The Thames is the longest river located entirely within England and the second longest river in the UK after the River Severn, which flows through Wales and England. The Thames starts in the Cotswolds and flows through the city of Oxford, where it is traditionally known as the Isis, before reaching London.
The river meets the sea at the Thames estuary, located between the counties of Essex and Kent.
2. Tyne
Answer: England
The River Tyne starts near the town of Hexham in Northumberland at a place called Warden Rock where the North Tyne and the South Tyne merge. The river then flows eastwards before entering the North Sea. The river serves as the boundary between the boroughs of Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead.
There are a number of famous bridges linking the two including the Tyne Bridge which was built in 1928 and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, a foot and cycle bridge which was opened in 2001. The Tyne is also crossed by the Tyne Tunnel, a road tunnel under the river connecting Jarrow and Wallsend.
3. Trent
Answer: England
The Trent is the third longest river in the UK. The source of the river is Biddulph Moor in Staffordshire and the Trent then flows through Stoke-on-Trent, Burton-on-Trent and Nottingham. The river joins with the Yorkshire River Ouse to form the Humber Estuary.
4. Tamar
Answer: England
The River Tamar is located in south west England and forms a large part of the boundary between the counties of Devon and Cornwall. The river has its source on Woolley Moor and then flows in a southerly direction before reaching the sea at Plymouth. Two small reservoirs have been built near to the start of the river; the first, called Lower Tamar Lake, was designed to feed the Bute Canal and was built in the 1820s while the more modern Upper Tamar Lake was added in the 1970s and is used as a reservoir for drinking water supplies.
5. Tay
Answer: Scotland
The Tay is the largest river in Scotland. The source of the river is the mountain Ben Lui in western Scotland; the Tay then flows in an easterly direction passing through the Lochs Dochart, Lubhair and Tay before flowing through the city of Perth and then into the Firth of Tay near Dundee.
The river is associated with the Tay Bridge Disaster of 1879 when the Tay Rail Bridge near Dundee collapsed as a train passed over it resulting in the loss of 75 people.
6. Spey
Answer: Scotland
The Spey is a river in northern Scotland which flows north easterly from Loch Spey to the Moray Firth. The Spey flows through the towns of Kingussie and Aviemore before entering the Moray Firth near to the town of Elgin. The river is popular with anglers for having good quality fishing for salmon and trout.
The area around the river is also well known for whisky distilleries with the distilleries in the Speyside area producing the greatest quantity of whisky of all of Scotland's whisky areas.
7. Clyde
Answer: Scotland
The Clyde is a river in southern Scotland formed by the confluence of two smaller waterways, Daer Water and Potrail Water. The river ends when it flows into the Firth of Clyde near Greenock. The Clyde flows through the City of Glasgow and was a major centre of shipbuilding during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.
8. Taff
Answer: Wales
The River Taff is found in Wales. The river starts in the Brecon Beacons as two separate rivers called the Taf Fechan and the Taf Fawr which converge north of Merthyr Tydfil to form the Taff proper. The river flows in a southerly direction and through the city of Cardiff before it reaches the sea at Cardiff Bay.
In the 1840s the path of the Taff in Cardiff was diverted to the west in order to create more space for the city's railway station.
9. Teifi
Answer: Wales
The Teifi starts at a lake called Llyn Teifi in the Cambrian Mountains. This is one of a series of lakes called the Teifi Pools which were created by glacial activity. The river flows through the town of Cardigan before reaching the sea at Cardigan Bay.
The town of Cardigan is called Aberteifi in the Welsh language which translates as Mouth of the Teifi. The river is used as the boundary between the Welsh counties of Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion.
10. Conwy
Answer: Wales
The Conwy is a 34 mile long river found in north Wales. The river's source is the lake Llyn Conwy on the Migneint moors in Snowdonia and it flows in a northerly direction before reaching the town of Conwy where the river enters the sea at Conwy Bay. Conwy is the site of one of the first suspension bridges which was built by Thomas Telford in the 1820s to carry people over the River Conwy.
11. Lagan
Answer: Northern Ireland
The River Lagan is a 53 mile river in Northern Ireland. The source of the Lagan is the Slieve Croob mountain in County Down and the river flows through the city of Lisburn before reaching Belfast where it enters the Irish Sea through Belfast Lough. The Lagan was historically important to the industrial development of Belfast but as industry declined the river front saw a number of regeneration projects aimed at turning this into a residential and leisure area.
12. Bann
Answer: Northern Ireland
The River Bann is the longest river in Northern Ireland and consists of the Upper and Lower Bann which are connected via Lough Neagh. The Upper Bann has its source at Slieve Muck in the Mourne Mountains and flows for 40 miles before entering Lough Neagh at Bannfoot.
The Lower Bann then starts at Lough Neagh and flows for 40 miles before reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Barmouth. The Lower Bann has had five locks added to ease navigation of the river.
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