Confluences – Where 7 Great Rivers Meet in Yorkshire

A confluence is the name given to the spot at which two rivers combine to become one. At such confluences the river normally continues as one of those two river names or are renamed to a completely different river. In this article we look at 7 of the main river confluences in Yorkshire, where some of our many famous rivers meet.

This follows recent articles written about:

• The River Ouse Map – including where it starts, flows and finishes
• The River Foss Map – like the previous article but the River Foss
• Yorkshire Dales Rivers – a guide to the rivers in the National Park
• Yorkshire Rivers Map – showing all the places in this article too

In this article we will go through 7 of the main river confluences in Yorkshire and give details of where they are, how to possibly access them (without a boat on the river!) and other interesting facts about them.

Let’s start with number 1 on the list…

Confluence 1 – Rivers Swale and Ure

• Overview – these are two of the most northerly Yorkshire Rivers and are both tributaries of the River Ouse, which eventually flows through York and across to the Humber Estuary near Hull. At the point that they meet, the River Swale ends and it continues as the River Ure.
• Location on Google Maps – can be seen here
• Nearest Location – the closest place to this point is Myton on Swale
• How to Access it – starting from the village, head to the bridge over the River Swale. From that point, on the left there is a public footpath which roughly follows the River Swale and eventually bends left. Soon you will see the River Ure come into view on the right, until the two rivers meet at the confluence ahead close to a river sign (see bottom left below) directing boats to the left onto the Ure (and not the Swale on the right).
• Photos – see below for a selection of photos from this confluence

Confluence 2 – Rivers Nidd and Ouse

• Overview – at the point of the confluence of these two rivers the River Nidd ends and it continues eastwards towards York as the River Ouse (towards the next confluence on this list).
• Location on Google Maps – can be seen here
• Nearest Location – the closest place to this point is Nun Monkton
• How to Access it – walking from the village green, heading towards St Mary’s Church, just before the footpath bends to the right and heads down close towards the rivers. In recent times this has been the sight of a river crossing / Nun Monkton Ferryboat service which, at the time of writing takes people from the village to Beningbrough (across the river) and Moor Monkton (downstream).
• Photos – see below for a selection of photos from this confluence

Confluence 3 – Rivers Ouse and Foss

• Overview – perhaps the most famous confluence on this list given (a) it’s proximity to the city of York and (b) the location of the Foss Flood Barrier, infamous for the Boxing Day Floods of 2015.
• Location on Google Maps – can be seen here
• Nearest Location – the closest place to this point is the City of York
• How to Access it – given it’s location, there are several way to access this from the riverside paths in York. You can walk down the side of the River Ouse from St Georges Car Park (not far from Clifford Tower). Or you can wall down the side of the River Foss, behind the Novotel Hotel. To get directions specific to your location in York, the closest landmark to pinpoint on google maps is the ‘Blue Bridge‘ which crosses the Foss at this point. This is featured in our article about the York Bridges.
• Photos – see below for a selection of photos from this point, in particular the Foss Barrier.

Not too far from here is where the Viking Recorder York, river level monitoring station is located. It is perhaps is the most famous of York’s flood alert stations. There is actually another near the Foss Barrier too.

On the subject of flood damage in York, checkout our article showing York Flood Maps which includes some of the areas shown in these photos.

Confluence 4 – Rivers Ouse and Wharfe

• Overview – further downstream from the previous confluence, the River Wharfe (which gives its name to Wharfedale) and passes through Tadcaster, east of York meets the River Ouse. At this point the Wharfe ends and the River continues as the River Ouse downstream.
• Location on Google Maps – can be seen here
• Nearest Location – the closest place to this point is the village of Cawood
• How to Access it – there are two potential ways of accessing this river confluence, depending on whether you want to be north or south of the river. The first is by following the pathway near the car park close to Cawood Park, holiday park – eventually, heading north following the public footpaths (and bending east / to the right) eventually you reach the point linked above. The alternative route is to go from Cawood Bridge and follow along the pathway heading northwards on the east side of the River Ouse.
• Photos – see below for a selection of photos from this confluence.

Confluence 5 – Rivers Calder and Aire

• Overview – the River Aire, which is the river which runs through the city of Leeds in West Yorkshire, heads out of Leeds past Rothwell, Oulton and Allerton Bywater before reaching the River Calder (which gives its name to Calderdale) which comes via Wakefield before they both reach this point shown below. Eventually the Aire flows further east before it meets the River Ouse (the next confluence on this list).
• Location on Google Maps – can be seen here
• Nearest Location – the closest place to this point is the town of Castleford
• How to Access it – given that these two rivers combine with the Aire and Calder Navigation to form a ‘cross’ on the map, perhaps the most accessible place is near to Castleford Lock on the east of the River Aire.
• Photos – see below for a photo from this confluence (Calder Left, Aire Right)

Confluence 6 – Rivers Aire and Ouse

• Overview – the River Aire continues east from the confluence we mentioned previously, passing by Knottingley and on to Chapel Haddlesey, Hirst Courtney and the Snaith Area (including East Cowick). It is this area that flooded in February 2020. We helped a lot of customers in the area with their flooding at this time, not long after the infamous Fishlake Flooding at the end of 2019. Eventually the Aire meets the River Ouse and it continues east for a few more miles (as the River Ouse) until it reaches the Humber Estuary near Hull.
• Location on Google Maps – can be seen here
• Nearest Location – the closest place to this point is the village of Airmyn
• How to Access it – from the northern end of the High Street in Airmyn there is a riverside pathway which heads north on the eastern side of the River Aire, until the Aire ends a few hundred metres ahead at the joining of the River Aire and River Ouse, which then heads east towards Hull.
• Photos – see below for a photo from this confluence (and a video), the River Aire is on the left and the River Ouse is ahead (upstream towards York) and to the right (downstream towards Hull) – you can see Drax Power Station in the distance ahead. Interestingly, and you can see this on the video, you can clearly see where the two rivers meet with a waterline in the middle of the confluence.

Here is the video from the same spot:

Confluence 7 – Rivers Ouse and Derwent

• Overview – last but not least on our list of river confluences in Yorkshire is the place the River Ouse and River Derwent Meet. This is slightly upstream of our previous confluence, North towards York. The River Derwent’s source is in the North York Moors National Park. From their, it flows south until the point below, passing by Malton, Norton, Stamford Bridge, Gate Helmsley, Low Catton, Kexby, Elvington, Sutton upon Derwent, Thorganby, Bubwith and Wressle.
• Location on Google Maps – can be seen here
• Nearest Location – the closest place to this point is the village of Barmby on the Marsh
• How to Access it – from the village, the High Street heads westwards, eventually coming to a fork at the end. The right-hand fork heads towards the confluence of the Derwent and Ouse, south of the Derwent. At that point (where the Derwent ends) is a flood barrier which you can walk over and around on public paths.
• Photos – see below for a photos from this confluence below (again you can see Drax in the background of some of the photos). The Derwent is in the middle bottom photo and you can see where it joins the Ouse on the image to the left of that. There is also a short YouTube video showing the confluence below these pictures.

Here is a short YouTube video from the location of this confluence:

We are experts in dealing with flood water damage for people in the York and Yorkshire Coast area, so if you have been flooded, please contact our friendly team to arrange for help and guidance. We also deal with water leaks in Yorkshire homes and businesses. As you might expect, many of our customers get their water supply from Yorkshire Water who collects, treats and supplies water from some of the rivers of Yorkshire above to supply to their network of customers across Yorkshire. Here are the local areas we cover.

At Rainbow Restoration – York & Yorkshire Coast we are experts in Leak Detection (including commercial leak detection) and Water Damage Restoration, so if you need help finding a water leak or getting your property back to normal after a leak or flood, get in touch with our friendly local team who will be happy to help you with this.

What is the opposite of a confluence?

Given that a confluence is where two or more things (including rivers) come together, the opposite of a confluence is where things separate or diverge from each other. Other words to describe the opposite of a confluence, could include – disconnection, divorce, detachment, parting, split etc. Other words to describe confluence (synonyms) include – union, meeting, joining, junction, concurrence, assemblage, gathering etc.

What is a tributary?

Generally, a tributary is usually the name given to the smaller river or stream that flows into a river or lake. The larger river is normally called the ‘Mainstream’ or ‘Parent’ river and the point at which they meet is called the confluence. An example of this is where the River Foss in York flows into the River Ouse. At that confluence, the River Foss stops but the River Ouse continues downstream to the east of the city of York.