Rivers of Kent facts for kids

Rivers in Kent.

Kent, a county in England, is home to several important rivers. These rivers are like the county's natural plumbing system, collecting water and flowing towards the sea. Four main rivers drain most of Kent: the Medway, the Stour, the Darent, and the Dour. There's also the River Rother, which forms part of Kent's border.

River Medway

The River Medway is a very important river in Kent. The area where its water collects, called its catchment area, covers almost a quarter of the entire county! Many smaller rivers flow into the Medway, making it bigger and stronger. These smaller rivers are called tributaries.

Medway's Tributaries

• The River Eden is one of the Medway's tributaries.
• The River Grom also flows into the Medway.
• The River Bourne starts near Oldbury Hill. This area is part of the Greensand Ridge. The Bourne flows into the Medway close to East Peckham, which is near Tonbridge.
• The River Teise (pronounced tice or teeze) begins in Dunorlan Park in Tunbridge Wells. It flows east through Lamberhurst. A smaller river, the River Bewl, joins the Teise here. The Bewl is famous for Bewl Water, a large reservoir. The Teise then splits into two streams about 2 kilometers southwest of Marden. One stream goes directly to Twyford Bridge, while the other joins the River Beult near Hunton.
• The River Beult (pronounced belt) starts in several places west of Ashford. It flows through Headcorn and then meets the main stream of the Teise. The Beult finally joins the Medway at Yalding.
• The Wateringbury Stream begins at West Peckham. It flows southeast towards Mereworth and then east to join the Medway at Wateringbury. This stream is about 6 kilometers long. For many years, it powered several watermills, which used the river's flow to grind grain.
• The River Loose is a fairly short river. It starts near Langley, southeast of Maidstone. It flows west through the village of Loose and joins the Medway at Tovil.
• The River Len starts at a small watershed south of Lenham. A nearby stream is actually one of the starting points for the Great Stour river. The Len flows west and joins the Medway in Maidstone.

River Stour

The River Stour is sometimes called the Great Stour. This is especially true before it meets the Little Stour at a place called Plucks Gutter. The Stour's catchment area covers the eastern part of Kent.

Stour's Tributaries

• The East Stour starts near Hythe and flows towards Ashford.
• The Little Stour begins north of Hythe. It flows to join the Great Stour at Plucks Gutter, which is northwest of Canterbury.
• The River Wantsum used to be part of a larger channel. This channel separated the Isle of Thanet from the rest of Kent.
• The Whitewater Dyke flows from Shadoxhurst to Ashford.
• The Ruckinge Dyke flows from north of Hamstreet to Ashford.
• The Aylesford Stream starts north of Sevington and flows to Willesborough.

River Darent

The River Darent is another river in Kent. It has one main tributary, which is the River Cray.

River Dour

The River Dour is a smaller river. It flows from Temple Ewell all the way to Dover.

River Rother

The River Rother is a river found in the Weald area. It's included here because for part of its journey, near Bodiam, it forms the boundary line between the counties of Kent and East Sussex.