Breighton Ferry Slipway

This stretch of the Derwent runs through the flat, meandering lowland landscape of the Vale of York. It's part of the length that stayed navigable after the statutory right of navigation above Sutton Lock was revoked in 1935; the river remains open from Sutton (Elvington) Lock down to Barmby Barrage, a stretch that takes in Breighton. Barmby Barrage, built in the 1970s at the confluence with the tidal River Ouse, holds back the tide and impounds the river for water abstraction, so the water at Breighton runs non-tidal; the barrage's own lock marks the end of this navigable reach for craft heading downstream.

The river and its floodplain here form part of the Lower Derwent Valley, which carries overlapping Ramsar, Special Protection Area, Special Area of Conservation and Site of Special Scientific Interest status. The valley holds some of the largest lowland hay meadows remaining in England and damp alder woodland along the banks, and the river supports Eurasian otters, river and sea lamprey, and bullhead, while the surrounding wetlands hold wintering waterbird populations running into the tens of thousands.