The headwaters of the Hull in the Yorkshire Wolds are the most northerly chalk streams in the world
Chalk streams are a rare habitat and most of the world’s are in southern England. The springs that feed the upper Hull, rising out of the Wolds above Driffield, are the furthest north any of them get, which is why the headwaters carry protection the lower river does not. The water comes up cold and clear through the chalk and runs south across the flat Holderness landscape to the Humber at Hull.
Much of the channel has been straightened and embanked over the centuries for drainage and navigation, so the river reads as a slow, reeded dyke for long stretches. The best surviving fen beside it is Pulfin Bog near Beverley, and Tophill Low further up is a reservoir site on the river bank with hides and good birdwatching.
Hempholme Lock, on the old Driffield Navigation, is the easiest place to stand right at the water. Beverley Station and Driffield are both a short way from the valley, and the river finishes among the docks at Hull.
