River Exe

River Exe
The Exe Estuary from a balloon over Exeter. The M5 motorway is in the foreground, Topsham on the left bank just beyond, and Exmouth at the river mouth opposite Dawlish Warren.
Map
Location
CountryEngland
CountiesDevon, Somerset
SettlementsExeter, Tiverton, Exmouth
Physical characteristics
SourceExe Head
 • locationnear Simonsbath, Somerset, England
 • coordinates51°09′33″N 3°47′12″W / 51.15917°N 3.78667°W / 51.15917; -3.78667
 • elevation440 m (1,440 ft)
MouthLyme Bay
 • location
English Channel
 • coordinates
50°36′53″N 3°25′30″W / 50.61472°N 3.42500°W / 50.61472; -3.42500
 • elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length96 km (60 mi)
Discharge 
 • locationThorverton
 • average15.89 m3/s (561 cu ft/s)
 • minimum0.44 m3/s (16 cu ft/s)27 August 1976
 • maximum492.6 m3/s (17,400 cu ft/s)4 December 1960
Discharge 
 • locationStoodleigh
 • average12.41 m3/s (438 cu ft/s)
Discharge 
 • locationPixton
 • average4.47 m3/s (158 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftRiver Haddeo, River Culm, River Clyst
 • rightRiver Barle, River Creedy
'Exeter as seen from the River'. Watercolour on paper by John White Abbott
River Exe is located in Devon
Exe mouth
Exe mouth
Exe head
Exe head
Map showing the location of source and mouth within Somerset and Devon
The Exe Estuary with the Belvedere tower of the Powderham Castle estate visible in the background.
'Exeter from Trew’s Weir' circa 1799. Watercolour on paper by Thomas Girtin

The River Exe (/ˈɛks/ EKS) is a river in England that rises at Exe Head, near the village of Simonsbath, on Exmoor in Somerset, 5.2 miles (8.4 km) from the Bristol Channel coast, but flows more or less directly due south, so that most of its length lies in Devon. It flows for 60 miles (96 km)[1] and reaches the sea at a substantial ria, the Exe Estuary, on the south (English Channel) coast of Devon. Historically, its lowest bridging point was the Old Exe Bridge in Exeter, the largest settlement on the river, but there is now a viaduct for the M5 motorway about 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the city centre.