The East Lyn is a river which rises high in Exmoor

Exmoor

Exmoor is an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England, named after the main river that flows out of the district, the River Exe. The moor has given its name to a National Park, which includes the Brendon Hills, the East Lyn Valley, the Vale of Porlock and ...

, Somerset

Somerset

The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...

. It flows through the East Lyn Valley

East Lyn Valley

East Lyn Valley is a valley of Exmoor, covering northern Devon and western Somerset, England.The East Lyn River is formed from several main tributaries beginning near Weir Water...

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Watercourse

The river starts as the Upper East Lyn at Malmsmead (formed by two minor tributaries, the Oare Water

Oare Water

Oare Water passes through the village of Oare, on Exmoor in Somerset, England.It joins Badgworthy Water before flowing to Watersmeet and the Bristol Channel, as the East Lyn River.Oare bridge is an 18th century road bridge over Oare Water,...

 and Badgeworthy Water) it then flows for several miles, past Brendon

Brendon

Brendon is a village in Devon, England, close to the border with Somerset near the Exmoor National Park. The village is 1½ miles SE of Lynton and W of Minehead is in a picturesque East Lyn Valley, has of land including Leeford hamlet and a large tract of moorland on the borders of Somersetshire...

 and makes confluence with Hoar Oak Water

Hoar Oak Water

Hoar Oak Water is a moorland tributary of the East Lyn River in Exmoor, Somerset, England.It rises at Hoaroak Hill in the Chains geological site in and flows to Watersmeet House in Devon....

 at Watersmeet, where Watersmeet House

Watersmeet House

Watersmeet House is a former fishing lodge located in Lynmouth, Devon, England, and used today as an information centre, tea room and shop by the National Trust, who have owned it since 1996....

 is located. Continuing on, the river is squeezed between a narrow gorge section, upon exit follows on for another 2.5 miles (4 kilometres) until the river meets with the West Lyn River

West Lyn River

The West Lyn is a river which rises high in Exmoor, Somerset, and joins the East Lyn at Lynmouth in Devon.The upper reaches have been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, because of the geomorphological landforms created in the 1952 flood....

 and flows into the Bristol Channel

Bristol Channel

The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Severn to the North Atlantic Ocean...

 at Lynmouth

Lynmouth

Lynmouth is a village in Devon, England, on the north edge of Exmoor.The village straddles the confluence of the West Lyn and East Lyn rivers, in a gorge below Lynton, to which it is connected by the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway....

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Angling

Angling interests especially in the summer are targeted towards the salmon

Salmon

Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...

 which migrate up the river to spawn

Spawn (biology)

Spawn refers to the eggs and sperm released or deposited, usually into water, by aquatic animals. As a verb, spawn refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, also called spawning...

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Whitewater kayaking

Whitewater kayakers

Whitewater kayaking

Whitewater kayaking is the sport of paddling a kayak on a moving body of water, typically a whitewater river. Whitewater kayaking can range from simple, carefree gently moving water, to demanding, dangerous whitewater. River rapids are graded like ski runs according to the difficulty, danger or...

 frequently run this river in the winter when seeking a challenging Grade 4

International Scale of River Difficulty

The International Scale of River Difficulty is a standardized scale used to rate the safety of a stretch of river, or a single rapid. The grade reflects the technical difficulty and skill level required associated with the section of river...

paddle.

External links

• National Trust website on the East Lyn river