The Unique Street In Somerset, UK.

[@pwhitewick]

Its rather unfortunate that I feel we need to point out that this was obviously filmed prior to the current UK isolation measures. But sadly we do. Ladies and gents. This was filmed prior to the UK isolation measures. Stay Safe peeps.

[@chriszanf]

Hopefully this was filmed prior to the UK's isolation measures and if so, you should point that out! [edit] There is a guy who has mapped all of the worlds river basins: www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/these-beautiful-maps-capture-rivers-that-pulse-through-our-world-180971789/

[@BibTheBoulderTheOriginalOne]

@@geofftech2 Can I have a heart if I call myself Geoff and tell you I have been to Corrour many many times....?

[@pwhitewick]

@@BibTheBoulderTheOriginalOne Nope.

[@marvintpandroid2213]

www.riversnetwork.org/rbo/index.php/river-blogs/west-europa/item/2461-united-kingdom-watersheds-map Stay safe

[@hanskniezand2049]

@@geofftech2 Britain's Least Used Station..........most of them now!

[@trescatrevor]

This subject is very important for Highway Engineers. The clue is in the name. The highways ran on the high ground and the byeways on the low, floodable, muddy land. Hence the more reliable roads were the Highways. The big advantage of the river basin perimeters is that you will not need to build any bridges. This explains why the A30 follows this line. Thank you for your straightforward explanation.

[@pwhitewick]

Well that I never knew! Thank you

[@andyalder7910]

And before engineers we had ridgeways.

[@rogerbradbury9713]

Of course! I noticed this recently about a local road but hadn't thought about why. It's the A421 between Buckingham and Milton Keynes. For the most part it runs along a ridge between two sub basins. It mostly follows a Roman road, which in turn very likely follows even older tracks. Near there, the A413 from Buckingham to Aylesbury is the "new" 1722 turnpike, replacing a route that was lower and wetter.

[@phillshas1935]

Also the A30 before it was the A30 was the main stage route from London to Cornwall. 👍

[@chubeye1187]

Old English heahweg "main road from one town to another;" hence you will fine very few roads on high ground.

[@timeflysintheshop]

Yes. This sort of thing has crossed my mind many times. I live just south of a watershed dividing line, and work just north of it. To the north, the water goes to small tributaries leading to the Cuyahoga river that passes through Cleveland Ohio into lake Erie, then niagara falls, then lake Ontario, then the St. Lawrence river and seaway to the Atlantic ocean. To the South, the water goes to small tributaries leading to the Tuscarawas river, then to the Ohio River, then to the Mississippi River and into the Gulf of Mexico. So you can send the water on dramatically different paths from the tip of the watershed. I have never been there, but you can do the same at the continental divide in the Rockies. To the east it will go through many rivers and such until it reaches the Gulf of Mexico, and the other side will ultimately go to the Pacific.

[@Brian3989]

In Wales the mountain Plynlimon has the sources of three rivers, Severn, Wye and Rheidol on different sides.

[@alanclarke4646]

Yes. Many moons ago I walked up to the source of the Severn. The marker for the source of the Age was only a few yards away.

[@tardismole]

Short, sweet, amusing and informative. Perfect for when we're stuck indoors with only youtube for company. Thanks for sharing.

[@anneandchasmay3311]

tardis mole , wasn’t short enough. 8 minutes of wobbling on trying to be witty and cool presenters before finally getting the one fairly interesting fact across. Stick to their day jobs please. Life’s too short. 😏

[@britishreaction54]

Very interesting. I'm stuck on a ship in the Gulf of Mexico and can't get home to the UK. My family are safe in the UK. This is just the antidote I needed. You and All The Stations and the engineering you tubers I watch Ard more important than ever. Thank you.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Carl. Glad to have lightened the day a little for you. Hang on in there and we will try to keep producing the vids.

[@jameswilliamson4508]

In Australia, Woodlawn mine near Canberra sits on top of the Great Dividing Range: to the east drains to the Pittwater north of Sydney and into the Pacific. To the west drains into the Murray-Darling basin, and reaches the sea 700 miles away near Adelaide. The same is true for the town of Toowoomba, east of the New England Highway drains to the Brisbane river, to the west also drains to the Murray-Darling, 1000 miles away.

[@michaelbattman2971]

It was a long time ago now, but in my final year at university we did a tour of Central Wales which involved a walk over the hills near Newtown. We got to the source of the River Severn, we were told that less than a 100 yards ago was the source of the River Dee. One hits the Irish Sea near Chester; the other the Bristol Channel near Chepstow. Excellent video

[@aliendon73]

You have similiar channels of water running down the main street in Wells Somerset, plus a bonus you can have alook at the place they filmed Hot Fuzz with Simon Pegg

[@OliverLee390]

I can't be the only one that as a young lad jumped over them and consequently fell in. ;D

[@sashadomo3100]

The US had continent sized divides like this. The Eastern divide separated water flows between the Mississippi River and the Atlantic. The Continental Divide separates water between the Pacific and the Mississippi. They both run the whole height of the country.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Romo. I wonder if there are any specific quirky bits of the divide

[@JemAtherton]

@@pwhitewick British expat in Chicago here, which exists because of a quirk in a continental divide. The land around Chicago is flat enough here that they were able to build a canal across it, linking the great lakes with the Mississippi River. Then they reversed the flow of the Chicago River so that it flows towards the Mississippi rather than into the great lakes, meaning that all of Chicago's sewage was carried away from the city's clean water source (Lake Michigan). So every time you run a tap or flush a loo in Chicago, you're effectively pushing water across a continental divide. Even before people started messing with it though, the Des Plaines River, which usually flows towards the Mississippi would sometimes flow across the divide and into Lake Michigan during floods.

[@andrewanderson68]

@@pwhitewick Check out the Parting of the Waters in Wyoming. It's a stream that splits into two - one part flowing to the Pacifc and the other to the Atlantic. Very unique too!

[@bicyclebob30]

Somewhere I have a Kodachrome of me standing next to a sign saying "Continental Divide 12,000 feet". It's in the Colorado Rocky Mountains

[@jefflanam]

At Triple Divide Peak in Glacier National Park, Montana, the Continental Divide splits, with the water to the north flowing into the Arctic Ocean.

[@01jvb]

Hellidon, Northamptonshire, is the start of 3 rivers -the Nene, which flows east to the Wash; the Cherwell, which flows south to join the Thames; and the Leam, which flows west to join the Avon and the Severn and eventually to the Bristol Channel.

[@sheilaleslie1323]

That's interesting, I was thinking about the Nene as I watched the video, thanks for the info. Does the Nene have several sources as I heard it started at Fawsley

[@01jvb]

@@sheilaleslie1323 The Ordnance Survey maps suggest that there are a number of streams which feed into the start of the Nene. The one that passes through Fawsley is shown as originating 2km further west, closer to Hellidon on the slopes of Sharman's Hill.

[@rossdtool]

The Snowy river in Australia used to drain east into the Pacific Ocean. After the war the Snowy Mountain Scheme built dams and 15km of tunnels through the Great Dividing Range mountains to make it flow west into the Murray Darling Basin to irrigate farmland the size of England.

[@pwhitewick]

Brilliant, thanks for sharing.

[@jamesgilbart148]

The term 'watershed' has some relevance here...

[@joeryan1153]

County boundaries in Ireland are often based on water catchment as they link high points in mountains or ranges of hills. On the other hand rivers themselves form boundaries too in Ireland between counties. Two rivers rise on the side of Devils Bit mountain in Ireland; The Suir flows south through Tipperary and joins the River Barrow at Waterford Harbour. The other Rivver is the Nore which flows East then South to Laois and Kilkenny. It eventually joins the Barrow on the border of Kilkenny and Wexford and flows into Waterford Harbour where it rejoins the Suir! The Barrow and the Suir are the 3nd and 3rd longest rivers in Ireland while the Nore is the 6th longest. That makes for a lot of water in Waterford Harbour!

[@Mitch-Hendren]

now that was Fascinating. love quirks like this. keep safe. im stuck indoors for 12 weeks now. 😱

[@BibTheBoulderTheOriginalOne]

You might enjoy 'Patrick Dickinson'.

[@Mitch-Hendren]

@@BibTheBoulderTheOriginalOne thanks for that 👍👍👍👍 I've just watched a couple of his , keeping some back for future viewing.

[@hattyburrow716]

Me too

[@DemonKitty666_]

I work in a pharmacy along forever street in chard and I never knew about the streams, I just thought they were just Isles of water. Great video BTW

[@johnmanchip4414]

Recommended book, Walking the Watershed, by Dave Hewitt. Dave's 80 day, 850 mile walk of the Scottish watershed, from the English border to the north coast, which included over 100,000 metres of ascent and 45 Munros.

[@pwhitewick]

Excellent. I shall purchase this later! Thank you.

[@biggles50405]

My brother and I walked the Dales Way years ago and there's a point where the moor splits water either down the Ribble or the Wharfe. Great vid guys, good to see the great outdoors.

[@geoffwbaU]

Thanks both for cheering me up in these uncertain days. I think this is one of the funniest videos you've made so far !

[@pwhitewick]

Ah thanks Geoff. Check out some of our early videos if you want a giggle.

[@yindee372]

I remember seeing a good example of this on the Tarka Line in Devon - for the first half of the line, the rivers were all running towards Plymouth, but in the second half they were running towards Barnstaple.

[@pwhitewick]

Trains and watersheds!!

[@drecklydave9594]

Close, but by Crediton the Tarka line is alongside water heading towards the Exe and Exeter. There is a 'small' matter of Dartmoor in the way of heading to Plymouth!

[@johnclarke2997]

I suppose the various cars parks around Holme Moss (Location of a BBC transmitter) were water can flow towards Yorkshire and thus River Holme near Holmfirth which eventually reaches the North Sea via the Humber. In the other direction towards Tintwistle Cheshire/Greater Machester, were the water can flow towards River Etherow and thus onwards to the Irish Sea.

[@melgardner8316]

Between Coventry and Birmingham there is an area of high ground that is the watershed between the Severn and Trent basins. However the water doesn’t end up in the logical river. The water to the west of the watershed does not eventually drain into a western river, such as the Severn. All the water EAST of the watershed drains into the Warwickshire Avon and then into the Severn, which takes it into the Bristol Channel on the WEST coast. Similarly the water WEST of the watershed drains into the Tame and then the Trent, which takes it to the Humber Estuary on the EAST coast. This is because the two basins lay diagonally across the Midlands, the Trent basin draining from the west in a north-easterly direction and the Severn basin from the east in a south-westerly direction. Simple isn’t it?

[@pwhitewick]

Haha... Yes very simple.

[@lindamccaughey8800]

Really did enjoy that, totally fascinating. Thanks for taking me along, please stay safe

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Linda, you too

[@SimonFairbourn]

Fascinating subject. I've mulling over eactly where such lines are near where I live where water could flow to the Thames, Kennet or either of two different Avons depending on exactly where you are. Keep safe good people. Hope we all get through this and continue our various explorations later in the year.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Simon, glad to get the cells ticking. Definitely hoping to get back out asap.

[@anvilbrunner.2013]

I know a place like that, where once was an ancient village called Dore. Not to be confused with the contemporary village of Dore, less than two miles away. King Ecgbert of Wessex received some kind of inauguration ceremony on the spot after he'd successfully subdued Mercia. Saxon runes are carved along side the impression of a Saxon era shoe print, on top of some rocks at a nearby vantage point called the Ox stone's. The rune's read from right to left A E & are surrounded in a square margin like a cartouche. I'd hazard that was the exact spot of his ceremony. A roman road goes right by the ancient village site & near the prow of the hill two brooks emerge. The one leading east to the Humber & the other west of the ancient village turning south around the vantage point to the Severn Trent valley. It's an amazing spot. Though uninhabited.

[@markcongdon1063]

Very interesting and something I’d considered whilst driving from Bristol to Bridport recently. The architecture alone in Chard looks well worth the visit so I’ll definitely take a look around some time soon. Thanks for a great video

[@anthonygostling]

great videos as always, keep it up you two.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Tony

[@shaunwest3612]

Great video video Paul and Rebecca, very interesting subject,love the small river running along the path in chard, hope you are well, keep safe👌😀

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Shaun, certainly trying to

[@jameskrell4392]

A great little film brilliantly presented, at one time you could find stuff like this on mainstream TV. I remember Journey Through Britain on Sunday lunchtime in the early seventies and even Dave Allen, the comedian, visiting Cornwall looking at various curiosities in the late seventies. I won't say what I really think of British TV here as its not appropriate but just say thanks guys for such a simple pleasure. Many years ago I stayed at the George on Fore Street in Chard and seeing it mentioned on your old map reminded me.

[@billseymour-jones3224]

Love your videos and so glad that you have a stockpile of them to keep us amused and informed. But, being the pedantic old git that I am, I feel the need to prove to the world just how pedantic I can be! At 0'49" you make the really grating statement that "…it is really unique".On dear. 'Unique' is an absolute, something is either unique or not, something cannot be 'more unique' than something else as that something else cannot be, by definition, unique. End of pedantic rant. I promise I will never mention it again. Honest. (One of the effects of being ever so slightly 'stir crazy' is my excuse.) Now to watch the rest of your vid....

[@pwhitewick]

Ha. Thanks Bill. Point taken. As for a stockpile!.... Eeeek

[@Coltnz1]

Hey Bill! There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being a pedantic old git! This is from one to another! Old, pedantic and proud!

[@steveprabhu9846]

😳

[@Odin029]

Years ago I went to Black Rock Mountain Park in Georgia and the Eastern Continental Divide runs right through that park. The very edge of the Mississippi River Basin is near there. If you pour water off the east and south sides of the mountain, it'll end up in the Atlantic, but if your pour water off the north and west sides, it'll end up the Gulf of Mexico.

[@MrDazP1adv3ntures]

Lot's of energy and I'm liking the channel. I did a video in my local hills during the boxing day floods of 2015. My local hills are the Pennines and the water which runs off them either goes to the north sea or to the Irish sea. It's amazing to think that the cup of water can can flow into two total opposite directions.

[@pwhitewick]

Cheers Mr Daz. Not our normal style of video but needs must when you are running out of content from your outdoor adventures 🤪😬😬

[@MrDazP1adv3ntures]

@@pwhitewick It worked well

[@vanaals]

I once attended a summer camp in the mountains of Montana, in the U.S. Of the many adventures I experienced there, one was to learn to navigate using a drainage map. Another was to spend a week long trek hiking along the Continental Divide. The boundary that runs from Canada down through Central America to Chile. The boundary where, on one side everything flows to the Pacific Ocean, and on the other to the Atlantic. Even now, I watch the water when it rains, to see which way it flows and try to figure what path it will take to find the sea.

[@pwhitewick]

Well that sounds like one hell of an adventure

[@NigelGentry]

I live in Canada and it's amazing to think that a cup of water dropped on the west of the Continental Divide will have a relatively short trip to the Pacific. Whereas, a cup of water dropped on the east side will eventually end up flowing though the Saskatchewan River into the Great Lakes and along the St. Lawrence to the Atlantic. Thousands and Thousands of kilometres further than the west (assuming it doesn't evaporate before getting there, of course).

[@andydickey]

Many years ago I lived in the Atlanta, Georgia, USA area. For a while I lived on the west side where my drainage went into the Chattahoochie River to the Gulf of Mexico and then I moved to the east side where it went to the South River and thus to the Atlantic Ocean. Atlanta developed there because it was on the subcontinental divide where several rail lines met.

[@malcolmsmith6615]

I’m 5 months late but got here in the end! A most unusually interesting subject and well presented! One ‘special’ watershed sprung to mind but I had to look at the OS map to confirm it. Settle and Carlisle Railway summit at Ais Gill (highest railway in England so I understand). Within a few hundred yards of each other is start of the River Eden (that runs north to Carlisle and into the Irish Sea), and the start of the River Ure (which runs down Wensleydale to become the Ouse, then the Humber, and out into the North Sea). So, several unusual aspects to this one!

[@highdownmartin]

I do love old towns with proper flowing streams down one or both sides and the shops and houses all have a flagstone bridge to cross. Already missing all the lovely mundane things that surround us all and are temporarily ( I hope ) out of bounds. I fear for the pubs we had left and all the little museums and such. Fingers crossed its a recognisable world on the other side. Xx

[@pwhitewick]

Fingers crossed indeed. I am not sure how this will leave us and in what shape, but all we can do is take each day at a time.

[@IansWorldTravels]

There a river in Chile which splits into two distributories, one then flowing into the Pacific Ocean and one into the Atlantic. It caused problems when they were trying to define the border between Chile and Argentina.

[@deezynar]

That is unusual. You'd think that the river would carve one channel deeper than the other, and the water would all go that direction from then on. I'm guessing that the riverbed at the fork is very hard rock.

[@qwertyTRiG]

Wikipedia has an article with the title "List of unusual drainage systems", and there are indeed some rivers which bifurcate, though it doesn't seem to list any in Chile.

[@IansWorldTravels]

@@qwertyTRiG Here are some photos of the river in but it seems it is in Argentina, not Chile - upstream photos www.flickr.com/photos/wimbledonian/49737315438/in/dateposted/ and downstream. www.flickr.com/photos/wimbledonian/49737856816/in/photostream/ and www.flickr.com/photos/wimbledonian/49737854181/in/photostream/ I was shown it by my couchsurfing host when I was there. He stopped at a bridge over a river and showed me that at this point the river divides into two called the Arroyo Partido. One distributory flows down into the lake, on into Chile and into the Pacific Ocean while the other flows down into the Atlantic Ocean. Apparently when Chile and Argentina were having constant border disputes they were debating whether to use rivers as boundaries or to use mountain ridges. He said that the British monarchy was often asked to arbitrate. This river divide was used as an example of why rivers don’t make good boundaries. Overnight the locals shifted a few boulders and were able to completely divert the river. It all sounds a bit unlikely but it makes a nice story, though it is true about the river splitting between the two oceans. The location is at goo.gl/maps/42q42msVaq6r9D4E9 and the photos on Google Maps include one of a tourist information board which describes it. Wikipedia entry here: es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arroyo_Partido in Spanish but Google Translation is not too bad. This Wikipedia entry describes the British arbitration on the border between Chile and Argentina en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordillera_of_the_Andes_Boundary_Case_1902_(Argentina,_Chile)

[@FrancisBarton]

@@IansWorldTravels I was going to say, I'd find it hard to believe there's a river in Chile that could make it to the Atlantic - I think the Andes might have something to say about that. But I would have been open to being convinced.

[@smiffy1947]

Close to where I live in Wiltshire there is an example of exactly this natural phenomenon. Rainwater falling in the area of the little village of Yatesbury or on Cherhill Down between Calne and Avebury has two possible and very different routes. East from the watershed it will flow via the River Kennet and R. Thames to the North Sea, or west via the River Marden, the Bristol Avon and so into the Severn Estuary. However I don’t think there will be anywhere that you can actually see it happening as the two rivers rise from springs coming from the chalk of the Marlborough Downs.

[@StupidTheist]

In the US there is a line known as the continental divide. Water on one side flows into the Atlantic and water on the other into the Pacific. This line is often marked on roads. I assume that it naturally extends down through Central and South America.

[@passthebutterrobot2600]

Indeed it does extend thorough Central and South America. I would imagine the African continent has its own divide too.

[@michaelvandromme]

I used to live in Lydmarsh. Never crossed my mind that the rivers diverted north and south.

[@tpobrienjr]

I can tell you about one line (actually a point on the line), but it would be a long trip to see it. On the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, USA, at the approximate center of the campus stands the "Academic Building". I am told that a raindrop that falls on the North side of that building goes to the Navasota River, while (whilst) a drop falling on the South side of the building goes to the Brazos River. Both rivers eventually end up in the Gulf of Mexico. Thank you for another fun and interesting video. Stay safe.

[@pwhitewick]

Now thats a great example Thomas!

[@MrWombatty]

The correct term for the ridge or crest line that divides individual drainage areas or basins is a 'watershed'. One such watershed I discovered when studying my topographic map of the area around Cataract Scout Camp South of Sydney, Australia, while camping there some 30yrs ago. The rain falling on the north-eastern side of the ridge on which the camp is sited flows into creeks which eventually become the Georges River that flows into Botany Bay (south of Port Jackson, or Sydney Harbour as it's better known as). Because this is the highest & farthest point inland from the sea, technically this is the source of the Georges River. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_River However, on the other side of the ridge water flows westward down the Illawarra escarpment into the Cataract River, then into the Cataract Dam (which supplies some of Sydney's water), & when occasionally the dam reaches capacity & overflows (definitely not in recent years of drought), water will continue on to join the Nepean River. The Nepean was named when the adjacent Campbelltown area was settled in the early days of the colony, without it being realised that the very same river had previously been named the Hawkesbury River when the twin towns of Windsor & Richmond were settled to established as a farming centre to provide food for the starving colony. The Hawkesbury-Nepean River encircles the huge Sydney Metropolitan-basin, with the Hawkesbury River being the major tributary entering Broken Bay to the north of Sydney. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawkesbury_River

[@GeoffSaint]

A few years ago I drove from Penrith in Cumbria to Allendale in Northumberland and at the top of a huge hill near the start of the journey is a cafe. I suspect that if you repeated your cups of water demonstration at each side of the car park, one cupful would end up in the Irish Sea, the other in the North Sea! There is a series of maps of river basins here (UK is about halfway down the page): decolonialatlas.wordpress.com/2017/04/18/colorful-river-basin-maps/

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Geoff. I took a look at that map. Isn't it epic!!

[@Alan_UK]

Thanks for mentioning the map. Just south of Calne is Morgan's Hill on the Wessex Ridgeway. A few km north is the River Marden that runs into the Bristol River Avon, the Bristol Channel and the Irish Sea. A few km to the east is the River Kennett that runs into another River Avon that flows into the Thames and the North Sea. And a few km south are unnamed streams that flow into the Hampshire Avon and eventually into the English Channel.

[@markjackson5806]

That was the "Hartside Top Cafe" which sadly burnt down in 2018

[@Yorkshirelad58]

@@pwhitewick Same here, awesome!

[@shooter575]

Here in the US we have signs posted for the continental divide in the rocky mountains and for the eastern continental divide between the Atlantic ocean and the Mississippi river ie Gulf of Mexico. On a much smaller scale I live on a finger of the far reaches of Saline river basin surrounded on three sides by the much larger Huron river basin. This is in Michigan. I thought I was the only one to think of such things :-)

[@ldnwholesale8552]

While off topic the River Murray, Australia biggest river flows west and the south from where the Darling joins it. The source of both rivers however are close to the eastern seaboard but go the complete opposite way. The east coast is generally higher than the west or south.

[@rossdtool]

The Great Dividing Range forms a massive basin. Flood Waters from north Queensland drain into Lake Eyre thousands of kilometres away because of it.

[@andreroy55]

The city I live in has such a watershed divide. One side, the side I live on, drains into Lake Nipissing, then the French River, Lake Huron, and eventually the St Lawrence River. The other side of town trains into Trout Lake, the Mattawa River, Ottawa River, and then the St Lawrence. Not exactly sure where the line is, though. But it has come up in city council, where one member noted that the city takes water from Trout Lake, cleans it, sends it through the water system, and the the sewer water gets cleaned and sent to Lake Nipissing.

[@stevehallam0850]

If you travel on the wonderful Bernina Express in Switzerland, you will pass a sign marking the watershed between the Adriatic (Danube basin) and the Black Sea (Po basin).

[@rosiefay7283]

Haven't you got that the wrong way around?

[@stevehallam0850]

@@rosiefay7283 Well spotted... 🚋

[@janholland2224]

Given your skills at hands-on experimentation this begs for a "paddle to the sea" (the children's book story) type of approach. With contemporary GoPro canoes of course. Another enjoyable vlog, thx guys!

[@davie941]

hey paul and rebecca , another great video , hope you two and family are keeping safe with whats going on , lmao loved the demonstration , and ofc all the funny bits lol :)

[@LoveBristol]

Thanks for the video. Very interesting. I do feel the need to point out thought that something cannot be 'very unique'. It is only unique or not. It's a binary choice.

[@BibTheBoulderTheOriginalOne]

Thanks Chris. I was starting to get very stressed, realising there was something seriously amiss. I can sleep tonight now. lol

[@LoveBristol]

I should add that I really like the videos that you two make.

[@chrisneedham5803]

@@LoveBristol ........ I don't mind someone saying 'very' unique in a conversational situation, because it gives a turbo effect and I then prick up my ears. But I'm still a little childish and like to be told a good story. 😂😂😂👍

[@damienknapman2308]

Uniqueness isn't a property of an object. It as assessment of an object *under a set of criteria*. Without the criteria being stated, it's difficult to assess whether something is or is not unique. Is that the only road occupying that set of coordinates on Earth? Yes, it's unique. Is it a surface made of tarmac? Yes, it's non-unique. Could you assess items for their uniqueness based on the number of attributes (and combinations of attributes) on which they're the only example? Possible so. Unlikely. But still more accurate than people that argue that uniqueness is an inherent property.

[@nilo70]

Thank you again for sharing this with us !

[@Andrea.583]

Interesting video guys. Of course you can see it was filmed before the current restrictions, the weather is quite different to the current sunny days! Stay safe guys xx

[@wanderingtraveler1233]

There are two points in the USA where the rain falling on a point can go three directions - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurentian_Divide I knew of the one in Minnesota as I grew up not far from there, but didn't realize there was one in Montana, too. The one in Minnesota the water will flow north into Hudson Bay which is the Arctic Ocean or flow east in the Atlantic Ocean or will flow south into the Gulf of Mexico. The one in Montana is the same just change the east to west and the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Had forgotten about this unique geological formation until your brilliant video brought it back to mind.

[@GB-lg2cz]

I think Stephen Fry showed this in programme few years ago.

[@chestnut01111]

Local to here, the source of the River Chelmer (as in Chelmsford) which reaches the sea at Maldon in South East Essex is only a mile from the source of the source of the Cam (as in Cambridge) which reaches the sea via the Fens and flows into The Wash, having become The Great Ouse. Harder to work out where the watershed is, its a bit flat!

[@silvioatutube]

There's a spot up in the Alps, near the Bernina line, which is the watershed between the rivers Po (which flows into the Adriatic sea) and the Danube (flows to the Black sea).

[@pwhitewick]

Brilliant, thanks Silvio.

[@geoffreykail9129]

The Rocky Mtns. in North America ( also aka "The Continental Divide" ). West side rains to the Pacific, and the east side drains to the Gulf of Mexico (Mississippi River).

[@ivanoffw]

Have you been to the Swiss version of that city in Somerset? There is a creek (Martin) that sometimes flows north into the Willamette, and other times of the year, flows south into the Umpqua River.

[@thearscottproject]

Not a city but sure

[@Tashio240]

Nice to see you in my home town again. I thought you both looked familiar upon finding your channel, before I had seen any of your vids on Chard. I swear I have seen the two of you here.

[@sr6424]

The best one I know is Plynilimon in Mid Wales. It is the source of at three rivers. The Severn Wye and Rheidol.(as in Vale of Rheidol Railway). The Rheidol eventually ends up in the sea at Aberystwyth, The interesting ones are the Severn and Wye they meet at the Old Severn bridge Chepstow but take completely different routes., Another one you might find interesting but not the same hill. When you visit the former Longbridge Station. You will notice a stream going under the road Bridge. It is the River Ray. It eventually joins the Tame, Trent before entering the Humber estuary. At the other end of the former Rover Car Factory is Cofton Hackett. The stream is the river Arrow. It goes into the Warwickshire Avon the the Severn. Hence The drainage from the Factory could either end up in the Bristol Channel or North Sea.

[@peterw2845]

Excellent , something I’ve never thought about , very entertaining video ! Thanks

[@SMILEVIDEOTRAINS]

whatever next will you bring us... your knowledge/studying is never ending.. you certainly help to keep me occupied.

[@mikeosborne3948]

Hi Winyards Gap in Dorset near South Perrott and Mosterton is the watershed for both the river Axe to Axminster and south coast and the River Parrett to Bridgwater and Bristol Channel. The aqua flow comes from Cheddar and when it rains heavy in Cheddar the start of the rivers are fuller. There is a waterboard extensive dam to stop the water flooding South Perrott even though the rivers seem to have little water flow most of the time. There is a permissive path that lets you view the Waterboard’s sluice gates.

[@grahamsinnett6543]

Dudley or Sedgley West Midlands. The rain ends up either in the Atlantic or the North sea. If the water flows on the western side it goes into the Smestow, Stour. Severn. Bristol channel and Atlantic. If the east side it goes into river Tame, Rea, Trent then North Sea. Love your videos. Graham.

[@rosiefay7283]

Such lines must be quite common. And they are, as you say, lines. Now what's a good example of a point where two of these lines meet, so that from that point water would flow into any of *three* bodies of water depending on which way it flowed? For England, what's the North Sea/Bristol channel/Irish Sea tripoint? For N. America, what's the Pacific/Atlantic/Hudson Bay tripoint?

[@whippetquick3527]

There's a place in Alberta that I visited many years ago called Kicking Horse Pass where a creek splits into two. One side flows eventually flows into the Hudson Bay and on to the Arctic ocean, the other branch ends up in the Pacific.Ah, happy memories when I could afford to go to Canada for holidays. These days I got to Dunster in Somerset :-/

[@Denusa]

In the USA there are many such places and many of them are marked. Two located in Wyoming are South Pass on the Oregon Trail separating Atlantic and Pacific watersheds and Union Pass which divides THREE continental watersheds!

[@albulastrasse3118]

There's an extreme example of this in the Black Forest in Germany, where one side of the hills flow into the Rhine and out to the North Sea, and the other flow into the Donau, which becomes the Danube, and continues to the Black Sea. Search near Oberkatzensteig for an example, but there's a whole ridge down through Schwartzwald (Black Forest)

[@pwhitewick]

Fantastic thank you for sharing.

[@johannesofie777]

In Norway, at the Stryn mountain, there's a chain of lakes and rivers that flows both to the west and the east. You can search for Gamle Strynefjellsvei because the old road (marked 258) follows the lakes.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Sofie, I will have a google for that.

[@pwblackmore]

I've scrolled until my finger hurts, so I don't know if anyone else has mentioned Dartmoor - it is the source of the Dart (both East and West), the Taw, the Teign, the Tavy, the Avon and the Lyd. These flow north to the Bristol Channel or south to the English Channel. I'll leave you to figure out which goes where! Anyway, I just enjoy watching what you have to offer - keep it up.

[@Sim0nTrains]

Nice interesting and funny video, it's different, only heard the word Basin a few week ago while in Scotland, Montrose Station has a basin next door, it like a huge lake but think that connects to the North sea, hope you and your family are safe and well during this difficult time.

[@catherinerobilliard7662]

I love anomalies like this. Reminds me of the tidal rivers on the west coast, the Severn and the Parrett, where one day you look and the river's going in one direction, and on another day you look and see it going in another; on either day the river can be very high, or very low, or anything inbetween.

[@gzk6nk]

There's a lovely road in the Staffordshire Peak District between the villages of Longnor and Sheen. It runs along a ridge from which you can look down to one side into the valley of the River Manifold, and the other side the Dove river valley. You don't often get a watershed THAT visible!

[@stephenweaver7631]

Here in the US we call a river basin a "watershed," as the water is "shed off" into a primary stream. For instance, I am in Tennessee near the confluence of the Holston and French Broad rivers. These combine at Knoxville, to form the Tennessee. Within just a few miles, we have the Holston and the French Broad Watersheds, where the ground water either drains to one river or the other. In this case, both watersheds are part of the greater Tennessee River Watershed.

[@JohnSmith-bx8zb]

Thanks for the vid 👌. The two water streams shown in Chard Center look like highway gutters. As to where they go it depends on the highway drainage system and culvert layout, there maybes good chance that both ‘street streams’ maybe combined into the same culvert network, emptying one of the two rivers. However still a good example.

[@pwhitewick]

Below Holyrood Street we believe they both go north to the River Isle. To the west of Holyrood street however the south side does go south into the Axe.

[@folksinger2100]

@@pwhitewick I stand corrected, but whatever its a good example.

[@kellyparkstone3520]

What an interesting topic, something i had never thought about before. Colin.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Colin, caught in my net too.

[@bingola45]

'Unique' means 'the only one'. So this street is 'very' the only one, and 'extremely' the only one. That must be a unique concept!

[@pwhitewick]

I believe you are very much extremely correct on this matter.

[@qwertyTRiG]

However, things can be unique on multiple axes, and thereby more unique than things which are unique in fewer ways.

[@bingola45]

@@qwertyTRiG That would be 'unique for more reasons' rather than 'more unique'.

[@prestoncrewnarrowboaters8619]

Hi you two,that was interesting,any way if you go to rose dale in North Yorkshire,at the top of the valley you have the same thing,north the water will flow to Whitby,south it goes the long way and eventually comes out into the Humber,oh and there is a interesting railway in rosedale

[@martinburke8314]

I've been to the spot in France where there is a three-way watershed. It was a while ago, but I think it's in the hills/mountains near Auxerre, where water either flow north into the Seine and the English Channel, west into the Loire and the Bay of Biscay, or south into the Rhone and the Mediterranean.

[@johndean4998]

You can see this better close to Chard if you travel eastwards towards Crewkerne: the A30 rises up to the East-West Windwhistle Ridge, where the land drops away quite steeply to the South and North, then after 2 miles descends down to Crewkerne - the Ridge is a watershed, where all the rain which falls on the South side of the road ends up in the English Channel, and all the rain on the North side ends up in the Bristol Channel. It's like your example of Fore Street in Chard, but more obvious.

[@StephenWilliams]

Well that is something that I had never, ever considered before!

[@pwhitewick]

Likewise Stephen

[@douglascharnley8249]

In the US there is a line that goes down the middle of the Rockies, called The Continental Divide, on one side the water flows into the Atlantic and on the other side it flows into the Pacific. Now that's a big line.

[@hanskniezand2049]

So a new string to your bow. Whitewick's Imaginary Rivers! Judging by Rebecca's nose she had the sniffles. I hope she is OK now.

[@pwhitewick]

I think it was just the cold day..... 🤧🤧🤧

[@christinaburton9297]

No need to explain, my lovelies, the weather says it all! Really interesting video. Hope you are well.

[@pwhitewick]

Very true!

[@ValeriePallaoro]

We did that at school; however, it's been a long time. Here's the thing, though. I'm in Victoria Australia and, locally, the basin takes up the whole state and flows out into the sea in South Australia. It can be broken up into two, the north and the south. But that's what we got. Hope you have some success finding your maps (all I had to to was search for Victoria Australia basin river - with out Australia, of course, it throughs up African basins)

[@stephenpegum9776]

More fascinating stuff guys - thanks a million ! The question that sprung to my mind (perhaps a tad warped admittedly !) was I wonder how much dye you would have to pour into one of those streams in Fore Street (and by default how long you'd have to wait) before you could see it appear in either of the rivers you mentioned ? It would be a great experiment if you could ever get permission to do it ! 😎👍👍

[@dereham1]

Brilliant, thank you! Really enjoyed this. But, just when you thought there were no other nerdy things to “collect” ...

[@pwhitewick]

Yup this is becoming an issue isn't it!!

[@calxtra5361]

Really Interesting .. never knew about this before ... thanks both

[@pwhitewick]

A pleasure, cheers.

[@curlybrownliz]

Three rivers meet in the same square on the OS map of Dartmoor. At Cranmere Pool, the West Okement and Taw rivers head north and about 500m away the East Dart flows south

[@yclepe]

You asked about interesting watersheds. The City of Chicago in the US was supposedly built on the site of a ---well-swamp-- from which water seemed to drain in two directions, one leading to the Mississippi River and therefore ultimately the gulf of Mexico and the other to Lake Michigan, the St Lawrence and the North Atlantic. There is a lot of history and still even controversy that revolves around this

[@mivact]

There is a place in the South Island of New Zealand called Key Summit. There you would need 3 cups of water which would head in 3 different directions. A dramatic landscape.

[@js2749]

You two are naturally hilarious

[@davidrobinson3221]

If you ever visit the village of Biddulph Moor just outside of Stoke on Trent there is a road along the top of the hill (called Top Road) where one side the water flows via streams into the River Trent and eventually flows east into the North Sea, whilst the streams from the other side of the road flow into the River Dane, then the River Mersey and therefore flows west into the Irish Sea. The watershed of England!

[@roberthindle5146]

Cotswold airport near Kemble....water that drains off the eastern end of the runway ends up in the North Sea (via the Thames). Water that drains off the western end heads down to Tetbury and thence to the Atlantic via the Avon.

[@pwhitewick]

Oh well thats different. Driven past there many times.

[@vicibox]

It is called a catchment area and many catchment maps exist (just google catchment area map + River name). There are examples of this all the way up the Penines and into Scotland with back to back catchments flowing into both Irish Sea/Atlantic and the North Sea; often major national rivers sourcing from within the very same field or patch of moorland. Have fun ;-)

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Vici, we would love to see some more examples of this and any particular quirks.

[@webrarian]

On road trips in the USA (which I could afford to do before retirement and the exchange rate collapse) I became aware of "Watershed" signs which I'd never seen in the UK. I did you notice that the A30 follows the "highway" between the two river basins through Chard? There's similar example on the Devon/Cornwall border where the A30 coming into Lifton sticks to the ground between the rivers Thrushel and Lyd. The original (pre-turnpike?) road takes a route along the top of the hill - have a look at the terrain view on Google Maps.

[@jonntischnabel]

I remember driving through northern Switzerland, and passing a sign that said, crossing the watershed of the Rhone/Rhein, so one side goes into the Mediterranean seA, and one side goes into the north sea. 😊

[@domrynk2]

I liked the use of the music from (I think) Transport Fever 2? Strikes me as the kind of game people on here might like, or is that just me??

[@chubeye1187]

Plenty of watershed around, it's one thing I often look for on OS maps

[@pwhitewick]

I wonder how many fall on the main highstreet of a town

[@nightplumber1]

Have you done the Highworth branch, near Swindon? I used to walk it 18yrs ago, lovely experience, if it is still not built on..good luck to you both, Steve.

[@pwhitewick]

Yup, we did it just a few weeks ago, but.... I've lost the SD card. 😔

[@nightplumber1]

@@pwhitewick Oh no, what a shame, damn fiddly things..keep going, Steve

[@rossmangles5651]

I went to primary school in Chard, this video dredged some very long forgotten geography lessons explaining exactly this