The River Crake is a short river in the historic county of
Lancashire (administrative county of Cumbria) in north-west England. The name probably derives from the Celtic language and means rocky stream. The river drains Coniston Water from its southernmost point and flows for about 6 miles (9.5 km) in a southerly direction before joining the upper estuary of the River Leven at Greenodd.
The villages of Water Yeat , Blawith , Lowick Bridge , Spark Bridge and Penny Bridge are located close to the river in the Crake Valley. As well as receiving the outflow from Coniston the river also drains Beacon Tarn in the Blawith Fells above the southern end of Coniston.
In the 1800s numerous industries including a cotton mill and iron foundry flourished along the river, making use of the fast flowing water to
drive machinery. A bobbin mill at Spark Bridge, which manufactured wooden bobbins for the Lancashire cotton industry used water-powered lathes to turn the wood. The factory survived into the 1970s using Gilkes water turbines to generate electricity and turn the lathes. The factory was eventually forced to close by the punitive water usage charges levied by the North West Water Authority. Today there are no obvious signs of any of the riverside industries.
The Crake is a noted salmon river.
