River Great Ouse
| River Great Ouse | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Origin | near Syresham in Northamptonshire |
| Mouth | King's Lynn |
| Basin countries | England |
| Length | 240 km (150 miles) |
| Source elevation | 115 m (380 feet) |
The River Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. It is 150 miles (240 km) long which makes it the major navigation in East Anglia, and the fourth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The lower reaches of the Great Ouse are also known as "Old West River" and "the Ely Ouse". The name Ouse is from the Celtic or pre-Celtic *Udso-s, and probably means simply "water".
The river has several sources close to the villages of Syresham and Sulgrave in Northamptonshire. It flows through Brackely,Buckingham, Milton Keynes at Stony Stratford, Newport Pagnell, Olney, Kempston, Bedford,St Neots, Godmanchester, Huntingdon,Houghton, Hemingford Grey, St Ives, the cathedral city of Ely, Littleport, Downham Market and enters The Wash at King's Lynn.
The Environment Agency is the navigation authority and it attempts to attract more boaters to the river.
The Ouse Washes are an internationally important area for wildlife.
The Great Ouse at
Rowing
In 1944 the annual boat race between the Oxford and Cambridge universities took place on this river, between Littleport and Queen Adelaide, the only time that it has not been held on the Thames; it was won by Oxford.
The Great Ouse is now used by CUBC, CUWBC and CULRC for training.