About the Great Ouse
The River Great Ouse is unique. It is distinctive.
It evokes many things to different people, whether it's the heritage or the recreation it affords to swimmers, paddleboarders, fishermen, boat users and wildlife enthusiasts.
All of these people value the tranquility and escape this unique landscape provides.
The Great Ouse, the fifth longest river in the UK, together with its tributaries sustains people and nature across a catchment of 8,500 km2 stretching from Northamptonshire to the Wash.
While it is mainly rural, it's one of the fastest growing areas in the country with approximately 1.7 million people living in the catchment already. Its significant tributaries include the rivers Tove, Ouzel, Cam, Ivel, Lark, Little Ouse, Wissey and Nar.
The once extensive wetlands of the Fens were drained to allow for agriculture and navigation. This resulted in some of the UK’s most productive farm soils but left only fragments of natural fenland habitat. The river has been important both for drainage and navigation for centuries, with 255 km of navigable waterway and 22 locks. However these dual roles have not always been complementary.
Despite huge modification, the Great Ouse remains vital for nature. Across the catchment, it has a range of river types and wetland habitats: from internationally important chalk streams to slow-flowing fenland rivers and from rare fens to floodplain grasslands and reedbeds. This is reflected in the number of designated nature conservation sites, including seven globally-important Ramsar wetlands, 14 European Special Protection Areas and Special Areas of Conservation, and 241 Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
The river is one of the most accessible in the country.
It is navigable by boat from above Bedford to Kings Lynn.
For walkers, there are two long distance paths. The Ouse Valley Way takes you from source to sea while the Fen Rivers Way runs from Pope’s Corner to King’s Lynn. Despite this, there is much to do to ensure that everyone is able to enjoy the river and its wildlife, irrespective of their background.
There are three navigation authorities, three water companies, four catchment partnerships, boating associations, 'friends of' groups, fishing clubs, canoe, rowing, swimming clubs and associations.
Like most UK rivers, the Great Ouse currently suffers from past environmental impacts and new threats from escalating development and climate change, such as:
● Pollution, including nutrient run-off from agriculture, new developments, effluent from water treatment works, and plastic waste.
● Water scarcity and low flows caused by the water-demand pressures of development and agriculture.
● Loss of nature and habitats because of invasive species and through the modification of rivers and their floodplains for drainage, development and flood defence.
The river and its tributaries face challenges and threats and whilst there are many interested organisations involved there has been no single body co-ordinating and facilitating work across the area.