The River Kennett rises in the hills just west of Cowlinge Hall in western Suffolk at an altitude of around 108m above sea level.

It flows north-east to the village of Cowlinge before turning west for around a mile, crossing the county border into Cambridgeshire in the parish of Kirtling.

Along the sections that pass through the Lidgate, Ousden, and Dalham areas, the river has occasionally dried up during winter.

Fortunately, a change took place in early December 2019 when, thanks to a substantial amount of rainfall, the river in the aforementioned areas began to flow once more, albeit as a modest stream.

This current situation is a far cry from the winter of 2013–2014 when extreme flooding was experienced.