Gaywood River

Gaywood
Gaywood River at Kettlewell mill
Location of the river mouth within Norfolk
Location
Country	England
County	Norfolk
Region	East of England
District	North West Norfolk
Physical characteristics
Source	In Derby Fen, North west of the village of Gayton, Norfolk
Mouth	At King's Lynn in to the River Great Ouse
• coordinates	52°45′0″N 0°23′38″E / 52.75000°N 0.39389°E / 52.75000; 0.39389
Length	6.7 mi (10.8 km)

Gaywood River (sometimes known as the River Gay or River Gaywood or, in King's Lynn, as the Mill Fleet) is a tributary of the River Great Ouse in the west of the county of Norfolk.^[1] Its source is 11 metres above sea level, northwest of the village of Gayton in Derby Fen, Map Reference TF 705 209. It runs for 6.7 miles (10.8 km) to its outflow into the River Great Ouse in the town of King's Lynn. It is one of the World's rare chalk streams.

Derby Fen is the remnant of a valley fen system once found in these parts. The remnant supports a range of habitats from dry calcareous to damp acidic grasslands and heath which all rely on the river. From Derby Fen the stream runs under Leziate Drove and along the southern side of Sugar Fen, after which the river passes into the open countryside.

In recent years, attempts have been made to restore the river to its original meandering course in this section of the river. With these improvements there have been recordings of water vole and also otter sightings. The river also has a small trout population, although only the lower reaches of the river support any coarse fishing. Just north of the village of Bawsey the river passes under a disused railway track bed and crosses the countryside westwards; the river skirts to the north of the ruins of St. James' Church which stands on the small hill to the south of the river. Then the river passes under the A149, King's Lynn to Hunstanton road. Progressing into its lower reaches and entering the outskirts of King's Lynn, the river banks have been the subject of much flood defence work. Skirting the southern side of South Wootton, the river passes under the A148 and turns southwards alongside a residential street called Riverside for a short distance before running along the eastern boundary of a sports fields close to King's Lynn Leisure Centre. At this point it is now in the district of King's Lynn called Gaywood, and here the river runs alongside River Lane before it dog-legs west towards the town centre along Swan Lane. From Swan Lane it passes through some open land and the allotments to the south before changing direction south again by Kettlewell Lane.