{{Short description|River in Cumbria, England}} {{refimprove|date=February 2024}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Use British English|date=February 2024}} [[File:Stepping Stones - geograph.org.uk - 5528.jpg|right|thumb|310px|[[Step-stone bridge|Stepping stones]] on the Rothay near [[Rydal, Cumbria|Rydal]]]]
'''The Rothay''' is a [[spate river]] of the [[Lake District]] in north-west [[England]]. Its name comes from [[Old Norse]] and translates literally as ''the red one''. This has come to mean ''trout river''.{{Clarify|date=October 2009|reason=how does red come to mean trout?}} It rises close to [[Rough Crag]] above [[Dunmail Raise]] at a point about 1542 feet (470 m) above [[sea level]] ({{gbmapping|NY306108}}). Its catchment area covers [[Grasmere Common]] including [[Easedale Tarn]], the southern flanks of [[Fairfield (Lake District)|Fairfield]], and several of the fells to the east of Dunmail Raise, including [[Great Rigg]], [[Rydal Fell]], [[Scandale Fell]] and [[Heron Pike]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Rothay Water Body |url=https://environment.data.gov.uk/catchment-planning/WaterBody/GB112073071140 |website=Catchment Data Explorer |publisher=Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs |access-date=12 February 2024}}</ref>
From its source the Rothay descends through the valley of Greenburn Bottom to the hamlet of [[Helmside]] not far from the main [[A591 road]] over Dunmail Raise. Just north of the [[Grasmere (village)|village of Grasmere]] the river subsumes [[Easedale Gill]] and [[Sour Milk Gill]], the latter flowing out of Easedale Tarn. In the village the river flows close to the churchyard where the poet [[William Wordsworth|Wordsworth]] is buried. The Rothay then flows into the head of the [[Grasmere (lake)|lake of Grasmere]] (elevation 208 feet/63 m). As well as replenishing Grasmere, the Rothay also drains it, flowing for just half a mile (800 m) from the southern end of the lake before replenishing [[Rydal Water]] (elevation 181 feet/55 m) at its western extremity. The Rothay drains Rydal from its easternmost point and then flows in a general southerly direction for about three miles (4.8 km) before merging with the [[River Brathay]] at Croft Lodge south-west of [[Ambleside]]. From there the rivers flow into the northern end of [[Windermere]]. In addition to those tributaries already noted, several others are subsumed by the Rothay.
About a mile (1.6 km) north of Ambleside the Rothay is crossed by a well-known set of stepping stones. Several sections of the Rothay are popular with [[canoeing|canoeists]], including the section between Grasmere and Rydal; the river is graded as 2+. The Rothay is a trout fishery where [[brown trout]] can be caught. [[Angling|Anglers]] should enquire locally about licences (an Environment Agency Rod Licence is required).
The River Rothay is wholly within the historic county of [[Westmorland]]. After local government reorganisation in 1974 the river was in the administrative county of [[Cumbria]]. Following further local government reorganisation in 2023 the river flows within the council area administered by [[Westmorland and Furness Council]].
==See also== {{Commons category}} {{Portal|Cumbria}}
*[[Cunsey Beck]] *[[River Leven, Cumbria|River Leven]] *[[Trout Beck]] *[[Rotha Clay]] *[[Rydal Beck]] *[[Stock Ghyll]]
==References== {{reflist}}
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[[Category:Rivers of Cumbria]] [[Category:Leven catchment|1Rothay]]