Corfe River
| Corfe River | |
|---|---|
 Mouth of Corfe River at Wych Lake | |
| Basin | |
| Main source |
North Egliston, about 1.5 km W of Steeple, Isle of Purbeck 85 m[1] 50°37′30″N 2°07′42″W / 50.62510°N 2.12821°W |
| River mouth |
Wych Lake, Poole Harbour 0 m |
| Basin size | 33.922 km2[2] |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Length | 8.805 km[2] |
The Corfe River is one of the four main rivers flowing into Poole Harbour in the county of Dorset, England. It is just under 9 kilometres long.[2]
Name
The Saxon name for Corfe River was the Wichen; this survives in the names of Wytch Farm, Upper Wych Channel, Wytch Heath and Wytch, or Wych, Lake. Wichen may have derived from wics which meant "dairy farm", an indication that the area may not always have been heathland.[3]
Course
The Corfe River rises near North Egliston about 11/2 km west of the hamlet of Steeple, between the Purbeck Hills and the coastal ridge. The river initially flows eastwards towards Corfe Castle. Just before reaching the village it swings north-northeast through the gap in the Purbecks between West Hill and East Hill and continues across Wytch Heath before emptying into Wych (or Wytch) Lake on the southern side of Poole Harbour.[1][2]
Water quality
In 2013 the Corfe River's water body quality was graded overall "poor" by the Environment Agency.[2]