River Mite
The River Mite is a river in western Cumberland.
The valley through which the river Mite runs is called Miterdale. The name Mite is thought to be of British origin and related to a root such as 'meigh': to urinate or dribble, possibly a wry reflection of the relatively minor nature of the Mite. It might be from the Old English micgan, which has the same meaning.
Course
The Mite rises on Tongue Moor, immediately below the peak of Illgill Head to the north-west, at an altitude of around 1,800 feet. After coalescing into a stream, the upper Mite runs over the waterfalls of Miterdale Head and descends into the narrow but steep-sided upper Miterdale valley.
In the dale, the river flows to the south-west, past the Bakerstead outdoor pursuit centre, the village Eskdale Green, to the north of Muncaster Fell, and Muncaster Mill.
Finally, the Mite meets the River Esk and River Irt at the estuarine confluence of the three, near the ancient village of Ravenglass on Cumberland's coast.
The river runs parallel to the Ravenglass and Eskdale steam railway, and one of their locomotives is named after it.
Tributaries
- Robin Gill
- Black Gill
- Merebeck Gill
- Mere Beck
- Gill Beck
Swallows and Amazons
Upper Miterdale formed one of the archetypes upon which Arthur Ransome based the valley of Swallowdale in the eponymous volume of the Swallows and Amazons stories.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about River Mite) |
- Location map: 54°21’39"N, 3°24’27"W