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I was in town today, as the dogs had their annual checkup and MOT, so took the opportunity to have a riverside walk

alongside that area of the River Derwent that I looked down on from Cockermouth Castle earlier this year.

It seemed that this was a popular walk for towns folk, as almost all of those I met this morning were also out walking their dogs.

Gote Bridge crossing the River Derwent at the bottom end of Cockermouth.

The grassy area alongside the river is known as the Memorial Gardens and is popular relaxation area on a sunny day.

Walking upstream on the well established footpath, I soon get site of the confluence of the Derwent and our own River Cocker.

The side river gives its name to the town of course, for this is the "mouth of the Cocker".

Continuing up the riverbank this side brings me to the Castle, towering above what is now the solo River Derwent.

On the wide open area opposite the castle there's an information board to read.

Hope it all makes sense.

The path continues . . . and so do the dogs and I.

A short distance beyond the field there appears to be an old weir,

its cobbled face ending abruptly where it has been washed out by the river.

- - - o o o - - -

A bridge crosses what appears to be an old water channel

which has the remnants of machinery

that would have been used to control a sluice gate at this point.

This was the start of the 'Goat Mills' Race

a water channel or leat that fed the many water mills

that used to work on this side of the river.

The leat was in already existence in the 16th Century (1500's)

and was believed to have been widened and improved

during the rein of Queen Elizabeth I. (1533 - 1603)

It served the local mills till the 20th Century (see photo below).

- - - o o o - -

The water leat may have followed an old meander to the River Derwent and can be seen as the thin blue line on the information board.

Above the bridge a stile gives access to a field from where you can get a view of the river upstream.

The island in the middle splits the river and the opposite channel acted as a natural overflow for excess water held back by the weir.

Nowadays the water channel has been permanently blocked by a concrete wall,

presumably to prevent flooding of the Gote side of the town.

[ The word Gote is thought to be a derivative of the Icelandic word 'Gioto' meaning 'drain'.]

Time to be heading back, reversing our outward walk.

	- - - o o o - - - In the undergrowth at the back of the big field is a clearing with the remains of a sluice gate. Presumably in its day this would have been used to spill water from the channel for control and maintenance purposes. It was re-discovered recently, after the 2009 floods had removed a significant amount of undergrowth that had hidden it for years. - - - o o o - - -