River Forth
Forth | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | Scotland |
Councils | Stirling |
City | Stirling |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | Confluence of Duchray Water and the Avondhu River below Loch Ard |
• coordinates | 56°10′52″N 4°24′30″W / 56.1810°N 4.4084°W |
• elevation | 33 m (108 ft) |
UK | |
• coordinates | 56°03′54″N 3°43′39″W / 56.0650°N 3.7275°W |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
Length | 47 km (29 mi) |
The River Forth is a major river in central Scotland, 47 km (29 mi) long, which drains into the North Sea on the east coast of the country. Its drainage basin covers much of Stirlingshire in Scotland's Central Belt.[1] The Gaelic name for the upper reach of the river, above Stirling, is Abhainn Dubh, meaning "black river". The name for the river below the tidal reach[2] (just past where it is crossed by the M9 motorway) is Uisge For.
Name
Forth derives from
Course
The Forth rises in
Settlements on the river
The banks have many settlements along them, including
Port activities
In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Stirling harbour was a busy port, with goods coming into Scotland and being exported to Europe. As a result, Stirling had very close ties with the Hansa towns, with Bruges[6] in Belgium, and with Veere (known at the time as Campvere)[7] in the Netherlands. After 1707, trade with America became the new focus, and so a lot of trade activity shifted from Stirling in the east to the port of Glasgow in the west. During World Wars I and II, Stirling harbour began thriving again: It became a gateway for importing supplies of tea into Scotland. After the wars, other trade activities slowly returned, but growth was slow because the harbour's owners levied heavy shore duties on shipping, making it less economically attractive to the few agricultural merchants who were based at Stirling. Today, Stirling's harbour has fallen into disuse, but there are plans to redevelop it.
Bridges
Upstream from Stirling, the river is rather narrow and can be crossed in numerous places. (Crossing used to be more difficult before the installation of modern drainage works, because the ground was often treacherously marshy near the riverbank.) However, after its
Much further downstream, joining North Queensferry and South Queensferry, is another railway bridge, the famous Forth Bridge, which opened in 1890, and the Forth Road Bridge, which opened in 1964. To the west of the Forth Road Bridge is Queensferry Crossing, construction of which began in 2011: It finally opened on 4 September 2017.[8]
List of Bridges
There is a total of 7 Bridges crossing The River Forth.
- Stirling Old Bridge
- Kincardine Bridge
- Clackmannanshire Bridge
- Alloa Swing Bridge
- Forth Bridge
- Forth Road Bridge
- Queensferry Crossing
Islands
Two islands (known as "inches") lie in the
. Both islands are fairly small, and are uninhabited.On film and television
- River Forth[9] (1956): A silent, 15-minute, black-and-white film that includes scenes of animals being herded through the streets.
- Britain's Lost Routes with Griff Rhys Jones (2012): Episode 3 explores the difficulties that cattle drovers might have encountered at Frew, shows cows being taken across the Auld Brig, and includes aerial shots.[10]
- Sruth gu Sal, Episode 1: A 25-minute look at the Forth River (2 Nov 2009).[11]
See also
- 275 kV Forth Crossing
- List of rivers of Scotland
- Rivers and Fisheries Trusts of Scotland (RAFTS)
- Shipping Forecast
References
- ^ "River Forth Catchment Profile" (PDF). SEPA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 April 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
- ^ "OS 25 inch, 1892–1905". National Library of Scotland – Map Images. Ordnance Survey. Archived from the original on 30 November 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
- ^ Field, John:Place Names of Great Britain and Ireland, page 74. London, David & Charles, 1980
- ^ "Interactive Map". RBMP. SEPA. Archived from the original on 9 April 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
- ^ The new statistical account of Scotland. Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood and Sons. 1845. p. 397. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
- ^ "Scotland in Europe". BBC History. Archived from the original on 11 April 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
- ^ Morris, David B. (1919). The Stirling merchant gild and life of John Cowane. Stirling: Morris, David B. pp. 195–210. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
- from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ "River Forth". Moving Image Archive. Templar Film Studios. Archived from the original on 4 April 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- ^ "Highland Cattle Drovers". BBC. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
- ^ "Sruth gu Sal". BBC Alba. Archived from the original on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
External links
- Scottish Parliament: Forth Crossing Bill Committee Report, March 2010
- River Forth Crossing: House of Commons debates 18 May 2009
- British Waterways: River Forth
- Gazetteer for Scotland: River Forth
- SCRAN image: Steam dredger, River forth, late 19th Century
- Stirling Council: River Forth
- Forth Ports PLC
- Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA): River level data for River Forth
- Forth Estuary Forum, a Scottish Charity
- Forth District Salmon Fishery Board
- River Forth Fisheries Trust
- Forth Bridges Visitor Centre Trust
- FYCA Alloa Swing Bridge
- RIVER FORTH (1956) FORTH – POWERHOUSE FOR INDUSTRY (1968) (archive films about the River Forth from the National Library of Scotland: Scottish Screen Archive)