River Exe
The Exe Estuary with Powderham Castle in the background
Country	England
Counties	Devon, Somerset
Major city	Exeter
Source	Exe Head
- location	near Simonsbath, Somerset, England
- coordinates	51°09′33″N 3°47′12″W / 51.15917, -3.78667
- elevation	440 m (1,444 ft)
Mouth	Lyme Bay
- location	English Channel
- coordinates	50°36′53″N 3°25′30″W / 50.61472, -3.425
- elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Major tributaries
- left	River Haddeo, River Barle, River Creedy
- right	River Hadden, River Culm, Clyst

The River Exe in England rises near the village of Simonsbath, on Exmoor in Somerset, near the Bristol Channel coast, but flows more or less directly due south, so that most of its length lies in Devon. Powderham Castle, is located south of Exeter, Devon, England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Devon is a large county in the South West of England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name Somerset ( or) is a county in south west England The County town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county Exeter ( (IPA ˈeksɪtər is a city, district and County town of Devon, England. Simonsbath is a village high on Exmoor in the English county of Somerset. Somerset ( or) is a county in south west England The County town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit Lyme Bay is an area of the English Channel situated in the southwest of England between Torbay in the west and Portland in the east The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The River Haddeo on Exmoor in Somerset flows from the Wimbleball Lake to the River Exe. The River Barle runs from northern Exmoor, in Somerset, England to join the River Exe at Exebridge, Devon. The River Creedy is a small river in Devon, England. Its name is believed to derive from a British root meaning winding. The River Culm flows through Devon, England. It rises in the Blackdown Hills at a spring - see OS map - near Culmhead and flows west through Hemyock The River Clyst is a River of England. The river runs through the County of Devon. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Simonsbath is a village high on Exmoor in the English county of Somerset. Exmoor is a National Park situated on the Bristol Channel coast of south west England Somerset ( or) is a county in south west England The County town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county The Bristol Channel ( Môr Hafren) is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset Devon is a large county in the South West of England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name It reaches the sea at a substantial ria on the south (English Channel) coast of Devon. A ria is a Landform, often referred to as a drowned river valley. Historically, its lowest bridging point was at Exeter, though there is now a viaduct for the M5 motorway about 3 km south of the city centre. Exeter ( (IPA ˈeksɪtər is a city, district and County town of Devon, England. This article is about the M5 motorway in England See M5 for other roads numbered "M5" The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand

Topography

The river's name is obviously related to that of Exeter, and in addition many villages along the course of the river take their names from it, including Exford, Up Exe, Nether Exe, Exwick, Exton, Exminster, and Exebridge, where it is joined by the River Barle. A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a Town or City. Exford is a rural village at the centre of Exmoor, north west of Dulverton, and south west of Minehead, in Somerset, England. Exwick is a suburb of Exeter, England, in the north-west of the City Exton is a village and Civil parish north east of Dulverton and south west of Dunster in Somerset, England. Exminster is a village situated on the southern edge of the City of Exeter on the western side of the Exeter ship canal and River Exe in the county of Exebridge is a village in Devon, England. It lies at the confluence of the Barle and Exe rivers The River Barle runs from northern Exmoor, in Somerset, England to join the River Exe at Exebridge, Devon. The seaside town of Exmouth is at the east side of the estuary mouth, and Dawlish Warren is at the west, with its long sand spit extending across the mouth. Exmouth (ˈɛksməθ is a port Town and Seaside resort in Devon, England, at the east side of the mouth of the River Exe This article is about the village For the nearby nature reserve see Dawlish Warren National Nature Reserve Dawlish Warren is a small Seaside

The river fuelled Exeter's growth and relative importance in medieval times and the city's first industrial area was developed at Exe Island, created by a series of leats to the west of the city. Exe Island was the early industrial area of Exeter, England, and was an area of marshland between the city walls and the river Exe, reclaimed by the construction A leat (also lete or leet) is the name common in the south and west of England, for an artificial Watercourse, or Aqueduct, supplying The island was home to numerous watermills producing paper and textiles; it also created valuable land through drainage of the marshlands. This article is about a type of structure For other locational uses see Milldam. ^[1]

Tides on the river are limited at Countess Wear, the site of a weir commissioned by the Countess of Devon in the 13th century. Countess Wear, alternatively called Countess Weir is a residential district within the city of Exeter, Devon. WEIR (1430 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format Isabella de Fortibus or Isabella de Forz (July 1237 – 10 November 1293) was the eldest daughter of Baldwin de Redvers 6th Earl of Devon. ^[2] The Exeter Canal bypasses this weir to enable ships to reach Exeter Quay. The Exeter Canal, downstream of Exeter, Devon, England was built in 1563 which means it pre-dates the " canal mania " period and is one of the oldest A quay, pronounced 'key' is a Wharf or bank where Ships and other vessels are loaded At high tide, the estuary forms a large body of water that is heavily used for water sports especially sailing, windsurfing and water skiing.

Railways run along both sides of the estuary. The Avocet Line from Exeter to Exmouth on the eastern side, and the South Devon main line on the western. The Avocet Line is the railway line from Exeter to Exmouth, England. The South Devon Railway Company built and operated the Railway from Exeter to Plymouth and Torquay in Devon, England The latter is on a causeway, the South Devon Railway sea wall from Powderham to Dawlish Warren. The South Devon Railway sea wall is situated on the south coast of Devon in England. The Exmouth to Starcross Ferry carries passengers across the mouth of the estuary during the summer months, linking the harbour at Exmouth with a pier adjacent to Starcross railway station on the South Devon main line. The Exmouth to Starcross Ferry is a passenger ferry which crosses the mouth of the River Exe in the English county of Devon. Starcross railway station is a small station on the London to Penzance Line in the village of Starcross, Devon, England.

Wildlife

At low tide, extensive mud flats are exposed, and these are an important feeding source for wading birds. Mudflats (also tidal flats, tide flats, etc are coastal wetlands that form when mud is deposited by tides or rivers Along with other rias in South West England, the Exe estuary is an important site for wintering waders. South West England is one of the Regions of England. It is the largest such region in terms of area and extends from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire to Dawlish Warren is a favoured site for birdwatching. The river is acidic and populated with wild brown trout and some grayling, the average size being 8-10 oz. The brown trout ( Salmo trutta morpha fario and S trutta morpha lacustris) and the sea trout ( S The grayling ( Thymallus thymallus) is a Species of Freshwater Fish in the Salmon family (family Salmonidae) Unlike many West Country rivers there are no seatrout, but there is a run of atlantic salmon. Atlantic salmon, known scientifically as Salmo salar, is a species of Fish in the family Salmonidae, which is found in the northern Just 150 metres below the union of the River Barle is one of the best, and highest salmon pools on the river: Black Pool.

2008 cleansing operation

In 2008 the Environment Agency embarked on a project to clean the river from vegetation forming. The Environment Agency (Asiantaeth yr Amgylchedd is a Non-Departmental Public Body of the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly In order to do so the water level decreased to its lowest level - less water remained than the droughts the city has suffered. ^[3]

External links

• Photographs from the Exe Estuary, Topsham & Powderham
• Dawlish Warren Nature Reserve
• Exe Power Boat & Ski Club

See also

• Rivers of the United Kingdom

References

• Lawrence, Rod: The Exe: A River for Wildlife Bradford-on-Avon 1999