River Lowther

Lowther
Lowther
	The River Lowther where it joins the River Eamont close to Brougham Castle
Location
Country	United Kingdom
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	the confluence of the Keld Gill and the Keld Dub near the village of Keld
Mouth
• location	confluence with River Eamont

The River Lowther is a small river which flows through limestone rock in Cumbria, England.^[1] It is a tributary of the River Eamont which in turn is a tributary of the River Eden which flows into the Solway Firth near Carlisle. The Lowther begins with the confluence of the and the near the village of Keld.^[2] It flows north-west until it passes between Bampton and Bampton Grange, before turning north until it flows into the River Eamont close to Penrith.^[2]

It is the main spawning area for Eden spring salmon, but is primarily a trout fishery.^[1] The river is held back by the Wet Sleddale dam, and so flows at a fairly consistent level (between 0.33 m and 1.8 m for 90% of monitoring time), with the highest level ever recorded at the River Lowther (2.93 m) occurring at Eamont Bridge, Beehive, on Sunday 6 December 2015.^[1]^[3]

Its name is recorded about 1175 as Lauder.^[4] It may come from Old Norse lauðr + á, meaning "foamy river".^[5] Or else, it may come from Brittonic lǭwadr, "a washing or bathing place",^[6] which would give it the same etymology as Lauder, Scotland.