River Tweed

The River Tweed, or Tweed Water (Scottish Gaelic: Uisge Thuaidh [ɯʃgʲə huəj]), is a river 97 miles (156 km)¹ long that flows east across the Border region in Scotland and northern England. Tweed cloth derives its name from its association with the River Tweed.² The Tweed is one of the great salmon rivers of Britain and the only river in England where an Environment Agency rod licence is not required for angling. The river generates a large income for the Borders region, attracting anglers from all around the world.³

Etymology

Tweed may represent an Old Brittonic name meaning "border".⁴ A doubtful proposal is that the name is derived from a non-Celtic form of the Indo-European root *teuha- meaning "swell, grow powerful".⁵

Course

The River Tweed flows primarily through the scenic Borders region of Scotland. Eastwards from the settlements on opposing banks of Birgham and Carham it forms the historic boundary between Scotland and England.

It rises in the Lowther Hills at Tweed's Well near the rising points of the Clyde – draining northwest (10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the Tweed's Well) – and the Annan, draining south (1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the Tweed's Well).

"Annan, Tweed, and Clyde rise oot o' ae hillside" is a saying from the Border region. East of , it becomes a section of the eastern part of the border. Entering England, its lower reaches are in , where it enters the at . For only 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) of its course is it purely in England, and for 30 kilometres (19 mi) it forms the border between England and Scotland.