- See also Don Valley (constituency)
The River Don is a river in South Yorkshire, England. It rises in the Pennines and flows for 112 km (70 miles) eastwards, through the Don Valley, via Penistone, Sheffield, Rotherham, Mexborough, Conisbrough, Doncaster and Stainforth. It joins the River Ouse at Goole in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
The Don's major tributaries are the Dearne, the Rother, the Sheaf, the Rivelin and the Loxley.
Along the Sheffield–Rotherham stretch of the river are five weirs that punctuate a local footpath: the Five Weirs Walk.
Some of the twistier sections of the Don are abridged by a series of canal cuttings that constitute the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation.
The industrial nature of the region has led to a severe pollution problem for the river, although this has abated somewhat over recent years, with salmon reported in the river near Doncaster.
Fig trees grow on a stretch of the river bank in Sheffield; the seeds having germinated successfully thanks to the increased warmth of the water near factory outfalls.
The Don derives its name from Danu, a Celtic mother goddess.
See also
