| River Wey | |
|---|---|
 Elstead Bridge, originally built by the monks of Waverley Abbey | |
 Map of the River Wey (dark blue), also showing part of the River Thames (light blue) and canal sections of the Wey and Godalming Navigations (green). | |
| Location | |
| Country | England |
| Counties | |
| Districts / Boroughs | Chichester (district), East Hampshire (district), Waverley, Guildford, Woking, Elmbridge, Runnymede |
| Towns | Alton, Haslemere, Farnham, Godalming, Guildford, Weybridge |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | spring |
| • location | Alton, East Hampshire, Hampshire |
| • coordinates | 51°08′42″N 0°59′42″W / 51.145°N 0.995°W |
| • elevation | 109 metres (358 ft) |
| 2nd source | pond |
| • location | Black Down, West Sussex, Chichester, West Sussex |
| • coordinates | 51°03′32″N 0°42′00″W / 51.059°N 0.700°W |
| • elevation | 199 metres (653 ft) |
| Source confluence | |
| • location | Tilford, Waverley, Surrey |
| • coordinates | 51°11′02″N 0°45′07″W / 51.184°N 0.752°W |
| • elevation | 51 metres (167 ft) |
| Mouth | River Thames |
• location | Weybridge, Elmbridge, Surrey |
• coordinates | 51°22′48″N 0°27′22″W / 51.380°N 0.456°W |
• elevation | 12 metres (39 ft) |
| Length | 140 km (87 mi) |
| Basin size | 904 km2 (349 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Weybridge (mouths) |
| • average | 6.76 m3/s (239 cu ft/s) |
| • minimum | 1.30 m3/s (46 cu ft/s) 12 August 1990 |
| • maximum | 74.8 m3/s (2,640 cu ft/s) 29 December 1979 |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Farnham (north/western branch) |
| • average | 0.73 m3/s (26 cu ft/s) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Tilford (confluence of both branches) |
| • average | 3.25 m3/s (115 cu ft/s) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Guildford |
| • average | 5.17 m3/s (183 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Wey (north branch), Wey, Thames Wey (south branch), Wey, Thames |
| River system | Thames Basin |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Nadder Stream, Bentworth Stream, Oakhanger Stream, Kingsley Stream, Oxney Stream, Hell Ditch, Hoe Stream, Hollywater, Deadwater, River Slea |
| • right | River Tillingbourne, Cranleigh Waters, River Ock, East Clandon Stream, Guileshill Brook, Royal Brook, Stratford Brook, Truxford Brook |
The River Wey is a main tributary of the River Thames in south east England. Its two branches, one of which rises near Alton in Hampshire and the other in West Sussex to the south of Haslemere,[n 1] join at Tilford in Surrey. Once combined, the flow is eastwards then northwards via Godalming and Guildford to meet the Thames at Weybridge. Downstream the river forms the backdrop to Newark Priory and Brooklands. The Wey and Godalming Navigations were built in the 17th and 18th centuries, to create a navigable route from Godalming to the Thames.
The Wey drains much of south west Surrey (as well as parts of east Hampshire and the north of West Sussex) and has a total catchment area of 904 square kilometres (350 sq mi).[1] Although it is the longest tributary of the Thames (if the Medway is excluded), its total average discharge is lower than that of the Kennet and Cherwell. The river morphology and biodiversity of the Wey are well studied, with many places to take samples and record data. The main tributary is the Tillingbourne, which rises on the western slopes of Leith Hill and flows westwards to join the Wey to the south of Guildford, between Shalford and Peasmarsh.
Cite error: There are <ref group=n> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=n}} template (see the help page).
- ^ "About the Wey Catchment Abstraction Management Strategy". The Environment Agency website. Archived from the original on 9 February 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2007.