River Belah

Not to be confused with River Bela

The River Belah from Oxenthwaite Bridge

The River Belah is a river in Westmorland, which runs from the Pennines Hills down to Edendale to become a tributary of the River Eden.

The Belah is formed by the confluence of several small streams or 'sikes' draining most of north and south Stainmore close to the county's border with the North Riding of Yorkshire. It flows west with South Stainmore to north and Kaber parish to the south.

The river is swollen by Argill Beck at Field Head and the Powbrand Beck near Thorney Scale. Having washed by Brough Sowerby, the Belah combines its waters with those of the River Eden.

Viaduct

The Stainmore Railway crossed the river on the huge iron-girder lattice Belah Viaduct, before it was demolished in 1964. At 196 feet high, it was one of the highest bridges in Britain (exceeded by a few feet by the then Crumlin Viaduct in Monmouthshire, at 200 feet).

References

• Location map:54°30’23"N, 2°21’23"W