Everything about River Tees totally explained
The
Tees is a river in
Northern England. It
rises on the eastern slope of
Cross Fell in the
Pennines, and flows eastwards for about 85 miles (132 km) to the
North Sea, between
Hartlepool and
Redcar. It drains an area of 708 square miles (1834 square km), and subsumes no important
tributaries. The river formed the boundaries between the
historic counties of
County Durham and
Yorkshire. At its lower reaches it now forms the boundary between the
ceremonial counties of County Durham and
North Yorkshire.
In the earliest part of its course it forms the boundary between the historic counties of
Westmorland and
Durham. The head of the valley, of which the upper portion is known as
Teesdale, has a desolate grandeur; the hills, exceeding 2500 feet in height at some points, consist of bleak
moorland. This area is part of the North Pennine Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, recently designated a geological Europark, the first in the UK.
A succession of falls or rapids, where the river traverses a hard series of black
basaltic rocks, is called "
Cauldron Snout". From a point immediately below this to its mouth, the Tees forms the boundary between the traditional counties of Durham and
Yorkshire almost without a break, although since
1974 much of it lies wholly in Durham. The dale becomes bolder below Cauldron Snout, and trees appear, contrasting with the broken rocks where the water dashes over
High Force. High force is a big waterfall but its biggest problem is that it's extremely powerfall, with a huge current.
The scenery becomes gentler and more picturesque as it descends past
Middleton-in-Teesdale (Durham). This locality has
lead and
ironstone resources. The ancient
town of
Barnard Castle,
Egglestone Abbey, and
Rokeby Hall, well known through Sir
Walter Scott's poem, are passed; and then the valley begins to open out, and it traverses the rich plain east and south of
Darlington in sweeping curves.
The course of the valley until here has been generally east-southeast, but it now turns northeast and, nearing the sea, becomes an important commercial waterway, having on its banks the ports of
Stockton-on-Tees and
Middlesbrough. It passes through the
Tees Barrage between Stockton-on-Tees and Middlesbrough, turning tidal downstream from the barrage.
Teesport is built on
reclaimed land on the south side of the Tees
estuary below Middlesbrough.
The River Tees was featured on the television programme
Seven Natural Wonders as one of the wonders of the North.
Before the heavy industrialization and pollution of the Tees by industry, the flats at Seal Sands in the Tees estuary were home to
Common Seals and
Grey Seals. For around 100 years these species were lost from the estuary due to the heavy pollution. In recent times however, water quality has improved drastically, and they can now be seen in the estuary and on the flats at
Seal Sands once again. The Seal Sands area is now designated as the Teesmouth National Nature Reserve.In Victorian times the river was diverted to make it straighter thus saving money and time.
Peg Powler is a
hag from English folklore who is said to inhabit the River Tees.
The river Tees goes through places like Hurworth, Barnard Castle and Middlesbrough.
Further Information
Get more info on 'River Tees'.
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