River Glaven facts for kids

Quick facts for kids River Glaven
River Glaven at Glandford
Location within Norfolk
Country	England
State	Norfolk
Region	East of England
District	North Norfolk
Physical characteristics
Main source	Lower Bodham Bodham, North Norfolk, England 52°54′57″N 1°9′45″E / 52.91583°N 1.16250°E / 52.91583; 1.16250
River mouth	North Sea at Blakeney Point, England 0 m (0 ft) 52°58′08″N 1°00′25″E / 52.969°N 1.007°E / 52.969; 1.007
Length	17 km (11 mi)
Basin features
Tributaries	Left: Stody Beck, Thornage Beck

The River Glaven is a beautiful river in Norfolk, England. It is about 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) long. The river flows through lovely countryside in North Norfolk before reaching the North Sea.

The river starts as a tiny stream in Bodham. Three small streams join together before Selbrigg Pond. The Glaven valley is very pretty. It helps bring tourists to North Norfolk. The River Glaven is special because it is a "chalk river." This means its water comes from underground chalk. There are only about 200 chalk rivers in the world. About 160 of them are in the UK!

River Glaven's Journey

The River Glaven collects water from an area of about 115 square kilometers. This area is called its catchment area. From where it starts, the river drops 50 meters (about 164 feet). It flows down to Cley, where the tide from the sea can reach it.

The ground under the river is mostly chalk. In some lower parts of the valley, the river flows right over chalk beds. The land next to the river is a mix of different types of areas. There are farms where crops are grown. Near Edgefield, you can see forests of cone-bearing trees like pines.

In the middle parts of the river, there are fields where animals graze. You can also find low-lying wet areas, especially near Glandford Mill. The Glaven has two main smaller rivers that flow into it. These are called tributaries. Stody Beck joins the Glaven near Hunworth Mill. Thornage Beck joins close to the road between Thornage and Hunworth.

The river winds through water meadows between Letheringsett and Glandford.

Lakes and Ponds Along the River

There are three main lakes connected to the River Glaven. These are Hawksmere (which is Hempstead mill pond), Edgefield Hall Lake, and Bayfield Hall Lake. The lake at Bayfield Hall is long and thin. It shows how beautiful the lower Glaven valley is. This lake was dug in the late 1700s to make the area look nicer.

Later, in the late 1800s, a special tunnel was built. This tunnel could move some of the Glaven's water around the lake. But this tunnel stopped working in 2010. A new project at Bayfield Hall began. The goal was to create a new river channel, about 1.2 miles long. This was to help save wildlife, especially fish like Trout. The project finished in 2014. It was a big success! This new channel is the longest human-made river stretch in the UK.

Historical Watermills

A long time ago, when the Domesday Book was written, the River Glaven had 19 watermills. These mills used the river's power to grind grain. Today, there are six watermills left on the Glaven. They are Hempstead, Hunworth, Thornage, Letheringsett, Letheringsett Brewery mill, and Glandford.

Letheringsett Mill is still working today! It is the only watermill in Norfolk that still grinds corn to make flour. You can even buy the flour at the mill's shop.

Amazing Wildlife of the Glaven

The River Glaven is home to many different animals. You can find many water voles here. Otters are also present, though they are hard to spot. Otters might be why mink are not found here. Otters are thought to keep mink away. Both red deer and roe deer are often seen near the river.

The types of birds you can see depend on the different places they live along the river. There are about 126 different kinds of birds in the area. About 68 of these birds have made their nests here. This count does not include birds found closer to the coast.

The kingfisher is a colorful bird often seen by the river.

Some birds you might see include the colorful kingfisher. You might also spot barn owls, common buzzards, and osprey. Ospreys use the Glaven Valley as a path when they fly south in spring and north in autumn. They sometimes stop to fish in the river. Common buzzards are nesting more often now. You can see them flying high above. Barn owls often hunt during the day. As winter comes, large groups of pink-footed geese and brent geese fly from the coast to find food on the farms inland.

Fish in the River Glaven

Many kinds of fish live in the River Glaven. These include three-spined sticklebacks, bullheads, stone loaches, and brown trout. You might also find sea trout, brook lamprey, roach, rudd, perch, eels, pikes, gudgeon, carp, and tench.

Insects and Dragonflies

An Emperor dragonfly.

The river is a great place to see many insects and dragonflies. Some you might spot are banded demoiselle, emerald damselfly, and scarce emerald damselfly. Other damselflies include large red, red-eyed, small red-eyed, azure, common blue, blue-tailed, and variable damselflies.

Dragonflies include migrant hawker, southern hawker, brown hawker, emperor dragonfly, four-spotted chaser, and broad-bodied chaser. You can also see black-tailed skimmer, keeled skimmer, common darter, ruddy darter, common hawker, and Norfolk hawker. Hairy dragonfly, red-veined darter, yellow-winged darter, and black darter also live here.

Small Mammals

A hedgehog.

Small mammals living in or near the river include hedgehogs, moles, and different kinds of shrews. These are common shrew, pygmy shrew, and water shrew.

You might also see bats like the noctule bat, pipistrelle bat, Natterer's bat, and Daubenton's bat. Other small mammals are rabbits, brown hares, grey squirrels, and different voles. These include bank vole, short-tailed field vole, and water vole. Wood mouses, house mice, and brown rats are also present.

Larger Mammals

Larger mammals found here include Red deer, roe deer, and muntjac. You can also see red foxes, badgers, otters, stoats, weasels, and feral cats.

Gallery

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  The River Glaven close to its source in lower Bodham

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  Selbrigg pond, part of the watercourse of the Glaven.

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  Two steams converge with the Glaven at the outlet from Selbrigg pond.

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  Hempstead Watermill on the River Glaven.

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  The rear elevation of Hempstead watermill.

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  A weir on the River Glaven at Letheringsett

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  The Glaven River at the A148 road bridge in Letheringsett.

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  Watermeadows at Glandford

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  The millpond at Glandford