Glenelly River

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The Glenelly at the meeting with the Owenkillew
Goles Bridge

Glenelly River is a river in Tyrone. It flows westwards along the long, linear Glenelly Valley to the south of Sawel Mountain, following one of the principal geological fault-lines in the Sperrin Mountains.

Glenelley Valley

In the highest part of the Sperrins, the Glenelly is formed by stream running from either side Mullaghsallagh and uniting at Goles Bridge. From here the Glenelly runs down the deeply incised Glenelly Valley, parting the Sperrins in twain here, fed by many of the burns running off Sawel Mountain and its sisters.

Glenelly is the longest valley in the Sperrin Mountains and lied entirely in Tyrone. It is within the Sperrin 'Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty' and is also classified as an 'Environmentally Sensitive Area'. This is a long, narrow valley, followed by the B47 as the only viable route through the mountains.

The village of Plumbridge stands at the mouth of the Glenelly Valley and on the banks of the Glenelly River, and here the river emerges into the broader ground.

Below the valley

Below the village, the river meanders across a complex, undulating floodplain of alluvium and glacial moraine. The channel has often carved deep ridges within these soft deposits, creating steep, irregular mounds and pockets of peaty marsh on the valley floor.[1]

A few miles below Plumbridge, the Glenelly joins the Owenkillew River, which has run a gentler course to the south, above Newtownstewart,[2] and eventually at Newtonstewart the united waters join the Strule River.

Wildlife

Otters have been recorded in the Glenelly River, which is important also for salmon and trout.[3]

Angling

The Glenelly River has wild brown trout, but is better known for salmon and sea trout fishing.[4]

References

Coordinates: 54°44′N 7°18′W / 54.733°N 7.3°W / 54.733; -7.3