The source or beginning of most rivers is rainwater which collects in small hollows or gullies and trickles over the surface of the land. This is exactly what happens at the source of the River Severn.

Where is the source of the River Severn?

Britain's longest river begins its journey in a deep, blanket-peat bog, 610 m (2,001 ft) above sea level on the northeastern slopes of Plynlimon, the highest point of the Cambrian Mountains in Wales.

Percy point to the post marking the source of the Severn.

Source

• location Plynlimon, Cambrian Mountains, Powys, Wales
• elevation 610 m (2,001 ft)
• coordinates 52.493465°N 3.734578°W

The source of the River Severn is marked by a large post inscribed in both Welsh and in English.

The words on the post are written in both English and Welsh

It rains a lot in the mountains of Wales

The area around the source of the Severn receives an annual precipitation (rainfall) up to about 2.5 metres! This keeps the ground soaked in water for much of the year.

Pooh and his friends had to be careful that they remained on the path as the ground was very wet.

The ground around the source is very wet.

Pooh wanted to put his boat on the water, but unfortunately for Pooh it was thick with reeds.

Click here to watch a video of the landscape around the Source

Key Vocabulary

Source
The point at which a river starts.

Precipitation
A general term for all forms of water particles ­ rain, snow, sleet, dew, hail etc.