River Cocker

The River Cocker rises at the head of Buttermere valley in the Lake District. It winds north for about 19 kilometres through Buttermere and Crummock Water. The river then passes through Lorton Vale before reaching Cockermouth. There it meets the River Derwent after flowing past the town’s cricket ground. The name comes from the old Celtic word for ‘the crooked one’. The river carries salmon, sea trout, brown trout and smaller fish such as minnows and sticklebacks. In 2009 heavy rains caused the Cocker to burst its banks in Cockermouth. Water rose as high as 2.4 metres, flooding homes, shops and the cricket club. The floods made national news and showed how powerful the river could be. Today a restoration project on the Whit Beck, a tributary near Lorton, helps control flooding. Walkers can follow paths beside the river through quiet farmland and woodland. The water sparkles as it passes under stone bridges and over shallow rapids. The Cocker remains a lively upland stream, full of wildlife and local stories.