As a reenactor I can assure you that when it rains on Roundway Down it simply soaks into all your kit and at the end of the weekend ends up in Yorkshire or Cardiff or Portsmouth or Devon or...:-) Loved the video and nice dog, what's his or her name?
Good fun, but in chalk country the concept of a watershed is somewhat moot. Most rainfall will soak into the chalk before it even reaches a stream, and contributes to an underground aquifer which feeds springs like the one mentioned in the video. The upper surface of the aquifer doesn't necessarily follow exactly the profile of the land surface above.
The best layman's way of thinking about water in chalk beds is to think of them as being like a bath sponge, which absorbs water, and dribbles away in all directions. Very different for harder and more structured and fissured rocks
@@denisrobertmay875 That is not the case to any material extent on Chalk downland. The soils are very thin, and the water goes rapidly into the chalk. In the case the video examines, there is a large area without any streams, and the sources of the three rivers arise from the spring lines, where the chalk sits on an impermable layer. For your theory to be correct there would be surface streams starting close to the "1mm square". In chalk areas, the water in the chalk is extracted for drinking water, and needs no reservoir building. As I said above, chalk is like a giant bath sponge.
Fascinating theeory, in a fascinating area. I come from Marlborough, my grandfather was born in Etchilhampton and previously the family cames from around Devizes, Potterne and Melksham. My great-uncle drove the pumping engine at Crofton, and my birth was within a couple of hundred metres from the river Kennet. So, I claim this as personal turf. As someone who does flood resilience planning I have often undertaken similar exercises to that whichyou have done on this video, and it is good stuff. However, it is only dealing with the run-off, the direction of travel of the surface flows. It would also be useful to understand the geology and the hydrogeological landscape, because a great deal of this water will percolate and will travel undergound - the underlying geology may very often be confusing when relating it to the topography. Any declination or bending of laid down sedimentary layers can mean that whereas on the surface a run-off potential is leading south, leaving a hill's summit behind it, the underlying inclined layers may actually turn percolating water to head in an entirely different direction, even north under the summit and out be through a spring heading in the opposite or entiely different direction. Given the compaction of soil (what there is of it on the chalk downs!) by the action of sheep, it is likely that most water will be distributed by running off, but there will be oddities that will throw the calculations out. As map lovers, I heartily recommend to you the online resources of the British Geological Survey (BGS). The limited numbers of hydrogeological maps are both fascinationg and very pretty!
+1 for BGS map reco - recently discovered them, fantastic, fascinating and detailed (and as you say, pretty). View on a PC, though, it's so hard to scroll in on a phone.
There is another triple point between North Sea, Bristol Channel and Irish Sea, looks to be close NW of Baldwin's Gate on A53 SW of Stoke. Lived for a while looking over one of the low points of the Pennine watershed. The lowest point on that watershed is used by the Leeds Liverpool Canal, but curiously this is not a cutting or tunnel but an aqueduct.
there's a couple more triple points in the UK. Rivers Clyde, Tweed and Annan, flowing into the Clyde estuary, the Irish Sea and North Sea respectively. Ben Lui in the highlands has a watershed to the Clyde (via Loch Lomond), Atlantic (via Loch Awe) and North Sea (via the River Forth)
Hey you're in my neck of the woods 😊..... I'll have to check out that beautiful spring. Reminds me of Luccombe Springs that I visited recently and didn't know about until reading 'Hidden Wiltshire' blog.
A bit like that, yes. The Continental Divide is probably the most famous watershed (water/drainage divide) in our western countries. Any detectable water body, as small as a tiny dribble of a ditch, follows sole sort of watershed that determines where rainfall goes. The scale can be as large as continental, down to national and be different from one house to the next too. This point here is special for being a three-way divide on a large island that you could regard like a continental divide, since all three flowing directions lead to different coasts. I'd say that's fairly uncommon for Europe in general, though not unique. But yeah, good comparison!
In the US(lower 48 states) has two bigger continental divides. One that goes up the East Coast, any water to the east of the divide runs into the Atlantic Ocean, and to the west runs into the Gulf of Mexico. The Western(Great) Continental divide to the the east the Gulf of Mexico and the the west the Pacific Ocean. Then one smaller one The great basin that water goes into the Gulf of California. Technically there are two small ones that mainly run against the border with Canada and sometime go into the top of the US.
This is the UK equivalent of Triple Divide Peak, a relatively inconspicuous mountain in northern Montana - not far from the Canadian border - where a raindrop can split in three and wind up in the Pacific, Atlantic or Arctic Oceans!
Nah! That'll be the featherbed moss. In a small area of moorland just to the west of Barnsley is the featherbed moss from which in a space of less than 100m you can stand near a source of the Mersey and a source of the Don. The first heading to the Irish Sea with the other heading towards the Humber and the North Sea. Warning, it gets very boggy (or very snowy sometimes, but perhaps not just now!)
You’re taking an analytical approach. I think I’d try an empirical approach - drop a bit of peppermint scented water at your proposed equi-shedding point and see (well sniff) which river it turns up in. That’s what plumbers do when they want to check for a leaky sewer!
Years ago I had to do a similar survey of an area of about 50 Sq Km. It looked pretty daunting until I converted it to Sq Miles and then only had to deal with a bit over 19 of them which was way more manageable.
@@Gribbo9999 Not enough resolution. Misplace one decimal point and you're looking at the wrong side of the solar system entirely. Do you have any idea how long it takes to walk that back?
😖You realise that the area you examined remained EXACTLY THE SAME in extent? Why not use chains ⛓ as your scale? After all, we are in the medieval era . . . NOT! Look out for ‘Here be dragons’ on your map 🥴!
@Denis Robert May 😖 Indeed, but that is not the point. I am arguing for the use of mathematical and scientific measurements that are constant and replicable. Metric units are such measures. That is all.
Indeed, great video, thanks. Actually somewhere ive been before too. Inadvertently walked past this very spot walking the Mid Wilts Way last year. Suddenly feel like an intrepid explorer ha!
The subtitles stated the “wheelchair triangle”, instead of the “Wiltshire triangle”. 🤪 But that doesn’t matter. This was a great video once again. You are getting very good at directing & editing 👍🏼
i just seen that too hilarious . side story : I actually met a really gorgeous lady who did subtitles for TV . She worked from home . I kept it to myself but fell in love with her as you do when you fall in love at first sight ( but i never bothered her ) . I was there to fix her internet connection
there's a spot in Pennsylvania that is similar: the head waters of the Allegheny which flows into the Gulf of Mexico, the Susquehanna which flows into the Chesapeake Bay and the Genesee which flows into the Great Lakes are within a very small area northeast of Coudersport, PA.
Living near the continental divide for the U.S. (Idaho Montana border), this video really hit home. There are three triple points fairly nearby (by U.S scale) - Snow Dome, British Columbia (flows to Pacific ocean, Arctic ocean, and Hudson bay) - Triple divide Peak, Montana (flows to Pacific ocean, Hudson Bay, and the Atlantic) - Three waters mountain, Wyoming (drains to Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and the Gulf of California)
It's always surprised me that the Wansdyke is so little known as it's huge and a natural walking route with great views along a ridge line. I used to walk it frequently as part of a long circular route starting at Avebury, then to the Ridgeway and then south to where it crosses the Wansdyke. From their, west along the Wandsdyke, crossing the A361 to Morgan's Hill, which is where Wikipedia believes is the hydrological triple divide where rainfall drains into the English Channel, Severn Estuary and the North Sea. That's about 6km from Roundway hill... From Morgan's Hill I would go via the Old Roman road to Cherhill Hill and the Landsdowne Monument, and then back to Avebury by way of Beckhampton. A great walk, full of ancient mysteries but maybe a bit long for some.
While I love the video (you two always do a lovely duet of presentation) doesn't the UK have the equivalent of the US Geological Survey service that could have provided you a water basin map for the three watersheds? I know that here in the US, usually for environmental assessment purposes, such examinations are routine. Indeed here in Maryland we are very concerned with the extent and limits of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and it's surrounding rivers and feeders for the purposes of assessing runoff pollution from urban activities, farming, industrial sources and other activities. These numbers are used to determine remediation actions, or fines that might be assessed to the various states or business in them for pollution to the protected watershed of the bay. If your farm or business can be determined not to be in the protected watershed area, it's quite a change in the regulatory environment. So doesn't the UK access such information to determine say nitrogen runoff loads to various rivers? Wouldn't they already have such maps. Might have saved you a considerable amount on marker pens.
Being from Canada I wondered the same thing. In Ontario the province has even been divided up by watershed into 'conservation authorities' that have an overlay role above the counties and cities (which often straddle watersheds) to oversee watershed protection as well as ensuring new development is protected from flooding.
It was great fun watching this. Apart from the interesting premise I loved the little jokes, visual and otherwise, you sprinkled in there. Also, I appreciate the huge amount of work and preparation that must have gone into this little project. It must have been fun planning it all. Well done, keep up the good work.
Great to see your dog sniffing out the Wiltshire triangle with you. I think we all want to know his name!! Very well presented as always very enjoyable. Good luck from Spain!!
I'm sure there will be a point somewhere around Crewe where your split raindrop could finish up in the Severn, Trent and Mersey, so ending up in the Celtic Sea, North Sea or Irish Sea.
Hello Paul and Rebecca. I really enjoyed this vid, as we live on a watershed (Avon-Nene in Northamptonshire) and I love the idea that puddles on one side of the road end up in the North Sea, and on the other, the Bristol Channel. You might want to check out the land between Staverton and Charwelton (also in Northamptonshire), where rivers rise flowing west (Leam (Avon/Severn)), south (Cherwell/Thames) and east (Nene). Not quite as good as yours, because both the Thames and the Nene flow into the North Sea, but pretty good 🙂
Very interesting, although I'd have thought that things like wind direction and soil erosion could affect which direction a drop of water could eventually head for
1:55 Paul "First of all ... " Me: Waaahhhhh!! Can't we just stay inside an lookit all the books!! Puhleese Rebecca, puhleeese Paul! All the pretty book covers! [sobs uncontrollably] Has to go back to video tho, 'cause I LOVE CHOCOLATE LABS!! I'd subscribe all over again for content just like this, Paul And Rebecca! You are truly a gift to youtubeland. This is the content I just adore!!
We did a similar thing during lockdown (on paper!) when we noticed that the Severn, Thames, Nene and Great Ouse watersheds almost meet at a "square" point. They meet at two triangle corners, of course, but they are super close.
@@PiousMoltar didn't realise there were variations. Wikipedia has an interesting section about its etymology and pronunciation under the River Nene entry. (en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Nene) Thanks for a thought provoking comment.
I don't wanna come off as a hater, i liked you guys, but there were SO many cuts i litterally lost track of the video. It makes it hard to even understand what it is about.
I'm not convinced, what happens if a raindrop lands on your square mm but hits a long blade of grass which is rooted to the southern catchment area, so it could just run south, or it could bend the grass and spring back sending it either east or west? Also can a single raindrop even split into 3? I thought there was enough surface tension around the raindrop to keep it in a single drop until it hits the ground, where it explodes into a thousand tiny raindroplets⚠️😲🤔😳
The size of raindrop is not defined and on molecular scale it hard to determine whether H20 can exist in unbonded state. It is the epitome of Non Ideal behaviour in gas/liquid/solid form.
Hey I got a big challenge for you. Go find an abandoned rail line that still has some of its abandoned track still nailed to the ties. Maybe an old trestle. If u can't find it give me 5 pounds
I can't decide whether your kids think you are awesome or crazy. Either way, I'm sure they will eventually come around to awesome 😂😂 ❤ What a silly and fun rabbit hole to dive into headfirst!! By definition, that point should probably have an excellent view, too, being the equilibrium highest point between the river watersheds.
omg i love your funny starts lmao , hello again paul and rebecca , thank you for another very interesting video, looks like the dog had a great time lol , well done guys 😊
You two are just great! This is genius, I absolutely love it, finding the precise spot of a three way watershed!! Keep doing what you do, the world needs people with curious minds like yours. Your vids are always interesting, they make me realise how much there is out there that is simply fascinating, and that this country has so many layers of intrigue. It's sometimes hard to love Britain, but you two remind me that we are lucky to live here, it's all out there!
According to the UK government, you're not far off - although it isn't a nice mm (which would have surprised me very much). It is to the north of Devizes *IN* the Leipzig Plantation.
Thanks very much, another entertaining and informative video. I’m a Devizes resident and I’ve never felt more proud of Roundway hill! We’ve always known it’s a lovely place to go I’d not realised it was so unique…
it’s been 22 years since i’ve seen such mapmaking via cutting and overlaying,i half expected a 3d build with how you were diligently putting things together you raised an interesting geographic and geological point about the landscape of that area, it really is an interesting story
I did that once with my child for a school project. We lived in the North Wessex Downs between Andover and Newbury close to Fosbury Hill. Copied the a local map multiple times, then pasted each sheet onto corrugated card about 3 mm thick. Then cut around the contours and then stuck each layer together like an wedding cake but about 10 layers. Took ages and fingers hurt. From memory it was about 750mmx400mm. Trouble was it started to warp so had to glue it to a chipboard base.
Intriguing, there will be other watershed points all over the country but are you saying that all the others are only 2-way watersheds and this is the only 3-way one.? It should have a plaque or something.
At 7.29 .. Have you mixed up east and west or is it all just part of the fun of the video ? The Solent is to the east of the line and Bristol is to the west . .Perhaps the earth's magnetic field has been reversed in Rebecca and Pauls lovely world . A similar exercise could be carried out on top of with the rivers Rheidol Severn and Wye although two thirds of the raindrop would be reunited in the Bristol Channel
@@stevehendon4076 Its 7 minutes 29 seconds into the video . I don't know how to highlight the time in blue like all the other RUclips comment makers. Perhaps someone could tell me where to find out how to do it
Haha, fantastic! I absolutely love your railway videos, but this one was wonderful in that it brought up all sorts of memories of A-level geography and going out doing field work (followed by liquid refreshment at the local hostelry!) 🤓 Fascinating that one point could be the watershed to distribute into three three distinct geographically separate waterways. And I love the hands on nature of the work…and especially the crafted Blue Peter sticky tape type map and pen drawn water vectors. It was like a throwback to the wonderful Open University programmes on geography and geology I used to love watching 😎 Yes, I did used to watch these things as a child. I was considered a bit odd 🙄 Cheers guys, great fun as ever 💚👍🍻
From experience, up here in Scotland, there is a fourth [more likely] direction for that drop to travel - regardless of how many layers are worn - and that is in to the intergluteal cleft.
Rebecca Whitelock saying with a completely straight face, "Oh, my goodness me, we have a scorcher for you today" had me laughing so hard... Entirely intentional and self-aware, I'm sure.
Brilliant. I live in Stafford. West of here near Fairoak is the furthest west in England where water is flowing east - the source of the River Sow. I’ve not pinned it down. It’s on the watershed divide that runs through the whole island and your spot must also be on it. The furthest east where water flows west is Arbury hill in Northamptonshire which is the source of the Nene and Avon. I’d love to see a book following this border in detail. All kinds of ancient sites and battlefields sit on it. There’s a lovely old book The Green Roads of England by R Hippisley Cox 1914 which looks at watersheds and ridgeways in southern England and has some maps and drawings.
I know back in the day the Environment Agency did, maybe still does, catchment management plans with a precise map of the catchment, available to the public on request? They might have a map of the catchments too!? It doesn't sound completely likely that there's only one spot a raindrop could go one of three ways, but I am impressed how far seperate they go. Where did you hear about it!?What do I know, I failed countryside management degree decades ago. 😅
Where chalky England meet the underlying limestone outcrop. Limestone equals springs. Further north you start to get coal outcrops left after the many ice ages glacier scouring action, above the limestone. And Sheldon Cooper was right, geology isn't a proper science, it is half history, a scientific art subject.
Big flaw in your argument about that 1mm square. You haven't considered the geology, which dictates the aquifers. Topology alone will not dictate where the water goes. You could be miles out.
Hi, while you may have focused on a 'unique' point in the UK concerning three way watersheds of significance, other such locations in the UK exist, for instance, Trent/Humber - Severn - Mersey/Dee catchments. Other such locations may include Nene - Thames - Severn. Has anyone identified one for the Clyde - Scotland's West Coast - Tay or Forth?
Great Vid Guys & Fantastic Editing. Very Enjoyable To Watch as per usual. Are you Running out of Material Yet ? You've gone through Stations, Tunnels, Bridges,Viaducts, Canals & Fascinating factual Points of Interest. Here's an Idea.... How About Old War Timey Runways that are dotted up & Down the County ? Many of these (A frame) landing Sites Still Exist But Like The Abandoned railway Stations/platforms & tunnels. These Runways Played an important Roll In Long term History that becomes all to Forgotten. Out of Interest. My Personal Favourite is in (Little Risington) Your thoughts?. Again Thank YOU for the Great Vids I Enjoy watching.
I suspect there is a patch far larger than 1mm, indeed maybe several disconnected patches, where depending on conditions, a raindrop could go in any of the three directions. Diffusion will be directed not just by topography but by factors such as soil moisture content, pooling etc. These factors may well change within the timescale of a single rainstorm.
Interesting I watched this expecting an anomaly in geometric projection and map making. Instead you have discovered the Hydrological Centre of England. Where else do such three way watersheds exist? My first thought was Plynlimon in Wales with sources of Severn, Wye and tributaries to the Mawddach and Ystwyth. but sort of unsatisfactory. Rannoch Moor for Scotland? Connemara in Ireland? Then on a larger scale somewhere in France with a Rhone-Soane/ Loire /Seine watershed. I've visited the Continental Divide at Hoosier Pass and the Peruvian Andes but that's two way, as are the ridges and peaks in the Alpes and Himalayas I have climbed. I have to think about this. Africa? Scale is too large I think. Did you get confused with the Avon and the Test? The Test estuary is Southampton Water and the Solent. The (Hampshire pre-'76) Avon's estuary is Christchurch Harbour into Christchurch Bay. "Another River Avon" could be all rivers are afons. A bit like River Ouse (Sussex, Northamptonshire and Yorkshire)
Unique in England, I think, so thank you for tracking it down. Would you agree that there must be a triple watershed point in Scotland, where a raindrop could divide to flow into the Irish Sea, the Firth of Clyde or the North Sea? The geographers speak of "The Scottish Watershed" dividing eastward and westward flows, without drawing a distinction between the Irish Sea and the Firth of Clyde.
I'm not sure if unique, but certainly rare - from some looking a watershed maps, it would seem to be likely there would be one probably just North of Stoke-on-Trent (I think!), splitting to Trent (Humber -> North Sea), Weaver (Mersey, Irish Sea), Severn (I'm going to argue direct to the Atlantic, via the Bristol Channel).
Good shout! Initially, I'd thought somewhere in very the north of Scotland but of course both north and west of Scotland is all considered North Atlantic. Somewhere north of Dumfries appears to be a contender with the Tweed east to the North Sea, Clyde west to North Atlantic (or is it?), and Nith south to Irish Sea. It could be argued that as the North Channel is the stretch between the Irish Sea and North Atlantic into which the Clyde flows, the case for Paul and Rebecca's location is stronger.
Yep, nice dog "Bourbon". Great video. My I suggest your square millimetre is 3.5 mm too far to the northwest? I live about 1km west of the Australian Great Divide. From my nearest point on the Divide a raindrop (or any other type of falling water) could flow west approximately 3200km to the Southern Ocean or east approximately 310km to the Tasman Sea. If I were a raindrop yearning for the seaside I know which way I would go. The journey west is also slow as for most of the journey the average fall is approximately 8cm per kilometre.
Here in Scotland the River Annan flows south into the Solway Firth then the Irish Sea. The River Clyde flows north & west into the Firth of Clyde then the Atlantic Ocean. The River Tweed flows east into the North Sea (the German Ocean). They all rise from the same hill just North of Moffat called Clyde's Nick (Clyde Law). Clinshie Grain feeds the Annan, Sind Hope Burn feeds the Tweed and Clydes Burn feeds the Clyde.
It's a tri-point of river catchment areas into different sea areas. I don't think it's unique in the UK. e.g. Maer Hills, near Stoke on Trent.. Water can flow into the Irish Sea (via Dee), the Bristol channel (via Severn), or the North Sea (via Trent) Trivia: Water company (formerly water board) service areas were originally allocated based on watershed area boundaries, which makes sense since it's a lot of effort pumping water or sewage uphill.
A quick question There you were. Trying to find a 1mm square in 52 square miles if Wiltshire Now what was that music that was playing in the background of the film, vid., digital wotsit that you made? (RSVP)k
Both fascinating and ridiculous in equal measure, but what is even more fascinating is the fact your wife goes along on your adventures (without complaint) with you 😂. Brilliant as always, keep up the good work 👍
Nice video, and interesting as always - but end statement by Paul "This spot is unique for the UK" is incorrect. In north Sussex, just to the north of Horsham, is a similar split. Water flows northwards into the Mole, through the North Downs at Dorking and into the Thames. Water flowing south will go into various rivers: Arun, Adur, Rother depending on how far east-west you are, and each of these catchments will have its own watershed line - so there are two more examples of three-way watersheds. Further west of the Mole is the Wey - also flowing into the Thames. Mathematically speaking this relationship will be common - less so would be four or more splits. Watersheds can also be determined from a contour map by drawing lines from all the high and low points to divide the map up into a series of Polygons. Looking at the countours and watersheds of each polygon will show which boundaries are true watersheds to an adjacent catchment and which are receiving or sending water to a neighbouring polygon. (I used to be a cartograhical surveyor and draughtsman in the days before computers when this was done pretty much as I describe here. Volumes, eg: of lakes, mountains or quarries, are also worked out like this although the calculation is a little more complex as 3D rather than 2) Google.maps in map view is also excellent for this - it shows watercourses in blue to a better detail level than even the 25K OS maps do - useful when considering large fields with ditch that themselves drain in different directions.
I'm pretty sure there must be a spot in Mid-Wales where water can run into the Bristol Channel (River Severn), Cardigan Bay (Rheidol or Mawddach) and Irish Sea (River Dee) (i.e. south, west and north coasts of Wales).
There's the River Dane (see Wikipedia) whose main river is part of the Mersey catchment and flows into the Irish Sea. However, a portion of the water can be diverted via canal feeders into Rudyard Lake and subsequently the Caldon Canal. This water discharges eventually into the River Trent and ultimately into the North Sea, having crossed the English watershed. That's pretty strange and possibly unique, I think. Must confuse the raindrops who thought they knew where they were headed!
That was fascinating. The issue is probably that the weather may come from any direction and may drop rain on any side. The water then accumulates in the water table and that probably drains out in all three (or more) directions. The trick would be to work out the extent of the water table in any direction. You may have pinpointed its centre though. It would be an equally fascinating piece of research to determine if other water tables leaked out in multiple (more than 2) directions. Malvern Hills, Penines , Scottish borders ...might be good candidates. Tyne, Tweed, Solway, Clyde ....oooh that point might be near me.
As a reenactor I can assure you that when it rains on Roundway Down it simply soaks into all your kit and at the end of the weekend ends up in Yorkshire or Cardiff or Portsmouth or Devon or...:-) Loved the video and nice dog, what's his or her name?
"Bourbon"
does he take the biscuits ?
Hahaha .... he meant the dog 🐕!!
@@janinapalmer8368 😂
Completely agree with that. Not to mention showers at crucial moments while you're putting your tent up.
Good fun, but in chalk country the concept of a watershed is somewhat moot. Most rainfall will soak into the chalk before it even reaches a stream, and contributes to an underground aquifer which feeds springs like the one mentioned in the video. The upper surface of the aquifer doesn't necessarily follow exactly the profile of the land surface above.
Indeed. Once in the Chalk beds, it can go in any direction, depending on the relative saturation levels in every direction
Indeed, mostly the watershed division depends on the geology and morphology, not so much a geometric calculation
The best layman's way of thinking about water in chalk beds is to think of them as being like a bath sponge, which absorbs water, and dribbles away in all directions. Very different for harder and more structured and fissured rocks
The nature of rainfall is that the surface is quickly saturated any subsequent drops will run off in a direction dictated by gravity
@@denisrobertmay875 That is not the case to any material extent on Chalk downland. The soils are very thin, and the water goes rapidly into the chalk. In the case the video examines, there is a large area without any streams, and the sources of the three rivers arise from the spring lines, where the chalk sits on an impermable layer. For your theory to be correct there would be surface streams starting close to the "1mm square". In chalk areas, the water in the chalk is extracted for drinking water, and needs no reservoir building. As I said above, chalk is like a giant bath sponge.
Now you need to map the underground aquifers and get really complicated.
I was going to refer to the same thing, it's not a square mm, It's as big as the water table
Fascinating theeory, in a fascinating area. I come from Marlborough, my grandfather was born in Etchilhampton and previously the family cames from around Devizes, Potterne and Melksham. My great-uncle drove the pumping engine at Crofton, and my birth was within a couple of hundred metres from the river Kennet. So, I claim this as personal turf.
As someone who does flood resilience planning I have often undertaken similar exercises to that whichyou have done on this video, and it is good stuff. However, it is only dealing with the run-off, the direction of travel of the surface flows. It would also be useful to understand the geology and the hydrogeological landscape, because a great deal of this water will percolate and will travel undergound - the underlying geology may very often be confusing when relating it to the topography.
Any declination or bending of laid down sedimentary layers can mean that whereas on the surface a run-off potential is leading south, leaving a hill's summit behind it, the underlying inclined layers may actually turn percolating water to head in an entirely different direction, even north under the summit and out be through a spring heading in the opposite or entiely different direction.
Given the compaction of soil (what there is of it on the chalk downs!) by the action of sheep, it is likely that most water will be distributed by running off, but there will be oddities that will throw the calculations out.
As map lovers, I heartily recommend to you the online resources of the British Geological Survey (BGS). The limited numbers of hydrogeological maps are both fascinationg and very pretty!
Thank you! I was skimming the comments for exactly this kind of stuff.
That's so interesting. Nothing is ever straight forward is it?
+1 for BGS map reco - recently discovered them, fantastic, fascinating and detailed (and as you say, pretty). View on a PC, though, it's so hard to scroll in on a phone.
So you're saying you've found the triple point of water?
✅️
DISGUSTING!! Surely this type of content is only suitable, after the watershed!! sorry couldn't resist, great vid
Ba doom ting
There is another triple point between North Sea, Bristol Channel and Irish Sea, looks to be close NW of Baldwin's Gate on A53 SW of Stoke.
Lived for a while looking over one of the low points of the Pennine watershed. The lowest point on that watershed is used by the Leeds Liverpool Canal, but curiously this is not a cutting or tunnel but an aqueduct.
And another one in Northamptonshire between the Thames, the Great Ouse and the Severn
there's a couple more triple points in the UK. Rivers Clyde, Tweed and Annan, flowing into the Clyde estuary, the Irish Sea and North Sea respectively. Ben Lui in the highlands has a watershed to the Clyde (via Loch Lomond), Atlantic (via Loch Awe) and North Sea (via the River Forth)
Not forgetting the rivers Tyne, Wear, Tees, and Eden, flowing into the North sea and Irish Sea.
Hey you're in my neck of the woods 😊..... I'll have to check out that beautiful spring. Reminds me of Luccombe Springs that I visited recently and didn't know about until reading 'Hidden Wiltshire' blog.
So is this the UK equivalent of a Continental Divide? Good detective work as always...
A bit like that, yes. The Continental Divide is probably the most famous watershed (water/drainage divide) in our western countries. Any detectable water body, as small as a tiny dribble of a ditch, follows sole sort of watershed that determines where rainfall goes. The scale can be as large as continental, down to national and be different from one house to the next too. This point here is special for being a three-way divide on a large island that you could regard like a continental divide, since all three flowing directions lead to different coasts. I'd say that's fairly uncommon for Europe in general, though not unique.
But yeah, good comparison!
In the US(lower 48 states) has two bigger continental divides. One that goes up the East Coast, any water to the east of the divide runs into the Atlantic Ocean, and to the west runs into the Gulf of Mexico. The Western(Great) Continental divide to the the east the Gulf of Mexico and the the west the Pacific Ocean. Then one smaller one The great basin that water goes into the Gulf of California. Technically there are two small ones that mainly run against the border with Canada and sometime go into the top of the US.
This is the UK equivalent of Triple Divide Peak, a relatively inconspicuous mountain in northern Montana - not far from the Canadian border - where a raindrop can split in three and wind up in the Pacific, Atlantic or Arctic Oceans!
Nah! That'll be the featherbed moss. In a small area of moorland just to the west of Barnsley is the featherbed moss from which in a space of less than 100m you can stand near a source of the Mersey and a source of the Don. The first heading to the Irish Sea with the other heading towards the Humber and the North Sea. Warning, it gets very boggy (or very snowy sometimes, but perhaps not just now!)
@@stmisbehavin662 If you want to get real confused look up Divide Creek.
You’re taking an analytical approach. I think I’d try an empirical approach - drop a bit of peppermint scented water at your proposed equi-shedding point and see (well sniff) which river it turns up in. That’s what plumbers do when they want to check for a leaky sewer!
I would of course suggest the dropping of food colouring to check which river becomes blood.
Years ago I had to do a similar survey of an area of about 50 Sq Km. It looked pretty daunting until I converted it to Sq Miles and then only had to deal with a bit over 19 of them which was way more manageable.
Square light years simplify the problem further.
@@Gribbo9999 Not enough resolution. Misplace one decimal point and you're looking at the wrong side of the solar system entirely.
Do you have any idea how long it takes to walk that back?
😖You realise that the area you examined remained EXACTLY THE SAME in extent? Why not use chains ⛓ as your scale? After all, we are in the medieval era . . . NOT! Look out for ‘Here be dragons’ on your map 🥴!
@@sirmeowthelibrarycat But the fate of one molecule of H2O depends on nano metric distances, 1 square millimetre is a huge area
@Denis Robert May 😖 Indeed, but that is not the point. I am arguing for the use of mathematical and scientific measurements that are constant and replicable. Metric units are such measures. That is all.
Brilliant guys!! I live in the shadow of Roundway Hill and although the countryside is spectacular I had know idea it was unique. Thanks for posting!!
Indeed, great video, thanks. Actually somewhere ive been before too. Inadvertently walked past this very spot walking the Mid Wilts Way last year. Suddenly feel like an intrepid explorer ha!
I got a bit lost. Is 'Sheer Drop' anywhere near 'Sheerness'? Fascinating and entertaining article. Well done you two
This confused me too!
@@pwhitewick 😁👍
The brewery used to be in Shere, south of Guildford. It's now in Dorking.
The subtitles stated the “wheelchair triangle”, instead of the “Wiltshire triangle”. 🤪
But that doesn’t matter. This was a great video once again. You are getting very good at directing & editing 👍🏼
i just seen that too hilarious . side story : I actually met a really gorgeous lady who did subtitles for TV . She worked from home . I kept it to myself but fell in love with her as you do when you fall in love at first sight ( but i never bothered her ) . I was there to fix her internet connection
@@Rusty_Gold85 I like that euphamism
@see ya but surely the people that upload the video can correct the subtitles, coz I've seen vids with no subtitles, and others with perfect ones.
Now now randy High Path, behave yourself! 😂
@@highpath4776 Bet he had a moustache as well!!
Mad as a box of frogs, the pair of you, u should have been teachers, great vids!
there's a spot in Pennsylvania that is similar: the head waters of the Allegheny which flows into the Gulf of Mexico, the Susquehanna which flows into the Chesapeake Bay and the Genesee which flows into the Great Lakes are within a very small area northeast of Coudersport, PA.
Yes and my great-uncle had a farm where I was told the three rivers started! I don't know who owns the land now.
The word “Avon” means “River” so all the Rivers Avon, are in fact the RIVER RIVER. There you go…
Dating from a time when naming things wasn't that important I guess. Unless they are called Baldrick, of course...
You'll enjoy looking up the etymology of Bredon Hill.
@@RichWoods23 Reminded of a Tom Scott video on a similar subject.
Try Pendle hill as well
Torpenhow Hill is another
Living near the continental divide for the U.S. (Idaho Montana border), this video really hit home. There are three triple points fairly nearby (by U.S scale)
- Snow Dome, British Columbia (flows to Pacific ocean, Arctic ocean, and Hudson bay)
- Triple divide Peak, Montana (flows to Pacific ocean, Hudson Bay, and the Atlantic)
- Three waters mountain, Wyoming (drains to Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and the Gulf of California)
It's always surprised me that the Wansdyke is so little known as it's huge and a natural walking route with great views along a ridge line. I used to walk it frequently as part of a long circular route starting at Avebury, then to the Ridgeway and then south to where it crosses the Wansdyke. From their, west along the Wandsdyke, crossing the A361 to Morgan's Hill, which is where Wikipedia believes is the hydrological triple divide where rainfall drains into the English Channel, Severn Estuary and the North Sea. That's about 6km from Roundway hill...
From Morgan's Hill I would go via the Old Roman road to Cherhill Hill and the Landsdowne Monument, and then back to Avebury by way of Beckhampton. A great walk, full of ancient mysteries but maybe a bit long for some.
Although 51 years ago I seem to remember my school House was Wandsdyke, but then it was Marlborough.
While I love the video (you two always do a lovely duet of presentation) doesn't the UK have the equivalent of the US Geological Survey service that could have provided you a water basin map for the three watersheds? I know that here in the US, usually for environmental assessment purposes, such examinations are routine. Indeed here in Maryland we are very concerned with the extent and limits of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and it's surrounding rivers and feeders for the purposes of assessing runoff pollution from urban activities, farming, industrial sources and other activities. These numbers are used to determine remediation actions, or fines that might be assessed to the various states or business in them for pollution to the protected watershed of the bay. If your farm or business can be determined not to be in the protected watershed area, it's quite a change in the regulatory environment. So doesn't the UK access such information to determine say nitrogen runoff loads to various rivers? Wouldn't they already have such maps. Might have saved you a considerable amount on marker pens.
Being from Canada I wondered the same thing. In Ontario the province has even been divided up by watershed into 'conservation authorities' that have an overlay role above the counties and cities (which often straddle watersheds) to oversee watershed protection as well as ensuring new development is protected from flooding.
As both a Wiltshire resident, and drainage engineer... this was amazing! Well done to you both...
Good video both fascinating 👌
It was great fun watching this. Apart from the interesting premise I loved the little jokes, visual and otherwise, you sprinkled in there. Also, I appreciate the huge amount of work and preparation that must have gone into this little project. It must have been fun planning it all. Well done, keep up the good work.
Great to see your dog sniffing out the Wiltshire triangle with you. I think we all want to know his name!!
Very well presented as always very enjoyable.
Good luck from Spain!!
"Bourbon" they replied to an other comment :)
@@aramisortsbottcher8201 thanks ... though I don't think I like my bourbon quite that colour. *winks*
These videos are one of my happy places! 1:35 the face has me rolling with laughter! Needle in the haystack moment.
Great video - especially the inventive editing! What was the music you used? It was delightful!
Apologies Dan. Most files gone for this one now. You may have to do a shazam
I'm sure there will be a point somewhere around Crewe where your split raindrop could finish up in the Severn, Trent and Mersey, so ending up in the Celtic Sea, North Sea or Irish Sea.
Nice to see the dog in the video.
You should have introduced him/ her! 👍🙂
I think that's the first time I've seen them with a dog.
I can tell you're getting more creative and ambitious with your editing structure. Fantastic to see! Very fresh!
Yes very good and interesting BUT WHERE DID THE DOG COME FROM ???
Hello Paul and Rebecca. I really enjoyed this vid, as we live on a watershed (Avon-Nene in Northamptonshire) and I love the idea that puddles on one side of the road end up in the North Sea, and on the other, the Bristol Channel. You might want to check out the land between Staverton and Charwelton (also in Northamptonshire), where rivers rise flowing west (Leam (Avon/Severn)), south (Cherwell/Thames) and east (Nene). Not quite as good as yours, because both the Thames and the Nene flow into the North Sea, but pretty good 🙂
There should be a stake driven into the ground at these places.
Very interesting, although I'd have thought that things like wind direction and soil erosion could affect which direction a drop of water could eventually head for
1:55 Paul "First of all ... "
Me: Waaahhhhh!! Can't we just stay inside an lookit all the books!! Puhleese Rebecca, puhleeese Paul! All the pretty book covers! [sobs uncontrollably]
Has to go back to video tho, 'cause I LOVE CHOCOLATE LABS!!
I'd subscribe all over again for content just like this, Paul And Rebecca! You are truly a gift to youtubeland. This is the content I just adore!!
We did a similar thing during lockdown (on paper!) when we noticed that the Severn, Thames, Nene and Great Ouse watersheds almost meet at a "square" point. They meet at two triangle corners, of course, but they are super close.
The important question is, how do you pronounce Nene?
Actually I can't even remember how I pronounce it any more...
@@PiousMoltar didn't realise there were variations. Wikipedia has an interesting section about its etymology and pronunciation under the River Nene entry. (en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Nene) Thanks for a thought provoking comment.
You could have looked for the Dew Pond on the top of Roundway Hill :)
I think you'll find that the Avon (through Salisbury) flows into the Channel at Christchurch, not into the Solent.
Plot where the raindrops go? That technique is called rayntracing.
Great video
A nitpick - the (southern) River Avon comes out at Christchurch, which isn't on the Solent. Apart from that, nice vid.
Liked, subscribed and commented. I'm a new watcher and living the channel.
I don't wanna come off as a hater, i liked you guys, but there were SO many cuts i litterally lost track of the video. It makes it hard to even understand what it is about.
You should get together with Map Men. Why are English people so quirky and funny?
I'm not convinced, what happens if a raindrop lands on your square mm but hits a long blade of grass which is rooted to the southern catchment area, so it could just run south, or it could bend the grass and spring back sending it either east or west?
Also can a single raindrop even split into 3? I thought there was enough surface tension around the raindrop to keep it in a single drop until it hits the ground, where it explodes into a thousand tiny raindroplets⚠️😲🤔😳
The size of raindrop is not defined and on molecular scale it hard to determine whether H20 can exist in unbonded state. It is the epitome of Non Ideal behaviour in gas/liquid/solid form.
Great little video! Is your east/west correct @7:30? Keep um coming loved it!
Hey I got a big challenge for you. Go find an abandoned rail line that still has some of its abandoned track still nailed to the ties. Maybe an old trestle. If u can't find it give me 5 pounds
Especially loving this video, as I know all these places well from the Marlborough Down Challenge running event!
Rebecca back!
A very nice back too.
@@ensignphil Front's not bad either but sometimes she films in reverse then the front would be the back I suppose.
I can't decide whether your kids think you are awesome or crazy. Either way, I'm sure they will eventually come around to awesome 😂😂 ❤
What a silly and fun rabbit hole to dive into headfirst!! By definition, that point should probably have an excellent view, too, being the equilibrium highest point between the river watersheds.
The kids have been through all those phases!!
Paul and Rebecca, I absolutely love your videos. Thank you so much for taking all the trouble and care you do in preparing them.
omg i love your funny starts lmao , hello again paul and rebecca , thank you for another very interesting video, looks like the dog had a great time lol , well done guys 😊
I'm not into such things and know little about them but surely that would be a great location to hide a "geo-cache" - if I've got the name right.
You two are just great! This is genius, I absolutely love it, finding the precise spot of a three way watershed!! Keep doing what you do, the world needs people with curious minds like yours. Your vids are always interesting, they make me realise how much there is out there that is simply fascinating, and that this country has so many layers of intrigue. It's sometimes hard to love Britain, but you two remind me that we are lucky to live here, it's all out there!
Well that's nine-ish minutes that are now gone forever, never to be seen again.
According to the UK government, you're not far off - although it isn't a nice mm (which would have surprised me very much). It is to the north of Devizes *IN* the Leipzig Plantation.
Can't seem to find that on a map!
@@pwhitewick On the map at 6:50, called "The Plantation". It's a green triangle, top down.
Thanks very much, another entertaining and informative video. I’m a Devizes resident and I’ve never felt more proud of Roundway hill! We’ve always known it’s a lovely place to go I’d not realised it was so unique…
it’s been 22 years since i’ve seen such mapmaking via cutting and overlaying,i half expected a 3d build with how you were diligently putting things together
you raised an interesting geographic and geological point about the landscape of that area, it really is an interesting story
I suspect that Rebecca would get upset when it came to the sculpting a plle of clay on the table bit. "But this is important!"
Wonderfully done.
We did this in the Cub Scouts with polystyrene ceiling tiles and a hot wire to cut them.
Different times 🤣
@@ABrit-bt6ce When Paul starts carving mountains out of mashed potato, you know things are going to get interesting.
I did that once with my child for a school project. We lived in the North Wessex Downs between Andover and Newbury close to Fosbury Hill. Copied the a local map multiple times, then pasted each sheet onto corrugated card about 3 mm thick. Then cut around the contours and then stuck each layer together like an wedding cake but about 10 layers. Took ages and fingers hurt. From memory it was about 750mmx400mm. Trouble was it started to warp so had to glue it to a chipboard base.
Great editing Rebecca!
Get to the point!
Youi like the sound of your own voices.
Intriguing, there will be other watershed points all over the country but are you saying that all the others are only 2-way watersheds and this is the only 3-way one.? It should have a plaque or something.
Nail on the head Sir. Absolutely
I love watching your videos so interesting.
Doesn't the Avon enter the English Channel at Christchurch rather than The Solent? Rob from Southampton.
Certainly does!
Poo-sticks sure evolved with later generations :).
I think that raindrop will just sink into that parched ground, never to be seen again. Otherwise a great video!
Concur
A lovely awesome and unique video Paul and Rebecca... or is it Rebecca and Paul but Paul and Rebecca did look different at the start!
A triple or even a quadruple point of water could be a eureka moment!!! Were next?.
Would lobe to find that
Interesting premise ! 👍👍 All you need now is a load of water containing a traceable radioisotope... 😉😉
At 7.29 .. Have you mixed up east and west or is it all just part of the fun of the video ? The Solent is to the east of the line and Bristol is to the west . .Perhaps the earth's magnetic field has been reversed in Rebecca and Pauls lovely world . A similar exercise could be carried out on top of with the rivers Rheidol Severn and Wye although two thirds of the raindrop would be reunited in the Bristol Channel
I'm not sure what the time of day has to do with east and west...just before half past seven in the morning 🤔
@@stevehendon4076 Its 7 minutes 29 seconds into the video . I don't know how to highlight the time in blue like all the other RUclips comment makers. Perhaps someone could tell me where to find out how to do it
Very highly likely a mix up.
@@cappuccinodriverno1 I know...I was being 🤣🤣
Haha, fantastic! I absolutely love your railway videos, but this one was wonderful in that it brought up all sorts of memories of A-level geography and going out doing field work (followed by liquid refreshment at the local hostelry!) 🤓
Fascinating that one point could be the watershed to distribute into three three distinct geographically separate waterways. And I love the hands on nature of the work…and especially the crafted Blue Peter sticky tape type map and pen drawn water vectors. It was like a throwback to the wonderful Open University programmes on geography and geology I used to love watching 😎
Yes, I did used to watch these things as a child. I was considered a bit odd 🙄
Cheers guys, great fun as ever 💚👍🍻
Curious. Did you note the geolocation of the 1 sq mm? Are you going to check it with Inland Waterways?
Pluscodes could be used to notate the location to the accuracy of 1mm
From experience, up here in Scotland, there is a fourth [more likely] direction for that drop to travel - regardless of how many layers are worn - and that is in to the intergluteal cleft.
Great video but cringy attempts at humour
There were zero attempts at humour in the making of this production.
Very nice locations, need to visit.
Rebecca Whitelock saying with a completely straight face, "Oh, my goodness me, we have a scorcher for you today" had me laughing so hard... Entirely intentional and self-aware, I'm sure.
*Whitewick
@@1258-Eckhart It was laaaaate! I was druuuunk!
Y'all clearly have a lot of fun with these videos. :D
Brilliant. I live in Stafford. West of here near Fairoak is the furthest west in England where water is flowing east - the source of the River Sow. I’ve not pinned it down. It’s on the watershed divide that runs through the whole island and your spot must also be on it. The furthest east where water flows west is Arbury hill in Northamptonshire which is the source of the Nene and Avon. I’d love to see a book following this border in detail. All kinds of ancient sites and battlefields sit on it. There’s a lovely old book The Green Roads of England by R Hippisley Cox 1914 which looks at watersheds and ridgeways in southern England and has some maps and drawings.
I know back in the day the Environment Agency did, maybe still does, catchment management plans with a precise map of the catchment, available to the public on request? They might have a map of the catchments too!? It doesn't sound completely likely that there's only one spot a raindrop could go one of three ways, but I am impressed how far seperate they go. Where did you hear about it!?What do I know, I failed countryside management degree decades ago. 😅
Where chalky England meet the underlying limestone outcrop. Limestone equals springs. Further north you start to get coal outcrops left after the many ice ages glacier scouring action, above the limestone. And Sheldon Cooper was right, geology isn't a proper science, it is half history, a scientific art subject.
Big flaw in your argument about that 1mm square. You haven't considered the geology, which dictates the aquifers. Topology alone will not dictate where the water goes. You could be miles out.
I am glad I am not that raindrop
Sounds a bit spooky about the Tri-angle thingy - please don't disappear or I won't be able to watch you next Sunday!!! 😮🚂🚂🚂
Hi, while you may have focused on a 'unique' point in the UK concerning three way watersheds of significance, other such locations in the UK exist, for instance, Trent/Humber - Severn - Mersey/Dee catchments.
Other such locations may include Nene - Thames - Severn. Has anyone identified one for the Clyde - Scotland's West Coast - Tay or Forth?
Ah! Automatic subtitles. "Unique to wheelchair"? It's why I always do my own subtitles!
wtf was that whole pretend forgot the maps thing about?
It gets people engaging with the video, which is great for views,......
I had to watch this into three times to make sure I heard it right
I can waffle....
It's pronounced 'wonsdyke'
Great Vid Guys & Fantastic Editing.
Very Enjoyable To Watch as per usual.
Are you Running out of Material Yet ?
You've gone through Stations, Tunnels, Bridges,Viaducts, Canals & Fascinating factual Points of Interest.
Here's an Idea....
How About Old War Timey Runways that are dotted up & Down the County ?
Many of these (A frame) landing Sites Still Exist But Like The Abandoned railway Stations/platforms & tunnels. These Runways Played an important Roll In Long term History that becomes all to Forgotten.
Out of Interest. My Personal Favourite is in (Little Risington)
Your thoughts?. Again Thank YOU for the Great Vids I Enjoy watching.
On the other hand, the raindrop could just soak into the ground.
That was mean.🤣
Pst, groundwater might flow into similar directions.
I suspect there is a patch far larger than 1mm, indeed maybe several disconnected patches, where depending on conditions, a raindrop could go in any of the three directions. Diffusion will be directed not just by topography but by factors such as soil moisture content, pooling etc. These factors may well change within the timescale of a single rainstorm.
@@MeFreeBee But there would be an average location, where statistically, a drop would divide into three to flow to three different coasts.
It does soak into the ground, if it didn't you'd call it a river or lake, that's how it starts it's journey.
Interesting I watched this expecting an anomaly in geometric projection and map making. Instead you have discovered the Hydrological Centre of England. Where else do such three way watersheds exist? My first thought was Plynlimon in Wales with sources of Severn, Wye and tributaries to the Mawddach and Ystwyth. but sort of unsatisfactory. Rannoch Moor for Scotland? Connemara in Ireland? Then on a larger scale somewhere in France with a Rhone-Soane/ Loire /Seine watershed. I've visited the Continental Divide at Hoosier Pass and the Peruvian Andes but that's two way, as are the ridges and peaks in the Alpes and Himalayas I have climbed. I have to think about this. Africa? Scale is too large I think.
Did you get confused with the Avon and the Test? The Test estuary is Southampton Water and the Solent. The (Hampshire pre-'76) Avon's estuary is Christchurch Harbour into Christchurch Bay.
"Another River Avon" could be all rivers are afons. A bit like River Ouse (Sussex, Northamptonshire and Yorkshire)
Unique in England, I think, so thank you for tracking it down. Would you agree that there must be a triple watershed point in Scotland, where a raindrop could divide to flow into the Irish Sea, the Firth of Clyde or the North Sea? The geographers speak of "The Scottish Watershed" dividing eastward and westward flows, without drawing a distinction between the Irish Sea and the Firth of Clyde.
Couldn't find it but that would be a great excuse to visit
I'm not sure if unique, but certainly rare - from some looking a watershed maps, it would seem to be likely there would be one probably just North of Stoke-on-Trent (I think!), splitting to Trent (Humber -> North Sea), Weaver (Mersey, Irish Sea), Severn (I'm going to argue direct to the Atlantic, via the Bristol Channel).
Good shout!
Initially, I'd thought somewhere in very the north of Scotland but of course both north and west of Scotland is all considered North Atlantic.
Somewhere north of Dumfries appears to be a contender with the Tweed east to the North Sea, Clyde west to North Atlantic (or is it?), and Nith south to Irish Sea.
It could be argued that as the North Channel is the stretch between the Irish Sea and North Atlantic into which the Clyde flows, the case for Paul and Rebecca's location is stronger.
Yep, nice dog "Bourbon". Great video. My I suggest your square millimetre is 3.5 mm too far to the northwest?
I live about 1km west of the Australian Great Divide. From my nearest point on the Divide a raindrop (or any other type of falling water) could flow west approximately 3200km to the Southern Ocean or east approximately 310km to the Tasman Sea. If I were a raindrop yearning for the seaside I know which way I would go. The journey west is also slow as for most of the journey the average fall is approximately 8cm per kilometre.
Here in Scotland the River Annan flows south into the Solway Firth then the Irish Sea. The River Clyde flows north & west into the Firth of Clyde then the Atlantic Ocean. The River Tweed flows east into the North Sea (the German Ocean). They all rise from the same hill just North of Moffat called Clyde's Nick (Clyde Law). Clinshie Grain feeds the Annan, Sind Hope Burn feeds the Tweed and Clydes Burn feeds the Clyde.
Give me a sharpie and I’ll make hurricanes change their path and I’ll make rivers run uphill.
I’m a stable genius 🎃
It's a tri-point of river catchment areas into different sea areas. I don't think it's unique in the UK. e.g.
Maer Hills, near Stoke on Trent.. Water can flow into the Irish Sea (via Dee), the Bristol channel (via Severn), or the North Sea (via Trent)
Trivia: Water company (formerly water board) service areas were originally allocated based on watershed area boundaries, which makes sense since it's a lot of effort pumping water or sewage uphill.
A quick question
There you were. Trying to find a 1mm square in 52 square miles if Wiltshire
Now what was that music that was playing in the background of the film, vid., digital wotsit that you made? (RSVP)k
Both fascinating and ridiculous in equal measure, but what is even more fascinating is the fact your wife goes along on your adventures (without complaint) with you 😂. Brilliant as always, keep up the good work 👍
That's making the assumption she's a sidekick. She looks equal to me.
Nice video, and interesting as always - but end statement by Paul "This spot is unique for the UK" is incorrect. In north Sussex, just to the north of Horsham, is a similar split. Water flows northwards into the Mole, through the North Downs at Dorking and into the Thames. Water flowing south will go into various rivers: Arun, Adur, Rother depending on how far east-west you are, and each of these catchments will have its own watershed line - so there are two more examples of three-way watersheds. Further west of the Mole is the Wey - also flowing into the Thames.
Mathematically speaking this relationship will be common - less so would be four or more splits.
Watersheds can also be determined from a contour map by drawing lines from all the high and low points to divide the map up into a series of Polygons. Looking at the countours and watersheds of each polygon will show which boundaries are true watersheds to an adjacent catchment and which are receiving or sending water to a neighbouring polygon. (I used to be a cartograhical surveyor and draughtsman in the days before computers when this was done pretty much as I describe here. Volumes, eg: of lakes, mountains or quarries, are also worked out like this although the calculation is a little more complex as 3D rather than 2)
Google.maps in map view is also excellent for this - it shows watercourses in blue to a better detail level than even the 25K OS maps do - useful when considering large fields with ditch that themselves drain in different directions.
I'm pretty sure there must be a spot in Mid-Wales where water can run into the Bristol Channel (River Severn), Cardigan Bay (Rheidol or Mawddach) and Irish Sea (River Dee) (i.e. south, west and north coasts of Wales).
There's the River Dane (see Wikipedia) whose main river is part of the Mersey catchment and flows into the Irish Sea. However, a portion of the water can be diverted via canal feeders into Rudyard Lake and subsequently the Caldon Canal. This water discharges eventually into the River Trent and ultimately into the North Sea, having crossed the English watershed. That's pretty strange and possibly unique, I think. Must confuse the raindrops who thought they knew where they were headed!
That was fascinating. The issue is probably that the weather may come from any direction and may drop rain on any side. The water then accumulates in the water table and that probably drains out in all three (or more) directions. The trick would be to work out the extent of the water table in any direction. You may have pinpointed its centre though.
It would be an equally fascinating piece of research to determine if other water tables leaked out in multiple (more than 2) directions. Malvern Hills, Penines , Scottish borders ...might be good candidates. Tyne, Tweed, Solway, Clyde ....oooh that point might be near me.
This sounds very complicated.
OMG amazing video awesome you guys really help me when I down. Thanks