River Tame

The River Tame winds through Greater Manchester from its start on Denshaw Moor. It begins as a small flow from Readycon Dean Reservoir before heading south through towns like Ashton-under-Lyne and Stalybridge. Near Mossley, the Division Bridge marks where Lancashire, Yorkshire and Cheshire once met. The river’s highest point in the catchment is Black Chew Head, standing on the moors above. Pollution once made the Tame one of England’s dirtiest rivers. Factories along its banks poured dyes, bleach and coal washings into the water. Sewage works released treated waste, and rain washed oil and metals from roads and old mines. By the late 20th century, efforts to clean the river had improved conditions enough for fish to return. Today the lower reaches hold coarse fish such as chub and roach, while brown trout live upstream. Hull Brook shelters white-clawed crayfish, and the river now carries microplastics in greater amounts than most surveyed rivers. Walkers can follow paths beside the water, passing reservoirs like Castleshaw and Swineshaw, where the land rises steeply into the Pennines.