River Laver

The River Laver is a small tributary in North Yorkshire, rising on the moors between upper Nidderdale and Kirkby Malzeard. Its name comes from an old Brittonic word meaning ‘babbling brook’. Two main headwater streams, North Gill Beck and South Gill Beck, join at Dallowgill to form the river. From there it flows through a narrow wooded valley before widening near Laverton. The banks remain wooded past Winksley, then open out as the river approaches Ripon. Fly fishers value the Laver for its brown trout and grayling. Measurements at a Ripon weir since 1977 show an average flow of 1.1 cubic metres per second from a catchment of 88 square kilometres. In June 2007 the river peaked at 1.9 metres above the weir, with an estimated flow of 65 cubic metres per second. Visitors can walk the wooded valley paths from Dallowgill to Laverton. Near Winksley the riverbanks are lined with trees, while closer to Ripon the water spreads into shallower stretches. The river ends where it joins the River Skell on the western edge of Ripon.