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The River Tweed, or Tweed Water (Scottish Gaelic: Abhainn Thuaidh, Scots: Watter o Tweid, Welsh: Tuedd), is a river 97 miles (156 km) 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.[1] 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. Tweed is an Old Brythonic (Celtic) name meaning 'border'[2].

River Tweed
River Tweed at Coldstream.jpg
The River Tweed at Coldstream
CountryUnited Kingdom
PartScotland, England
Physical characteristics
SourceTweed's Well
 ⁃ locationTweedsmuir, Scottish Borders, Scotland
 ⁃ coordinates55°26′42″N 3°29′46″W﻿ / ﻿55.445°N 3.496°W﻿ / 55.445; -3.496
MouthNorth Sea
 ⁃ location
Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England
 ⁃ coordinates
55°45′55″N 1°59′27″W﻿ / ﻿55.7652°N 1.9909°W﻿ / 55.7652; -1.9909Coordinates: 55°45′55″N 1°59′27″W﻿ / ﻿55.7652°N 1.9909°W﻿ / 55.7652; -1.9909
Length156 km (97 mi)



The catchment area of the Tweed

It flows primarily through the scenic Borders region of Scotland, and eastwards from the settlements on opposing banks of Birgham and Carham forms the historic boundary between Scotland and England.

It rises in the Lowther Hills at Tweed's Well near to where 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) also rise. "Annan, Tweed and Clyde rise oot the ae hillside" is a saying from the Border region.[3] East of Kelso, it becomes a section of the eastern part of the border. Entering England, its lower reaches are in Northumberland, where it enters the North Sea at Berwick-upon-Tweed.


The river's valley floor is a drumlin field and the relic of a paleo-ice stream that flowed through the area during the last glaciation. Major towns through which the Tweed flows include Innerleithen, Peebles, Galashiels, Melrose, Kelso, Coldstream and Berwick-upon-Tweed, where it flows into the North Sea. Tweed tributaries include:

The upper parts of the catchment of the Tweed in Scotland form the area known as Tweeddale, part of which is protected as the Upper Tweeddale National Scenic Area, one of 40 such areas in Scotland which are defined so as to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to ensure its protection from inappropriate development.[4]

See alsoEdit



  1. ^ Article on Tweed Cloth
  2. ^ "University of Wales Dictionary". University of Wales Dictionary. University of Wales. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  3. ^ The Tweed: Take a trip on a river flowing with history, The Independent, 21 April 2007

External linksEdit