Welcome to the Axe Valley Website.
(This river and web site information should not be confused with the River Axe in Somerset.)
The River Axe is a river in Devon, Dorset and Somerset in the south-west of England. It rises near Beaminster in Dorset then flows west and then south by Axminster and joins the English Channel at Axmouth having latterly run through the area known as the Seaton Wetlands and finally in to the sea near Seaton in Lyme Bay. During its 22 mile course it is fed by various streams and by the tributary rivers Yarty and Coly.
Starting in Beaminster the Axe actually runs almost north and inland before sweeping around in a large curve and starting its course more or less due south from Crewekerne.
It is today a shallow, non-navigable river, although its mouth at Axmouth has some boating activity and a small yacht club.
In 1999, a section of the river extending for around 8 miles from the confluence with the Blackwater River to Colyford Bridge was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), this is the area generally known as the Seaton Wetlands.
It is today a shallow, non-navigable river, although its mouth at Axmouth has some boating activity and a small yacht club.
In 1999, a section of the river extending for around 8 miles from the confluence with the Blackwater River to Colyford Bridge was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), this is the area generally known as the Seaton Wetlands.