The Rivers & Springs of Selwood
The Forest of Selwood greensand ridge aquifers are home to numerous springs feeding the headwaters of five important rivers; the Brue, Cale, Frome, Stour and Wylye.
The Brue originates in the parish of Brewham in Somerset, England, flowing west through the Somerset Levels reaching the sea some 50 kilometres west at Burnham-on-Sea.
The Cale flows through southeast Somerset, and together with its various tributaries eventually joins the Dorset Stour on its way to the south coast.
The Wylye south of Maiden Bradley in south-west Wiltshire. At Wilton in Hampshire, it comes to an end, running into the River Nadder, which itself flows into the Hampshire Avon draining into the English Channel at Christchurch.
The Stour begins in a small valley near to the National Trust Estate of Stourhead from where it flows south into Dorset through the Blackmore Vale before joining the Cale at Marnhull finally reaching the sea at Christchurch as part of the River Avon.
The Frome rises south-west of Witham Friary, flowing north to the town of Frome, and continues in a generally northerly direction passing between the eastern edge of the Mendip Hills and Trowbridge before joining the Bristol Avon at Freshford, below Bradford on Avon.
These five rivers absolutely vital for nature, people and flood alleviation. Unfortunately, they’re threatened by water abstraction, pollution from raw sewage discharges by water companies, chemical discharges from industry, agricultural run-off and the loss of riverine woodland habitat. We are committed to recovering freshwater biodiversity, restoring natural river flows and cleaning up polluted water for nature to thrive.
