River Cocker, Cumberland
The River Cocker is a river in Cumberland, some 12 miles long and stretching from the Lake District to the town of Cockermouth, where it becomes a tributary of the River Derwent.
The source of the river is at the head of the Buttermere valley, amongst the Lake District fells. From here it flows down northwards into Buttermere itself, and after emerging from the lake it flows down to be swallowed in Crummock Water. Escaping again, the Cocker passes through Lorton Vale, to the town of Cockermouth. Here it joins the River Derwent.
The river takes its name from the old Britihs language, from the reconstructed word kukrā, meaning 'the crooked one.'[1]
The river supports a range of wildlife; the predominant fish species include salmon, sea trout, brown trout, eels, minnows, sticklebacks and the Stone Loach.
The small river came to national prominence in the floods that struck much of Britain and Ireland in 2009. Cumberland was the hardest hit area during the floods, and during the heaviest period the River Cocker and River Derwent both burst their banks, covering the town of Cockermouth in as much as 8 feet of water.[2]
Map
- Map: 54.665 -3.36583
References
- ↑ Whaley, Diana (2006). A dictionary of Lake District place-names. Nottingham: English Place-Name Society. pp. lx,423 p.76. ISBN 0904889726.
- ↑ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/6612364/Cumbria-flooding-residents-disbelief-at-scale-of-floods.html