File:Flickr - ronsaunders47 - The River Medina in Cowes.1.jpg

The River Medina is the main river of the Isle of Wight, rising at St Catherine's Down in the south of the Island and flowing through the capital Newport, towards the Solent at Cowes. The river is a navigable tidal estuary from Newport northwards where it takes the form of a ria (a drowned valley). The Medina is 17 km long with a catchment area of 17 km2. The river flows northwards collecting the Merston Stream at Blackwater before intersecting the ridge at Shide. The Lukely Brook is a tributary to the main river rising in Bowcombe Valley and joining the river at the head of the estuary in Newport.[1]

Its current state has occurred because the Medina used to be a tributary of the river Solent and have a much larger catchment area, as the Solent valley flooded and the island eroded the river received less water flow and more sediment, causing it to become more tidal.

The river is bridged at Newport. Cowes is connected to East Cowes by a chain ferry known as the Cowes Floating Bridge.[2]

The name Medina came from the Old English Meðune meaning "the middle one", and the current pronunciation was first recorded as 'Medine' in 1196.[3]

The river is used by yachtsmen as a very safe harbour. Along the banks of the Medina there are many old warehouses and wharves where in the past flying boats, hovercraft and steam ships were built and developed. The Classic Boat Museum displays much of the river's history alongside the history of yachting. The Island Harbour Marina, an old tidal mill, is also located on the river, about 1 mile from Newport.