River Medina

Newport Quay

The Medina estuary showing Newport and Cowes

The River Medina is the main river of the Isle of Wight in Hampshire, its estuary slicing the north half of the island in two.

The river rises at St Catherine's Down in the south of the Island, and it becomes a navigable, tidal river in the island's main town, Newport, which is in the very centre of the island. From here the river opens into a funnel estuary to open into the Solent at Cowes. The estuary takes the form of a 'ria' (a drowned valley).

The name Medina comes from the Old English Meðune meaning "the middle one", and the current pronunciation was first recorded as 'Medine' in 1196.

Geography

The form of the river tells of the history of Hampshire since the Ice Age. In the Ice Age the Medina was a tributary of the "River Solent". As the Solent valley flooded and the island eroded, the river received less water flow and more sediment, causing it to become more tidal.

The river is bridged at Newport any nowhere below it. Cowes is connected to East Cowes by a chain ferry known as the Cowes Floating Bridge.

Boats

The river is used by yachtsmen as a very safe harbour. Along the banks of the Medina there are many old warehouses and wharves where in the past flying boats, hovercraft and steam ships were built and developed. The Classic Boat Museum displays much of the river's history alongside the history of yachting. The Island Harbour Marina, an old tidal mill, is also located on the river, about two miles from Newport.

As well as the chain ferry, the River Medina has several small ferries which cater mainly for sailors.

References

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about River Medina)