Western Yar

This article is about the River Yar in the western part of the Isle of Wight. For other Yars, including the other River Yar on the Isle of Wight, see Yar (disambiguation).

Western Yar
The Western Yar from the Yar Bridge at Yarmouth.
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Freshwater
Mouth
• location	Solent

The River Yar on the Isle of Wight, England, rises near the beach at Freshwater Bay, on the south coast of the island and flows only a few miles north to Yarmouth, on the north coast, where it meets the Solent. Most of the river is a tidal estuary. Its headwaters have been truncated by erosion of the south coast.

The Yar estuary is part of the Isle of Wight’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which stretches from Freshwater to Yarmouth. The estuary consists of a number of important habitats, including saltmarsh, reedbeds, mud flats and sand dunes, and these in turn host a rich abundance of wildlife, particularly over-wintering wildfowl and waders.

The Yar estuary is also a 132.4 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. In addition the upper reaches of the river are designated an SSSI called Freshwater Marshes, and a large part of Freshwater Marshes are also a Local Nature Reserve called Afton Marshes.

The Yar is one of two rivers of that name on the Isle of Wight. It is referred to as the Western Yar if it is necessary to distinguish between them.

See also

• Isle of Wight Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty