River Allen, Northumberland

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The River Allen from the Cupola Bridge

The River Allen is a river in Northumberland.

The Allen is a tributary of the River South Tyne, and it gives its name to Allendale, a pretty dale in the south of the county. The dale is steep and wooded, and contains the nte# property at Allen Banks, a little before the river emerges and meets the South Tyne.

The Allen is formed by the union of its two main tributaries, the East Allen and the West Allen, which join at Cupola, above the point where the A686 descends the gorge to cross the river.

East Allen

The East Allen rises at the southern edge of the county, at Allenheads, in a series of burns running off the hills, and from here runs north and northwest, cutting a dale known as East Allendale, a less severe valley than that of the united River Allen to be met below.

Winding past Allendale Common, the East Allen meanders northwards eventually to Allendale Town, then north-westwards to it junction with the West Allen at Cupola.

West Allen

The West Allen also rises at the edge of the county, not far from its sister’s headwaters: it is formed from the burns of Coalcleugh Moor, at Coalcleugh, just east of Nenthead, a moorland village across the border in Cumberland. The infant river then flows north, cutting West Allendale through the hills.

Through numerous tiny farmsteads and hamlets, the West Allen finally unites with the East Allen at Cupola.

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