The River Nene flows through the Counties of Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire; it flows for 91 miles (147 km) and terminates in the Wash. It runs through Benwick, at the top of the High Street and across Whittlesey Road.

'Nene', is pronounced differently in different areas, in Benwick it is pronounced the same as 'Clean' whereas in other areas it is often pronounced the same as 'Glen'.

It is suggested that the river got its name from the nine springs which once fed the head of the river.

Until the beginning of the 1900's the spelling of the river was 'Nen' or 'Nyn'