Braid River

The Braid near Ballymena

The Braid River is some 15 miles long, flowing entirely in County Antrim and becoming ultimately a tributary of the River Main.

The Braid rises in the Antrim Hills and runs down from the hills in a south-easterly direction, carving a valley. Below the hills it reaches the village of Broughshane, which is the first village of any size on the river. Below Broughshane the Braid flows through Ballymena.

The river joins the River Main near Galgorm, just east of Ballymena.

This river is renowned for its beauty. It is small in terms of its flow; fast-flowing, shallow and broad with a width in its lower reaches averaging about 30 feet. It bursts into spate after rain

Fish

The river is popular for angling, for which permits are available. It is rich in brown trout and also has salmon and a large breed of trout which breeds in Lough Neagh known as the dollaghan.

The Braid is an important spawning and nursery area of the Maine River system.

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Braid River)

References

• Main Rivers Trust