The East Lyn falls off Exmoor in a fast, short course through Brendon and Watersmeet before joining the West Lyn at Lynmouth and dropping straight into the Bristol Channel. The flood of August 1952 — when the catchment dumped its annual rainfall in a single night and the river took half of Lynmouth with it — remains the defining event of the place, and the geography still shows it. The fishing is wild brown trout throughout the river, with sea trout (peal) up to Watersmeet and a small autumn salmon stock; the National Trust controls most of the bank from Watersmeet down, and the Exmoor and Lynmouth Anglers' Association manages most of the rod fishing above it. Spates rise in hours and fall almost as fast — the Brendon gauge moves visibly through a wet afternoon — and the river often fishes best on the second day after rain. Sandstone freestone bedrock underlies this river. Atlantic salmon are assessed by the Environment Agency against each river's Conservation Limit — many principal rivers are classed 'at risk' with mandatory catch-and-release byelaws; check current rules before fishing.

• Sandstone