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River Parrett
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The River Parrett has its source in the springs in the hills around Chedington in Dorset in England and flows west through the Somerset Levels to its mouth in the Bristol Channel at Burnham on Sea a town on the edge of Bridgwater Bay, an important Nature Reserve.
The Parrett is tidal up to Oath Lock. During winter, the Parrett is prone to frequent flooding.
In common with the lower reaches of the
River Severn, the Parrett exhibits a
tidal phenomenon known as the
bore. At certain combinations of the tides, the rising water is funnelled up the river into a wave that travels rapidly upstream against the
river current. The bore is a natural example of a self-reinforcing solitary wave or
soliton.
During January through to May, the Parrett provides a source of eels (Anguilla anguilla) and the young elvers, caught by hand netting - the only legal means of catching them. The 2003 BBC Radio 4 play Glass Eels by Nell Leyshon was set on a river in the Levels, very probably the Parrett.
Historically, the main port on the river was at Bridgwater, although by trans-shipping into barges at the town bridge it was navigable as far as Langport and (via the River Yeo) to Ilchester. After 1827, it was also possible to transfer goods to Taunton via the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal. Nowadays, the wharf at Dunball is the only part of the Port of Bridgwater still handling bulk cargoes, mainly sand and gravel.
Contents
- 1 Tourism
- 2 Linked Waterways
- 3 External links
- 4 See also
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Tourism
The River Parrett Trail[1] (47 miles / 75km) long-distance footpath follows the Parrett from its source to the sea.
The "Langport & River Parrett Visitor Centre"
[2] located at
Langport details local life, history and wildlife.
Linked Waterways
