River Mersey's Course: Liverpool and Chester, Not Manchester

The River Mersey does not flow through Manchester. It forms at the confluence of the River Goyt and River Tame near Stockport, then flows west through southern Greater Manchester and Cheshire. It passes through the towns of Warrington, Widnes, and Runcorn before widening into a broad estuary between Liverpool (north bank) and Birkenhead/Wallasey (south bank) on the Wirral Peninsula, finally entering Liverpool Bay on the Irish Sea. Chester lies on the River Dee, a separate system. Manchester's principal rivers are the Irwell, Medlock, and Irk, which join the Mersey catchment via the Manchester Ship Canal—but the Mersey itself bypasses the city center. The confusion may stem from the Mersey's extensive catchment area, which includes parts of Greater Manchester.