River Don

The River Don rises high in the Pennines west of Dunford Bridge and flows east for 111 kilometres through South Yorkshire. It passes through valleys and towns such as Penistone, Sheffield, Rotherham and Doncaster before joining the River Ouse at Goole. The river’s name comes from an old word meaning ‘water’ or ‘river’, shared with the Celtic goddess Dôn. Along its course the Don is shaped by dams, weirs and locks built over centuries to supply water, power mills and allow boats to travel inland. The Don’s history is marked by major engineering works. In the 1620s Cornelius Vermuyden re-routed the lower river into the Dutch River to drain Hatfield Chase. Later, the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation Company restored navigation from Rotherham to the sea, building canals and enlarging locks. The river has also shaped local events, from halting the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536 to causing the Great Sheffield Flood of 1864 that killed 270 people. Today the Don offers long walking and cycling routes such as the Five Weirs Walk and the developing Upper Don Walk. Its tributaries include the Loxley, Rivelin and Sheaf, which once powered Sheffield’s cutlery trade. Visitors find quiet stretches beside reedy banks, historic bridges and flood defences that tell of past struggles with water. The river’s story is visible in every lock, weir and widened channel along its valley.