The Harbourne River is a river in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

in England. Its estuary is known as Bow Creek, and flows into the

River Dart The River Dart is a river in Devon, England, that rises high on Dartmoor and flows for to the sea at Dartmouth. Name Most hydronyms in England derive from the Brythonic language (from which the river's subsequent names ultimately derive fr ...

near

Stoke Gabriel Stoke Gabriel is a village and parish in Devon, England, situated on a creek of the River Dart. The village is a popular tourist destination in the South Hams and is famous for its mill pond and crab fishing (known colloquially as ''crabbing'') ...

. The river rises on the slopes of Gripper's Hill on Dean Moor on

Dartmoor Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers . The granite which forms the uplands dates from the Carboniferous ...

. From the source it flows generally south east, under the

A38 road The A38, parts of which are known as Devon Expressway, Bristol Road and Gloucester Road, Bristol, Gloucester Road, is a major A-class trunk road in England. The road runs from Bodmin in Cornwall to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. It is long, mak ...

, to the village of

Harberton Harberton is a village, civil parish and former manor 3 miles south west of Totnes, in the South Hams District of Devon, England. The parish includes the village of Harbertonford situated on the main A381 road. In the 2001 census the parish ...

. There it turns south, then east through

Harbertonford Harberton is a village, civil parish and former manor 3 miles south west of Totnes, in the South Hams District of Devon, England. The parish includes the village of Harbertonford situated on the main A381 road. In the 2001 census the parish h ...

to the hamlet of Bow near

Ashprington Ashprington is a village and civil parish in the South Hams district of Devon, England. The village is not far from the River Dart, but high above it, and is about three miles south of Totnes. There is a local pub, hotel and phonebox. The ci ...

. Below Bow the river is tidal, and becomes Bow Creek. Two miles below Bow, the estuary joins the Dart. The hamlet of

Tuckenhay Tuckenhay is a hamlet in the South Hams in Devon, England, south of Totnes. It lies on the south bank of Bow Creek, the estuary of the Harbourne River, which flows into the River Dart. The name is first recorded only from 1550, and possibly me ...

lies on the south bank of Bow Creek. There was a history of milling on the river. From the late 18th century there was a

woollen mill Textile Manufacturing or Textile Engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful goods ...

at Harbertonford, fed by a

leat A leat (; also lete or leet, or millstream) is the name, common in the south and west of England and in Wales, for an artificial watercourse or aqueduct dug into the ground, especially one supplying water to a watermill or its mill pond. Other ...

from a weir upstream of the village. Until flood defence works were completed in 2002, the river caused periodic flooding at Harbertonford. The river gives its name to Harbourne Blue, a goat's cheese made near Ashprington.

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{{authority control Rivers of Devon Dartmoor Dart catchment