River Blyth, Suffolk
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Blyth | |
|---|---|
 The River Blyth near Wenhaston. | |
  Location of the river mouth within Suffolk | |
| Location | |
| Country | England |
| Region | Suffolk |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Laxfield |
| • coordinates | 52°17′58″N 1°20′23″E / 52.2995°N 1.3398°E |
| • elevation | 58 m (190 ft) |
| Mouth | North Sea near Walberswick |
• coordinates | 52°18′48″N 1°40′30″E / 52.3133°N 1.675°E |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Length | 30.5 km (19.0 mi) |
The River Blyth is a river in east Suffolk, England. Its source is near Laxfield[1] and it reaches a tidal estuary on the North Sea coast[2] between Southwold and Walberswick.
The course of the river passes through agricultural land between Laxfield and Halesworth, flowing through the estate of Heveningham Hall and the village of Walpole before being crossed by the A144 road and the East Suffolk Line to the south of Halesworth. East of Halesworth the river is canalised in places and has a clear flood plain with land being used as grazing marsh. At Blythburgh it is crossed by the A12 trunk road before entering the estuarine section of the river.
The estuary mouth forms the main harbour area of Southwold and is still an active fishing harbour. The estuary is central to the plot of Peter Greenaway's film Drowning by Numbers, being the scene of the final drowning. The river can be crossed by pedestrians by a public footbridge called the Bailey Bridge about a mile upstream from the sea or by the Walberswick rowing boat ferry.
