River Wylye

The River Wylye (/ˈwaɪli/ WY-lee) is a classic southern England chalk stream; champagne clear water flowing over gravel. Consequently, it is popular with anglers keen on fly fishing.^[1] A half-mile stretch of the river and three lakes in Warminster are a local nature reserve.^[2]^[3]

Course

The Wylye rises below the White Sheet Downs just south of Maiden Bradley in Wiltshire, and after flowing through the Deverill valley, forms the southern edge of Warminster. It then heads generally east south east, forming the Wylye Valley, into which the A36 road and the Wessex Main Line are also squeezed. The river passes through the parishes of Norton Bavant, Heytesbury, Knook, Upton Lovell, Boyton, Codford, Wylye and Wilton, near the southern edge of Salisbury Plain, and is fed by ephemeral, winterbourne streams so water flow can vary.^[4]

The river forms part of the River Avon catchment. At Wilton it joins the River Nadder and eventually drains to the sea at Christchurch as part of the Avon.

In parts the river flows through various SSSI:^[5]

The Wylye valley is a picturesque valley dotted with small chocolate box villages composed of thatched cottages and stone-built pubs.

A vineyard is located near the river's source.^[6]
Both Wilton and Wiltshire (Wilton - shire) are named after the river. There is also a village of Wylye.
It forms one of the five rivers referred to in the novel Sarum

The villages located on the River Wylye include (source to confluence):

^ "Fishing Breaks". Retrieved 20 November 2007.
^ "River Wylye". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England.
^ "Map of River Wylye". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England.
^ "IUCN" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 December 2007. Retrieved 20 November 2007.
^ "English Nature". Retrieved 20 November 2007.
^ "W Wilts Tourism". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 20 November 2007.
^ "The Village of Sutton Veny, Wylye Valley". Retrieved 13 June 2008.

v t e Ceremonial county of Wiltshire
Unitary authorities	Swindon Wiltshire Council
Major settlements (cities in italics)	Amesbury Bradford-on-Avon Calne Chippenham Corsham Cricklade Devizes Highworth Larkhill Ludgershall Malmesbury Marlborough Melksham Mere Royal Wootton Bassett Salisbury Swindon Tidworth Trowbridge Warminster Westbury Wilton See also: List of civil parishes in Wiltshire
Rivers	Biss Blackwater Bourne Bristol Avon Chalke Cole Damson Ebble Fonthill Brook Hampshire Avon Kennet Key Nadder Nine Mile Og Sem Tetbury Avon Thames Till Wylye
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