone, Wordsworth refers to the "..deep fork at Amerdale..". In the Water-Babies by Charles Kingsley, Littondale and the Skirfare are referred to as Vendale.[17]

Lists edit

Tributaries edit

From the source of the river:

  • Halton Gill Beck
  • Newshot Gill
  • Hesleden Beck[18]
  • Potts Beck
  • Fosse Beck
  • Cowside Beck[19]
  • Cote Gill[20]
  • Sleets Gill Beck[20]
  • Moss Beck

Settlements edit

From the source of the river:

(valley called Littondale)[21]

Crossings edit

 
River Skirfare in a dry state

From the source of the river:

  • Foxup Bridge
  • Halton Gill Bridge
  • Unnamed bridge to Nether Hesleden[11]
  • Fording point
  • New Bridge on farm track[27]
  • Footbridge near Litton
  • Fording point south of Litton
  • Arncliffe Bridge[28]
  • Footbridge north of Hawkswick
  • Hawkswick Bridge[29]
  • Skirfare Bridge on B6160[30]

Gallery edit

Along the River Skirfare
  •  
    River Skirfare passing through Halton Gill
  •  
    Litton walking sign on Halton Gill Bridge
  •  
    Ford, River Skirfare near Litton
  •  
    River erosion near Arncliffe, Littondale, Yorkshire Dales
  •  
    Footbridge on Old Gang Lane, Hawkswick
  •  
    Skirfare Bridge near confluence with River Wharfe

References edit

  1. ^ Smith, A. H. (1962). The Place-names of the West Riding of Yorkshire. Vol. 7. Cambridge University Press. p. 138.
  2. ^ Grey 2020, p. 2.
  3. ^ Bradley, Tom (1979) [1893]. Yorkshire Anglers Guide: A Guide to the Whole of the Fishing on the Yorkshire Rivers. Olicana Books. p. 92. ISBN 0903116049.
  4. ^ Chrystal 2017, p. 101.
  5. ^ "Skirfare from Source to Heselden Beck | Catchment Data Explorer | Catchment Data Explorer". environment.data.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  6. ^ "Skirfare from Heselden Beck to Cowside Beck | Catchment Data Explorer | Catchment Data Explorer". environment.data.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  7. ^ "Skirfare from Cowside Beck to River Wharfe | Catchment Data Explorer | Catchment Data Explorer". environment.data.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  8. ^ "Littondale : Yorkshire Dales National Park". yorkshiredales.org.uk. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  9. ^ Pritchard, Jonathan (16 June 2023). "Pictures show how river in Yorkshire has dried up as warm weather continues into the weekend". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  10. ^ "River Skirfare level at Skirfare Bridge - GOV.UK". check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  11. ^ a b Hartley & Ingilby 1991, p. 51.
  12. ^ "Leeds Town Council". The Leeds Intelligencer and Yorkshire General Advertiser. No. 5201. 19 November 1853. p. 10. OCLC 17722490.
  13. ^ Grey 2020, p. 6.
  14. ^ Lee, John Anthony (2015). Yorkshire Dales. London: Collins. p. 243. ISBN 9780007503698.
  15. ^ "Other Orchids of the Dales : Yorkshire Dales National Park". www.yorkshiredales.org.uk. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  16. ^ "The Lady's Slipper". The Times. No. 51, 989. 1 May 1951. p. 5. ISSN 0140-0460.
  17. ^ Venture, Bona (29 July 1939). "Weekend adventure". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. No. 23, 061. p. 3. ISSN 0962-1644.
  18. ^ Hartley & Ingilby 1991, p. 47.
  19. ^ Lee, John Anthony (2015). Yorkshire Dales. London: Collins. p. 235. ISBN 9780007503698.
  20. ^ a b Gilbert, O. S. (2006). The ecology of Cowside Beck : a tributary of the river Skirfare in the Malham area of Yorkshire. Settle: Field Studies Council. p. 12. ISBN 9781851532186.
  21. ^ Chrystal 2017, p. 103.
  22. ^ Chrystal 2017, p. 35.
  23. ^ Chrystal 2017, p. 40.
  24. ^ Chrystal 2017, p. 55.
  25. ^ Chrystal 2017, p. 13.
  26. ^ Chrystal 2017, p. 42.
  27. ^ Historic England. "New Bridge (Grade II) (1132159)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  28. ^ Historic England. "Arncliffe Bridge over River Skirfare (Grade II) (1316768)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  29. ^ Historic England. "Hawkswick Bridge (Grade II) (1173548)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  30. ^ Historic England. "Skirfare Bridge (Grade II) (1296279)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 26 December 2023.

Sources edit

  • Chrystal, Paul (2017). The Place Names of Yorkshire; Cities, Towns, Villages, Rivers and Dales, some Pubs too, in Praise of Yorkshire Ales (1 ed.). Catrine: Stenlake. ISBN 9781840337532.
  • Grey, Jonathan (2020). Project Proposal Amerdale Estate, River Skirfare & Cosh Beck September 2020 (PDF). wildtrout.org (Report). Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  • Hartley, Marie; Ingilby, Joan (1991) [1956]. The Yorkshire Dales. Otley: Smith Settle. ISBN 1-870071-72-7.
 
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