List of rivers of Yorkshire

This is a list of named rivers that flow either wholly or partially within the boundaries of the four ceremonial counties that form Yorkshire. There are twenty five rivers of at least in total. The majority of these waterways lie wholly within the county boundaries, except for; the Ribble, which flows into the Irish Sea at Lytham; the Rother, whose source is located in Derbyshire Peak District; the Greta, which flows into Lancashire to join the River Lune; and the Tees, which flows partly within County Durham and forms some of the boundary with North Yorkshire.
The direction of stream flow in Yorkshire is influenced by the three major drainage divides. The Pennines in the west and south, the North York Moors in the north-east and the Yorkshire Wolds, the coastal range of hills on the east. This represents a large drainage area that mostly flows into the Vale of York and into the North Sea via the Humber estuary. Though an estuary, the Humber is often referred to as a river.
The Humber river system is tidal as far inland as Naburn Lock on the River Ouse, Knottingley on the River Aire and Askern on the River Don. The Humber has the second largest tidal range in the UK at. The largest is the Bristol Channel at nearly double that range.
Source data for the table below came from the National Environment Research Council Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Ordnance Survey, Environment Agency and Google Earth. In the table, total lengths are given in miles and kilometres, and elevations are in feet and metres. River lengths are taken from actual source when wholly within the Yorkshire County boundary, else measured from where the river enters or leaves the county.

List

The use of the term source in this list is taken to mean the point at which the name of the river is first used on Ordnance Survey maps.

Key

River length within county only

Name	Total length	Mouth	Mouth coordinates	Mouth elevation	Source	Source coordinates	Source elevation	Catchment Area
Aire	114 km 71 miles	River Ouse, Yorkshire near Airmyn		3 m 9.8 ft	Malham Tarn		377 m 1,237 ft	856 km² 331 sq miles
Arkle Beck	17 km approx	River Swale at Reeth		177 m	Arkengarthdale Moor		477 m
Ashfold Side Beck	9 km Approx	River Nidd near Pateley Bridge		117 m	Ashfold Gill Head		504 m
Bain	km 2.45 miles	River Ure near Bainbridge		210 m 690 ft	Semer Water		252 m 827 ft	Not available
Barney Beck	6 km approx	River Swale at Healaugh		186 m	Reeth High Moor		451m	Not available
Birkdale Beck	6 km approx	River Swale near Keld		341 m	Beck Meetings		455 m	Not available
Bishopdale Beck	11 km approx	River Ure near Aysgarth		144 m	Dale Head		218 m	Not available
River Burn	13 km approx	River Ure at Masham		70 m	Masham Moor		292 m
Calder	71 km 44 miles	River Aire		14 m 46 ft	Heald Moor, near Todmorden		220 m 720 ft	930 km² 360 sq miles
Colne	km 12.8 miles	River Calder near Bradley		52 m 171 ft	Confluence of Redbrook Clough and Haigh Clough		234 m 768 ft	245 km² 95 sq miles
Cover	22 km 14 miles	River Ure near Middleham		98 m 322 ft	Great Hunters Sleets near Woodale		487 m 1,598 ft	Not available
Crimple	25 km	River Nidd near Wetherby		21 m	Crimple Head Farm		221 m
Dearne	km 32.2 miles	[River River Don, South Yorkshire\|Don, South Yorkshire\|River Don] near Conisbrough		17 m 56 ft	Birdsedge near Denby Dale		319 m 1,047 ft	km² 120 sq miles
[River River Derwent, Yorkshire\|Derwent, Yorkshire\|Derwent]	km 71.5 miles	River Ouse at Barmby on the Marsh		10 m 33 ft	Derwent Head near RAF Fylingdales		260 m 850 ft	km² 631 sq miles
Dibb	km 3.2 miles	River Wharfe near Appletreewick		143 m 469 ft	Grimwith Reservoir		253 m 830 ft	km² 9.8 sq miles
Doe	km 3.68 miles	Confluence with River Twiss at Ingleton		118 m 387 ft	God's Bridge near Chapel-Le-Dale		234 m 768 ft	Not available
Don	km 70.9 miles	River Ouse at Goole		3 m 9.8 ft	Confluence of Great Grains Clough and Black Grough near Winscar Reservoir, Dunford Bridge		416 m 1,365 ft	km² 485 sq miles
Dove, Nth Yorks	km 18.78 miiles	[River River Rye, Yorkshire\|Rye, Yorkshire\|River Rye] near Salton		24 m 79 ft	Farndale Moor, Nth Yorkshire		372 m 1,220 ft	km² 22.9 sq miles
Dove, Sth Yorks	km 4.92 miles	River Dearne near Darfield, South Yorkshire		22 m 72 ft	Worsbrough Reservoir		56 m 184 ft	Not available
Earby Beck		River Aire near Skipton		m	Foulridge		m	Not available
Eastburn Beck		Kellythorpe		14 m	Kirkburn		22 m	Not available
Eller Beck		Beck Hole		59 m	Allerston High Moor		253 m	Not available
Eshton Beck		Gargrave		102 m	Winterburn		149 m	Not available
Esk	45 km 28 miles	North Sea at Whitby		m 0 ft	The Esklets near Westerdale		251 m 823 ft	308 km² 119 sq miles
Ewden Beck		River Don at Wharncliffe Side		106 m	Margery Hill		541 m	Not available
Foss	31 km 19 miles	River Ouse, York		12 m 39 ft	Near Oulston Reservoir, Yearsley		160 m 520 ft	118 km² 46 sq miles
Foulness	km 15.85 mi	Market Weighton Canal		1 m 3 ft	Shiptonthorpe		20 m 66 ft	N/A
Greta	km 4.69 miles	Leaves Yorkshire near Burton-in-Lonsdale		64 m 210 ft	Confluence of River Doe and River Twiss at Ingleton		118 m 387 ft	km² 33.2 sq miles
Hedon Haven/Burstwick Drain		Paull			Elstronwick
Hertford	16 km approx	River Derwent at Binnington Carr		23 m	Hunmanby		49 m
Holme	km 8.61 miles	River Colne at Huddersfield		72 m 236 ft	Holmbridge		188 m 617 ft	km² 37.6 sq miles
How Stean Beck	6 km Approx	River Nidd at Lofthouse		157 m			338 m
Hull	km 29.11 miles	Humber estuary at Kingston upon Hull		0 m 0 ft	Confluence of Driffield Trout Stream and Little Driffield Beck		17 m 56 ft	km² 146 sq miles
Humber	km 38.5 miles	North Sea at Spurn Head		0 m 0 ft	Trent Falls		0 m 0 ft	Not available without Trent Basin
Kyle	km 5.78 miles	River Ouse near Newton-on-Ouse		11 m 36 ft	Confluence of Derrings Beck and Carle Beck near Tholthorpe		m 39 ft	Not available
Laver	15 km 9.3 miles	River Skell near Ripon		33 m 108 ft	Confluence of North Gill Beck and South Gill Beck at Dallowgill		m 560 ft	Not available
Leven	km 28.7 miles	River Tees near Yarm		16 m 52 ft	Kildale Moor, Nth Yorks		279 m 915 ft	km² 75.8 sq miles
Little Don River	14 km approx	River Don near Stocksbridge		132 m	Harden Moor		348 m
Loxley	16 km 9.9 miles	River Don, South Yorkshire at Owlerton		58 m 190 ft	Damflask Reservoir near Stacey Bank		133 m 436 ft	km² 27 sq miles
Nidd	km 59.31 miles	River Ouse, Yorkshire at Nun Monkton		13 m 43 ft	Nidd Heads on Great Whernside		660 m 2,170 ft	516 km² 199 sq miles
Ouse	84 km 52 miles	Trent Falls		0 m 0 ft	River Ure at Cuddy Shaw Reach		12 m 39 ft	km² 1,280 sq miles
Ribble	km 23.91 miles	County Border near Swinden		117 m 384 ft	Ribble Head		290 m 950 ft	204 km² 79 sq miles
Riccall	km 11.41 miles	River Rye		24 m 79 ft	Confluence of Bonfield Gill and Bogmire Gill near Helmsley		130 m 430 ft	km² 22.2 sq miles
Rivelin	km 4.23 miles	River Loxley		77 m 253 ft	Rivelin Dams near Sheffield		206 m 676 ft	Not available
Rother	km 10.42 miles	River Don at Rotherham		26 m 85 ft	County Boundary at Eckington		47 m 154 ft	km² 136 sq miles
Ryburn	km 7.1 miles	River Calder at Sowerby Bridge		80 m 260 ft	Confluence of unnamed stream and Black Castle Clough near Rishworth		361 m 1,184 ft	13 sq miles
Rye	km 38.2 miles	River Derwent near Malton		19 m 62 ft	Rye Head near Osmotherley		302 m 991 ft	679 km² 262 sq miles
Ryton	km 2.1 miles	County Border with Nottinghamshire		48 m 157 ft	Confluence of Anston Brook and Pudding Dike		71 m 233 ft	77 km² 30 sq miles
Seven	km 21.7 miles	River Rye		m 72 ft	Danby High Moor near Rosedale Abbey		330 m 1,080 ft	km² 47 sq miles
Sheaf	km 6 miles	River Don		53 m 174 ft	Confluence of Oldhay Brook and Totley Brook		143 m 469 ft	km² 19 sq miles
Skell	19 km 12 miles	River Ure near Ripon		23 m 75 ft	Howson Ridge near Wath-in-Nidderdale		m 1150 ft	Not available
Skirfare	km 9.47 miles	River Wharfe		197 m 646 ft	Confluence of Foxup Beck and Cosh Beck		313 m 1,027 ft	Not available
Spen	8 km 5 miles	River Calder at Dewsbury		42 m 138 ft	Confluence of Hunsworth Beck and Nann Hall Beck in Cleckheaton		81 m 266 ft	km² 17.9 sq miles
Swale	km 73.2 miles	River Ure		11 m 36.09 ft	Confluence of Birkdale Beck and Great Sleddale Beck		366 m 1,200 ft	km² 526 sq miles
Tees	km 54.9 miles	North Sea at Redcar		0 m 0 ft	Enters Yorkshire at Gainford		m 220 ft	km² 488 sq miles
Tutt	12 km approx	River Ure at Boroughbridge		11 m	Nidd		61 m
Twiss	km 2.59 miles	Confluence with River Doe at Ingleton		m 387 ft	Keld Head		264 km 866 ft	Not available
Ure	118 km 73 miles	Cuddy Shaw Reach where renamed to River Ouse		12 m 39 ft	Ure Head near Abbotside		635 m 2,083 ft	km² 353.1 sq miles
Washburn	26 km 16 miles	River Wharfe near Pool		49 m 161 ft	Washburn Head		391 m 1,283 ft	km² 54.2 sq miles
Wenning	13 km approx	Yorkshire/Lancashire boundary at Bentham		54 m	Clapham		124 m
Wharfe	97 km 60 miles	River Ouse at Wharfe's Mouth, near Cawood		m 16 ft	Beckermonds, Langstrothdale Chase		310 m 1,020 ft	818 km² 316 sq miles
Went	km 16.6 miles	River Don near Snaith		5 m 16 ft	Confluence of Went Beck and Hessle Beck at Low Ackworth		32 m 105 ft	km² 33.7 sq miles
Wiske	km 29.1 miles	River Swale near Kirby Wiske		21 m 69 ft	Confluence of Stony Lane Beck and Carr Beck near Ingleby Arncliffe		69 m 226 ft	km² 83.2 sq miles
Worth	km 9.4 miles	River Aire near Keighley		88 m 289 ft	Watersheddles Reservoir		329 m 1,079 ft	km² 27.7 sq miles