THIRLMERE SPILLWAY

HISTORICAL NOTE: The River Greta is a tribuitary of the River Derwent and flows through the town of Keswick. ‘Greta’ derives from the Old Norse “Griota” meaning “Stony Stream”. The name is in records dating from the early 13th Century, and also appears in Latinised form, as “Gretagila”, at the time of the Magna Carta. The source of the river is near Threlkeld, at the confluence of the River Glendermackin and St John’s Beck. From there, the river runs westward, roughly aligned with the former Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith railway between Keswick and Penrith. The river subsequently flows through Keswick before joining the Derwent, just as the latter flows out of Derwent Water. The Medieval bridge over the river in Keswick was unusual in having two arches, on the great coach road from Kendal to Cockermouth. All but two of the other bridges ( Troutbeck and Portinscale ) crossed their rivers in a single span. The current Greta Bridge in Keswick is another two arch structure, replaced in the 1926 and with two storm culverts added in the 1960s.

GLENDERMACKIN at THRELKELD

RIVER GRETA at KESWICK CAMPSITE

DERWENT WATER at LODORE

FLOOD POND [ SPRINGS ROAD ]

RIVER GRETA at GRETA BRIDGE

RIVER DERWENT at PORTINSCALE

St JOHN’S BECK at THIRLMERE

BASSENTHWAITE at Castle Howe

RIVER GRETA at RIDDINGS WOOD