The River Wey of Dorset

Dorset

Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...

, south west England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, is a short river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 9 kilometres long. The river rises in Upwey

Upwey, Dorset

Upwey is a village in south Dorset, England. The village is situated on the A354 road in the Wey valley and has been absorbed into the Weymouth built-up area and is four miles north of the town centre in the outer suburbs...

, where the spring forms in Upwey Wishing Well, at the foot of the South Dorset Downs, a ridge of chalk

Chalk

Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....

 hill

Hill

A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...

s that separate Weymouth from Dorchester. Most of the river's course is in the built-up area of Weymouth, running through the former villages (now suburb

Suburb

The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...

s) of Upwey

Upwey, Dorset

Upwey is a village in south Dorset, England. The village is situated on the A354 road in the Wey valley and has been absorbed into the Weymouth built-up area and is four miles north of the town centre in the outer suburbs...

, Broadwey

Broadwey

Broadwey is a former village in the northern suburbs of Weymouth, Dorset, England, on the A354 road. Broadwey and Upwey ward had a population of 4,349 in 2001.- External links :* *...

, Nottington, and Radipole

Radipole

Radipole is a part of the district of Weymouth and Portland in the county of Dorset, England. It was formerly an independent parish, until abolished as a separate local government unit in 1933. It remains a separate ecclesiastical parish...

, through Radipole Lake

Radipole Lake

Radipole Lake is a lake on the River Wey, now in the English coastal town of Weymouth, Dorset, once in Radipole, the village and parish of the same name. Along the western shore of the lake, and between Radipole and the town centre of Weymouth, now lies the modern suburb of Southill...

 and into Weymouth Harbour.

The river is important for wildlife and Radipole Lake

Radipole Lake

Radipole Lake is a lake on the River Wey, now in the English coastal town of Weymouth, Dorset, once in Radipole, the village and parish of the same name. Along the western shore of the lake, and between Radipole and the town centre of Weymouth, now lies the modern suburb of Southill...

 is a National Nature Reserve

National Nature Reserve

For details of National nature reserves in the United Kingdom see:*National Nature Reserves in England*National Nature Reserves in Northern Ireland*National Nature Reserves in Scotland*National Nature Reserves in Wales...

 run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

Bird Notes and News was first published in April 1903.The title changed to 'Bird Notes' in 1947. In the 1950s, there were four copies per year . Each volume covered two years, spread over three calendar years...

.