[1][2] It rises near Whatborough Hill in Leicestershire, and then flows east, past Sauvey Castle and Launde Abbey, before crossing into Rutland.

[3] Chater Valley is a 3.8-hectare (9.4-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest north of Loddington, Leicestershire.

It continues north-east, going under the A6121 road at Foster's Bridge and through Ketton, before meeting the River Welland near Tinwell.

[7][8][9] Originally, the project for the massive reservoir of Rutland Water considered damming the valley of the Chater, but the underlying geology was not conducive for this.

Additionally, the available land space would have made the reservoir smaller than the eventual site of Rutland Water.