River Chew of its distance, forming part of the Monarch's Way. The name "Chew" has Celtic origins, cognate with the River Chwefru, "cliwyf-ffrenwy", "the moving, gushing water"; ancient forms are "Estoca" (Chew Stoke), "Chiu" (Chew Magna), and "Ciwetune" (Chewton Mendip). Its exact meaning admits of several possible explanations, including "winding water", the "ew" being a variant of the French "eau", "water". The word "chewer" is western dialect for "narrow passage" and "chare" is Old English for "turning." Another theory is that the name derives from the Welsh "cyw", "the young of an animal, or chicken", such that "Afon Cyw" would have meant
Chew Magna Reservoir Chew Magna Reservoir Chew Magna Reservoir is a small reservoir on the western outskirts of the village of Chew Magna, Somerset, England. It lies just north of the B3130 Winford Road. This reservoir was created in the 1930s, damming Winford brook, to supply water for villages in the Chew Valley. It is owned and managed by Bristol Water. Chew Magna reservoir provides fly fishing for stocked brown trout ("Salmo trutta" morpha "fario") and rainbow trout ("Oncorhynchus mykiss"). Rainbows can be fished all year. Parking is close to the lake and there are many stagings erected around the lake. In 2011