River Skell

The River Skell rises on moorland two kilometres north of Pateley Bridge. For its first stretch it is called Skell Beck and flows through boggy ground before dropping into a narrow, wooded valley known as Skell Gill. The river then widens but remains lined with trees as it passes the village of Grantley and the 17th-century Grantley Hall. Below Grantley the valley opens further, still wooded, and the water continues towards Studley Royal Park. The river enters Studley Royal Park and passes Fountains Hall before reaching the ruins of Fountains Abbey. In the 18th century a dam was built here to create an ornamental lake and water garden. Beyond the park the riverbed is made of porous rock, so part of the flow vanishes underground. It reappears downstream and flows into the city of Ripon, where it meets its largest tributary, the River Laver. The Skell finally joins the River Ure half a kilometre east of Ripon’s centre. Its name comes from the Old Norse word skjallr, meaning ‘resounding’, describing the noisy rush of its waters. In the Middle Ages it was known as Heaven Water, linked to the abbey’s presence. Measurements at Alma Weir in Ripon show an average flow of 1.54 cubic metres per second over thirty years.