This precious eco-system is under threat.

atlantic salmon

The CLUN has its source near the hamlet of Anchor in a marshy area close to the Welsh border.

It then flows east towards Clun, Clunton, Clunbury, Aston on Clun and Clungunford.

The Folly Brook joins the Clun at Newcastle.

The River Unk flows into the Clun near Clun Castle, whilst the small River Kemp converges at Oaker near Aston.

Near the end of the river's course the Redlake joins at Jay bridge.

At Leintwardine the Clun joins the River Teme, the second largest tributary of the Severn. The river drains a hilly, rural catchment of sandstones and mudstones. The area is mostly rural and produces beef, lamb, potatoes and maize. The elevated levels of nutrients can cause eutrophication, leading to algal blooms which disrupt normal ecosystem function and cause major changes in the aquatic community. These algal blooms can result in reduced levels of oxygen within the water, which in turn can lead to the death of many aquatic organisms including invertebrates and fish.

There are otters, salmon, white-clawed crayfish, bullhead, grayling and brook lamprey in the river. The lower reaches are a Special Area of Conservation, an important habitat for the freshwater pearl mussel, but pollution and sediment build up is undermining the mussel's life cycle, resulting in a dramatic decline in recent decades.