Cumbria - Index

Why fish in Cumbria

Cumbria and Eden valley offer anglers some beautiful scenery and some great salmon and wild trout fishing variety.

Often over looked by the Lake district and the Southern Scottish rivers, there are some fishing gems to be found in this often quiet landscape.

The main rivers in Cumbria are the Eden, Lune, Derwent, Kent, Eamont, Cocker, and the river Leven. There are other rivers in this areas as well, all of which form a perfect backdrop for some exciting and wild fishing. 

About the rivers

The Eden

Rises in Black Fell Moss, Mallerstang, on the high ground between High Seat, Yorkshire Dales and Hugh Seat. Here it forms the boundary between the counties of Cumbria and North Yorkshire. Two other great rivers arise in the same peat bogs here, within a kilometre of each other: the River Swale and River Ure.

The steep-sided dale of Mallerstang later opens out to become the Vale of Eden. The river flows through Kirkby Stephen and Appleby-in-Westmorland, and receives the water of many becks flowing off the Pennines to the east, and longer rivers from the Lakes off to the west, including the River Lyvennet, River Leith and River Eamont, which arrives via Ullswater and Penrith.

Continuing north, it passes close to the ancient stone circle known as Long Meg and Her Daughters and through the vale of Cumbria on the Solway Plain.

The Derwent

Is a river in the Lake District of the county of Cumbria The name Derwent is derived from a Celtic word for "oak trees".

The river rises at Styhead Tarn underneath Scafell Pike and flows in a northerly direction through the valley of Borrowdale, before continuing through Derwentwater, giving the lake its name.

The Derwent then continues into Bassenthwaite Lake, picking up the waters of the River Greta just outside Keswick.

Beyond Bassenthwaite Lake the river flows westwards through the Isel Valley, before leaving the Lake District National Park just before reaching Cockermouth.

Another tributary is the River Cocker, which joins the Derwent at Cockermouth, through which the Derwent flows after exiting the Lake District on its now westerly course. After leaving Cockermouth, the river flows by Papcastle where a Roman fort bears the name of the river.

The river flows into the Irish Sea at Workington

The Lune

The river is formed at Wath, in Cumbria, at the confluence of Sandwath Beck and Weasdale Beck. It then passes the remnants of a Roman fort near Low Borrowbridge at the foot of Borrowdale, and flows through south Cumbria, meeting the Irish Sea at Plover Scar near Lancaster, after a total journey of about 44 miles.

The valley of the Lune has three parts. The northern part between its source and Tebay is called Lunesdale. Below this is the spectacular Lune Gorge. Below the gorge, the valley broadens out into Lonsdale.

Bridges over the Lune include the Devil's Bridge near Kirkby Lonsdale and the Lune Millennium Bridge in Lancaster. The Lune is now tidal only below Skerton Weir in Lancaster

The river Eden at Eden Lacy

Other Rivers

There are numerous other rivers and becks in Cumbria of which we will describe in time, such as Ure, Swale, Egremont.