River Goyt facts for kids

The River Goyt is a cool river in North West England. It's like a smaller stream that flows into a bigger river called the River Mersey. The River Goyt is about 48.8 kilometers (30 miles) long.

What's in a Name? The River Goyt's Meaning

The name Goyt might come from an old English word, gote, which means "a water stream" or "a small river". Some people have also suggested it comes from the Welsh word gwyth, meaning "vein", but this idea is not as likely.

Where Does the River Goyt Start and Go?

The River Goyt starts high up on the moors of Axe Edge Moor, near another river called the River Dane. This area is known as the Upper Goyt Valley. The old Cat and Fiddle Road, which goes from Buxton to Macclesfield, crosses the river right where it starts flowing north.

Journey Through Valleys and Reservoirs

The river then flows under Derbyshire Bridge. This bridge used to mark the old border between Derbyshire and Cheshire. Further along, it reaches an old packhorse bridge. This bridge was moved when the Errwood reservoir was built in the 1960s. A bit further downstream, there's another large water storage area called the Fernilee Reservoir, which was built in 1938. You can even see parts of an old railway line, the Cromford and High Peak Railway, near this spot.

Meeting Other Rivers

The Goyt then flows through places like Whaley Bridge and New Mills. In New Mills, it meets another river called the River Sett. After that, it passes through Marple Bridge. Finally, after being joined by the River Etherow, the Goyt meets the River Tame in Stockport. When the Goyt and the Tame join, they form the start of the River Mersey!

Walking Along the Goyt

There's a special walking path called the Goyt Way. It follows the River Goyt for about 16 kilometers (10 miles) between Etherow Country Park and Whaley Bridge. It's part of a much longer walking route called the Midshires Way.

Some people say there's a local legend about the River Goyt, a story about a ghost of a girl whose loved one drowned in the river long ago.

How Clean is the River Goyt?

The Environment Agency checks how clean rivers are. They give rivers a "pollution classification" to show their water quality. In 2016, the lower part of the River Goyt, from the Etherow to the Mersey, changed from "moderate" to "poor" quality. The section from New Mills to Whaley Bridge also changed to "poor" in 2015. This means the water in these parts isn't as clean as it should be. In other areas, the river's quality is still "moderate."

In the past, especially around 1968, the river's color could change a lot. This was because of different liquids and waste that were sometimes released into the river from factories, like calico print mills, that used to be in the valley.

River Goyt's Tributaries

Many smaller streams and brooks flow into the River Goyt. These are called its tributaries. Some of them include:

• Poise Brook
• Torkington Brook
• River Etherow
• Mellor Brook
• Strines Brook
• River Sett (which itself has smaller streams like the River Kinder)
• Todd Brook

Images for kids

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  The "Roman Bridge" over the River Goyt between New Mills and Marple Bridge was actually built in the 1600s.

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  The Goyt (on the right) meets the Tame in Stockport to form the Mersey.

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  Goyts Bridge – this old packhorse bridge was partly broken in 1960, but it was fixed and moved when the Errwood Reservoir was built.

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  River Goyt at Furness Vale in 1968, when its color often changed due to waste from nearby factories.