River Swale

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River Swale
The River Swale near Richmond
Location
Country	England
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Confluence of Birkdale Beck and Great Sleddale Beck.
• coordinates	54°24′11″N 2°13′22″W / 54.403019°N 2.222681°W / 54.403019; -2.222681
• elevation	366 m (1,201 ft)
Mouth
• location	River Ure, near Myton-on-Swale, North Yorkshire
• coordinates	54°05′16″N 1°20′36″W / 54.087853°N 1.343408°W / 54.087853; -1.343408
• elevation	11 m (36 ft)
Length	117.8 km (73.2 mi)

v t e River Swale
Legend
Birkdale Beck/Gt Sleddale Beck Holme Ash Gill footbridge footbridge Little Ash Gill Great Ash Gill High Bridge  B6270  Whitsundale Beck Low Bridge Wain Wath Force Blackburn Beck Park Bridge Rainby Force Stonesdale Beck Hoggarts Leap Catrake Force East Gill Force Oldfield gutter Swinner Gill West Arn Gill Island footbridge Straw Beck Routin Gill Oxnop Gill Ivelet Bridge Shore Gill  B6270  Gunnerside Gill Island Haverdale Beck Isles Bridge Mirk gill Birks Gill Island Scabba Wath Bridge Browne Gill Barney Beck Island Arkle Beck Grinton Bridge  B6270  Cogden Beck Hays Gill Island Gill Beck Oxque Beck Downholme Bridge Island Island Marske Beck Island Clapgate Beck Island Lownethwaite Bridge  A6108  Bridge Street, Richmond Station Road, Richmond  A6136  footbridge Sand Beck footbridge Island Colburn beck footbridge Skeeby Beck  A1(M)  footbridge Catterick Bridge  A6138  Island Island Island Brough Beck Fiddale Beck Kiplin Beck Stoney Leigh Bridge The Stell Island Mill Beck Island Island Swale Bridge (Wensleydale Railway) Morton Bridge  A684  Bedale Beck River Wiske Howe Beck Skipton Bridge  A61  Topcliffe Bridge  A167   A168  Cod Beck Cundall Beck Thornton Bridge footbridge Myton Bridge River Ure

The River Swale in Yorkshire, England, is a major tributary of the River Ure, which becomes the River Ouse, that empties into the North Sea via the Humber Estuary. The river gives its name to Swaledale, the valley through which it flows.

The river and its valley are home to many types of flora and fauna typical to the Yorkshire Dales. Like similar rivers in the region, the river carves through several types of rock and has features typical of both river and glacial erosion. The River Swale has been a contributory factor in the settlements that have been recorded throughout its history. It has provided water to aid in the raising of crops and livestock, but also in the various mining activities that have occurred since Roman times and before.

The river is said to be the fastest flowing in England^[1] and its levels have been known to rise 10 feet (3 m) in 20 minutes.^[2] Annual rainfall figures average 1800 mm p.a. in the headwaters and 1300 mm p.a. in the lower waters over a drop of 148 m in 32 km.