Lopwell Dam on the River Tavy - geograph

The Tavy () is a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

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 ...

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 ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The name derives from the Brythonic root "Tam", once thought to mean 'dark' but now generally understood to mean 'to flow'. It has given its name to the town of Tavistock and the villages of

Mary Tavy Mary Tavy () is a village with a population of around 600, located four miles north of Tavistock in Devon in south-west England; it is named after the River Tavy. There is an electoral ward with the same name. Its population at the 2011 census ...

and

Peter Tavy Peter Tavy () is a village along the A386, North-East of Tavistock, Devon, England; it is named after the River Tavy The Tavy () is a river on Dartmoor, Devon, England. The name derives from the Brythonic root "Tam", once thought to mean ...

. It is a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

of the

River Tamar The Tamar (; kw, Dowr Tamar) is a river in south west England, that forms most of the border between Devon (to the east) and Cornwall (to the west). A part of the Tamar Valley is a World Heritage Site due to its historic mining activities. T ...

and has as its own tributaries: * Collybrooke * River Burn *

River Wallabrooke The Wallabrook is a river on Dartmoor, Devon, England. It is a tributary of the River Tavy. For more details see Walla Brook. Bibliography ''The Painted Stream'', Robin Armstrong, Dent, 1985, See also

*Rivers of the United Kingdom ...

River Lumburn The Lumburn is a river on Dartmoor, Devon, England. It is a tributary of the River Tavy. Bibliography ''The Painted Stream'', Robin Armstrong, Dent, 1985, See also *Rivers of the United Kingdom For details of rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

River Walkham The Walkham is a river whose source is on Dartmoor, Devon, England. It rises in the wide gap between Roos Tor and Great Mis Tor and flows almost due south for approximately leaving the tors and thus National Park behind then south-west for pa ...

Tavistock Tavistock ( ) is an ancient stannary and market town within West Devon, England. It is situated on the River Tavy from which its name derives. At the 2011 census the three electoral wards (North, South and South West) had a population of 13,028 ...

it feeds a canal running to Morwellham Quay. Its mouth is crossed by the

Tavy Bridge Tavy Bridge is a railway bridge across the mouth of the River Tavy just east of its confluence with the River Tamar. It was built by the Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction Railway, and the Tavy Bridge was constructed to carry the trac ...

which carries the Tamar Valley railway line.

Navigation

The river is navigable inland as far as

Lopwell Lopwell is a site of natural beauty situated at the normal tidal limit of the River Tavy, 3 miles from north Plymouth and 7 miles from Tavistock, Devon Tavistock ( ) is an ancient stannary and market town within West Devon, England. It is ...

, where a

weir A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

marks the

normal tidal limit Head of tide, tidal limit or tidehead is the farthest point upstream where a river is affected by tidal fluctuations, or where the fluctuations are less than a certain amount. This applies to rivers which flow into tidal bodies such as oceans, ...

, about a journey from North Corner Quay at Devonport. River transport was an important feature of the local farming, mining, tourism and forestry economies. The

Queen's Harbour Master A King's Harbour Master (abbreviated as KHM, also known as Queen's Harbour Master or QHM during the reign of a female monarch) is a harbourmaster and public official in Canada and the United Kingdom. Their official responsibilities includes enfor ...

for Plymouth is responsible for managing navigation on the River Tavy up to the normal tidal limit.The Dockyard Port of Plymouth Order 1999
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Bibliography

* Armstrong, Robin (1985) ''The Painted Stream'', London: Dent

References

Tavy, River River navigations in the United Kingdom 1Tavy {{England-river-stub