The River Fowey
Follow the magnificent River Fowey as it winds through the heart of CornwallThe River Fowey, Cornwall
Beginning its life at Fowey Well on the windy heights of Bodmin Moor, the River Fowey winds its way across 27 miles of beautiful Cornish landscape, eventually spilling out into the sea at Fowey.
Alongside so many of Cornwall’s best loved features, the River Fowey can be found. Standing on top of Brown Willy, you can see the Fowey carving through the expanse of Bodmin Moor below. Beyond, it feeds into Siblyback Lake, skirts along the front of Trago Mills, flows through the centre of Lostwithiel and winds up at the breathtaking Fowey coastline. So much more than a body of water, the River Fowey is key to the Cornish identity, its landscape and its people.
The name “Fowey” comes from the rIver’s Cornish name “Fowydh”, which means “beech trees”.
The Fowey provides much of the Cornish water supply, ensuring the taps keep flowing in our homes and businesses.
Get involved on the River Fowey
If you love your local river, understand how vital it is to you in your life and share our passion for keeping it healthy for you and your community, then there are many ways for you to get involved. Whether it’s helping on a river clean-up day, becoming a river scientist, going on a river walk or simply making a donation, working together we can help your river bring water to life for many years and generations to come. You can share your stories of the River Fowey with us too – we’d love to hear them.
A stroll by Golitha Falls…
We have teamed up with iwalk Cornwall to bring you a selection of the most beautiful river walks along the Fowey.
On the edge of Bodmin Moor, under the shelter of the ancient oak woodland, Golitha Falls is an ideal place for a riverside walk.
Here, dropping 90 metres from the moorland above to the lowland below, the River Fowey gushes across a series of cascades, coiling through the dense woodland.
And, as it flows, a well trodden footpath mirrors its dramatic descent.
Following the river’s course through the seasons, this much loved walking route takes you past blankets of bluebells and fallen leaves, tangles of tree roots, thickets of blackberries, moss covered boulders and remnants of the Wheal Maria copper mine; all with the rushing Fowey below.
Come summer or winter, the river at Golitha Falls, carving through its extraordinary woodland setting, is a truly stunning place to stretch your legs.
Explore other rivers of the Westcountry...
From Roman times to the present day, Westcountry rivers have been an ever-present thread running through our communities, our culture and our heritage. Ever increasingly, we have come to realise how wonderful it is to spend time on, in or near a river and they are so often the backdrop to our fondest memories of days spent outdoors, being active and spending time with nature.
