Wanderlust World Wanderlust World England has thousands of watercourses, but hydrologists typically recognize ~25 "main rivers" (designated by the Environment Agency) plus numerous significant tributaries. Below are the longest rivers wholly or primarily in England, ranked by length:
| Rank | River | Length (mi) | Length (km) | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | River Severn | 220 | 354 | UK's longest; source in Wales, flows through Shrewsbury, Worcester, Gloucester to Bristol Channel. |
| 2 | River Thames | 215 | 346 | England's longest wholly English river; flows through Oxford, Reading, Windsor, London to North Sea. |
| 3 | River Trent | 185 | 298 | Midlands artery; flows through Stoke, Nottingham, Newark to Humber Estuary. |
| 4 | River Great Ouse | 143 | 230 | East Anglia; heavily modified for drainage (Fens); flows to The Wash. |
| 5 | River Wye | 134 | 215 | Border river (England/Wales); famed for salmon, scenery, Tintern Abbey. |
| 6 | River Ure/Ouse (Yorkshire) | 129 | 208 | Yorkshire Dales to Humber via York; Ure becomes Ouse. |
| 7 | River Nene | 100 | 161 | East Midlands to The Wash; navigable to Northampton. |
| 8 | River Avon (Warwickshire) | 96 | 154 | Shakespeare's Avon; flows through Stratford, Warwick to Severn. |
| 9 | River Eden (Cumbria) | 90 | 145 | Lake District to Solway Firth; salmon river. |
| 10 | River Dee (Cheshire) | 70 | 113 | Wales/England border; Chester to Liverpool Bay. |
| 11 | River Mersey | 70 | 113 | Formed by Goyt/Tame; Liverpool icon; tidal estuary. |
| 12 | River Ribble | 75 | 121 | Yorkshire Dales to Preston, Lancashire coast. |
| 13 | River Tees | 85 | 137 | Pennines to Teesmouth; High Force waterfall. |
| 14 | River Tyne | 73 | 118 | North/South Tyne meet at Hexham; Newcastle/Gateshead. |
| 15 | River Swale | 71 | 114 | Yorkshire Dales; fastest rising river in England. |
| 16 | River Wear | 60 | 97 | Pennines to Sunderland; Durham Cathedral setting. |
| 17 | River Derwent (Derbyshire) | 66 | 106 | Peak District to Trent; Derwent Valley Mills WHS. |
| 18 | River Exe | 57 | 92 | Exmoor to Exeter, Exmouth estuary. |
| 19 | River Stour (Kent/Sussex) | 47 | 76 | East Kent to Pegwell Bay; Canterbury. |
| 20 | River Medway | 70 | 113 | Kent to Thames estuary; historic dockyard at Chatham. |
| 21 | River Dart | 47 | 75 | Dartmoor to Dartmouth; iconic estuary. |
| 22 | River Humber | 41 | 66 | Estuary formed by Trent/Ouse; major port complex. |
| 23 | River Camel | 30 | 48 | Cornwall; Padstow estuary; salmon/sea trout. |
| 24 | River Tamar | 61 | 98 | Devon/Cornwall border; Plymouth Sound. |
| 25 | River Colne (Essex) | 52 | 84 | Essex to Brightlingsea; Colchester. |
Note: "Swindon" in the source is not a river (it's a town). The River Ray (tributary of Thames) flows near Swindon. Lengths vary slightly by source; rankings are approximate.