The Great Ouse is a river that flows through eastern England flowing for a length of 240 km (150 miles) making it one of the longest rivers in the UK after the Severn, the Thames and the Trent. The Great Ouse River, ouse is believed to be an ancient celtic word connoting water, originates in Northamptonshire near the villages Syresham and Sulgrave situated in the southern parts of the county.
The river flows in a west to east direction passing through Brackley, Buckingham, Milton Keynes, Newport Pagnell, Bedford, St. Ives, Ely and Downham Market before emptying in to the North Sea by way of the Wash estuary at King's Lynn; the river is also referred to as the Old West River and the Ely Ouse especially in its lower stretches.
The region where the Great Ouse flows in to the Wash is a specially protected area on account of the site being a nesting place of several species of birds while the surrounding water are rich in marine fauna.
It is possible to walk the entire length of the river from its source near Brackley to the Wash as a result of the building of the Ouse Valley way which makes for an interesting sight seeing tour passing through picturesque villages situated in the countryside and ancient towns where one can visit equally ancient cathedrals and churches.
The river flows in a west to east direction passing through Brackley, Buckingham, Milton Keynes, Newport Pagnell, Bedford, St. Ives, Ely and Downham Market before emptying in to the North Sea by way of the Wash estuary at King's Lynn; the river is also referred to as the Old West River and the Ely Ouse especially in its lower stretches.
The region where the Great Ouse flows in to the Wash is a specially protected area on account of the site being a nesting place of several species of birds while the surrounding water are rich in marine fauna.
It is possible to walk the entire length of the river from its source near Brackley to the Wash as a result of the building of the Ouse Valley way which makes for an interesting sight seeing tour passing through picturesque villages situated in the countryside and ancient towns where one can visit equally ancient cathedrals and churches.