River Tamar

The River Tamar is situated in south west England and forms a natural border between the counties of Devon and Cornwall. The river starts life at Wooley Moor near Bude in Cornwall, just four miles south of the Bristol Sea coast. The river flows in a southerly direction for fifty miles before reaching it's estuary on the Hamoaze, situated on Plymouth Sound in the English Channel.

Historians are unsure as to where the word Tamar originated, although there are two common definitions for the name.One is that the river was named after a water nymph from ancient Cornish folklore called Tamara, the other, which is a much more plausable definition, is that the word comes from the Brythonic word, Tamesis, which means dark water.

The definition of the name Hamoaze has Celtic origins. The word ham means settlement or town and the word oaze means end of a tidal river.The settlement referred to is believed to have been an ancient Phoenician fort built to house a garrison of men somewhere along the Hamoaze, in order to protect the transportation of tin, which the Phoenicians were exporting from the area three thousand years ago.

The River Tamar's coarse takes it through the former copper and tin mining areas of the seventy five square mile, Tamar Valley, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (APNB),which also incorporates several places of interest, including the Morwellham Quay, once an important Victorian riverside quay used in the transportation of tin and copper, which today is an open air, industrial museum, which houses relics from the area's mining history.

Also situated along it’s route is, Cotehele, a National Trust, Grade II lIsted cottage and garden, which also incorporates part of the National Maritime Museum, built around 1489, located in Saltash, Cornwall and Mary Newman’s Cottage, a Grade II Listed, cottage museum and gardens also located in Saltash, Cornwall, which was built around 1480.

The river has twenty tributaries, the largest of which are the Rivers Lynher, Kensey and Ottery on the Cornish side and the Rivers Deer and Tavy on the Devon side.The River Tamar and it's tributaries are all excellent salmon fishing rivers.

The river is served by twenty bridges, three of which are important, historical,medieval bridges, apparently constructed by local Benedictine monks.These bridges are the Greystone Bridge completed in 1439, a Grade I listed, local stone built, six arch bridge, which is just nine feet wide, which links the towns of Launceston in Cornwall with Tavistock in Devon. The Horse Bridge, another local stone built, six arch bridge, located in the village of the same name in Cornwall, which was also completed in 1439 and the Gunnislake New Bridge, built in 1520, which is a granite built, four arch bridge which links the towns of Tavistock in Devon with Liskeard in Cornwall.

It is also at the site of this bridge that the River Tamar becomes tidal. Gunnislake is also the site of the Cornish terminus of the fourteen mile long, Tamar Valley Railway, which links Gunnislake with Plymouth in Devon.

Other bridges of note which cross the river are the Tamar Bridge, a three hundred and thirty five meter long, toll, road bridge, which was completed in 1961, which links Plymouth in Devon with Saltash in Cornwall, the Royal Albert Bridge, a six hundred and sixty six meter long, iron truss rail bridge, which was built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and completed in 1859, which also links Plymouth in Devon with Saltash in Cornwall and the Calstock Viaduct, pictured above,completed in 1907, a one hundred and twenty foot high, twelve arch rail bridge, located in the Cornish village of Calstock.

For information about the Torpoint Ferry, visit - www.tamarcrossings.org.uk

Map courtesy of AndyF, wikimedia commons

The Hamoaze is an estuarine stretch of the River Tamar situated between Saltash and Torpoint in Cornwall and Devonport and Plymouth in Devon. It is the part of the River Tamar which leads into Plymouth Sound by way of the two point five kilometer long Narrows and the four point five kilometer long Smeaton’s Pass. The Mount Wise Harbour and Marina in Devon is situated along the Hamoaze.

The River Tamar’s estuary flows into Plymouth Sound, which it also shares with the River Plym and the River Lynher. The sound is a large, six kilometre wide by six kilometer long bay situated between Penlee Point in Cornwall and Wembury Point in Devon.

The sound encompasses the areas of Bovisland Bay, Cawsand Bay, the Plymouth Breakwater, Milbay Docks, Plymouth Hoe, The Barbican and marinas situated at Cattewater Harbour, Sutton Harbour and Turnchapel Harbour. The Sound is overlooked by the Mount Batten, a twenty four meter high rocky outcrop which hosts a seventeenth century, stone, lookout tower, and the Royal Citadel, a seventeenth century fort, which is now the home of the 29 Commando Regiment of the Royal Artillery, both of which are located in Plymouth.The sound is also the site of the Royal Naval Dockyard, situated at Devonport.

The sound also shares some of it’s coastline with the AONB designated, Rame Peninsular in Cornwall. The sound is served by the Torpoint Ferry, a regular, scheduled ferry crossing which links Saltash in Cornwall with Torpoint, located on the Rame Peninsular. Also situated on the Rame Peninsular and overlooking Plymouth Sound is the Grade II Listed, Mount Edgecumbe, a sixteenth century, stately home and country park.

Plymouth Sound is served by three lighthouses, an eighteenth century lighthouse situated at Plymouth Breakwater, the seventeeth century Smeaton's Tower Lighthouse situated on Plymouth Hoe and Eddystone Rock Lighthouse situated twelve miles off the coast of Plymouth in the English Channel.

SOME RIVER TAMAR WEBSITES

Canoeing - www.canoetamar.co.uk

Visit - www.tamarvalleytourism.co.uk

Torpoint Ferry - www.tamarcrossings.org.uk

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