River Usk

The River Usk rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain in the Brecon Beacons National Park and flows 125 kilometres south-east to the Severn Estuary. It passes through Brecon, Crickhowell, Abergavenny, Usk, Caerleon and Newport, draining a basin of 1,160 square kilometres. The river’s name comes from a Brittonic word meaning ‘abounding in fish’, reflecting its long-standing importance for wildlife and people. The Usk is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its diverse habitats and thriving species. It supports Atlantic salmon, brown trout, European otters, lampreys and twait shad, alongside kingfishers, grey herons and red kites in its upper valley. The river has been famed for salmon and trout fishing for centuries, with salmon over 14 kilograms still taken and the river rated among the UK’s top ten fly-fishing waters. Visitors find a succession of historic bridges along the Usk, from the 16th-century Usk Bridge in Brecon to the 1906 Newport Transporter Bridge. Between them lie stone arches at Crickhowell and Abergavenny, a suspension bridge at Abercamlais and the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal’s Brynich Aqueduct. The river’s tidal reaches near Newport reveal mudflats and salt marshes rich in bird life.