Why I chose the Dee and Derwent to write about I'm not sure. Now I find that there are four rivers for each of these names.
The Welsh Dee rises in Snowdonia and passes from North Wales into Cheshire, through the Roman town of Chester and enters the sea at the estuary between Wales and the Wirral.
In Scotland one River Dee is in Galloway, but it's the River Dee in Aberdeenshire with which I used to be familiar, driving up the A90 and over -
The Welsh Dee rises in Snowdonia and passes from North Wales into Cheshire, through the Roman town of Chester and enters the sea at the estuary between Wales and the Wirral.
In Scotland one River Dee is in Galloway, but it's the River Dee in Aberdeenshire with which I used to be familiar, driving up the A90 and over -
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| Bridge of Dee |
Uisge Dhè is its name in Gaelic; the Dee is one of the most famous salmon rivers in the world. In Royal Deesside it passes between Braemar and Banchory. It's this connection with the Royal Family, Queen Victoria and Balmoral that is known to so many visitors.
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| River Dee at Potarch (between Aboyne and Banchory) |
The Cumbrian River Derwent runs through two of the district's major Lakes - Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite Lake. It empties into the Irish Sea.
The time I spent with British Rail at Derby in the 1990s gave me many closeups on Derbyshire's River Derwent. I missed out on its mainly rural route and its entry into the River Trent south of the city.
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| The River Derwent, River Gardens & The Council House, Derby |
Despite my years in both Aberdeen and Derby I had no chance to take photos of the rivers. I regret that now - all work and no play!
Photo attributions:
- Bridge of Dee: 19 April 2009, ex geograph.org.uk by Anne Burgess - CC BY-SA licence
- River Dee at Potarch: April 1995, ex geograph.org.uk by Colin Smith - CC BY-SA 2.0
- River Derwent etc, Derby: c2004 by Eamon Curry - CC BY 2.0 licence
