River Goyt

The River Goyt is a tributary of the River Mersey in North West England. It rises on the moors of Axe Edge near the Cat and Fiddle Inn, an area known as the Upper Goyt Valley. The river flows down a well-known valley past Derbyshire Bridge, which once marked the old boundary between Derbyshire and Cheshire. Further downstream it passes through Taxal and Horwich End, where it is joined by Todd Brook. The Goyt then continues through Whaley Bridge, New Mills and Marple Bridge before joining the River Tame at Stockport. The river is followed by the Goyt Way, a 10-mile walking route that forms part of the longer Midshires Way. The Goyt Valley between Etherow Country Park and Whaley Bridge is especially popular with walkers. Efforts to clean up the Mersey and its tributaries have led to the return of Atlantic salmon to the Goyt. In 2025, salmon parr were found in the river for the first time since 2015. The river is reputedly haunted by the ghost of a girl whose Royalist lover drowned in its waters. Near New Mills the river is joined by the River Sett, and further downstream it meets the River Etherow. The original line of the Cromford and High Peak Railway can still be seen beside the Goyt near Fernilee Reservoir. The river’s name may come from the Middle English word for a watercourse, or possibly from the Welsh word for a vein.