Dartmouth Harbour
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Dartmouth Harbour (also Dart Harbour) is a natural
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
located in Dartmouth,
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. It is situated at the mouth of 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 ...
on the
English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
. Bayard's Cove Fort is a small fort, which was built to defend the harbour's entrance. The crafts which dock at the port are mainly local fishing vessels, naval ships and luxury yachts;
warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster a ...
s routinely visit the harbour. The River Dart is navigable from Dartmouth to the old weir location at
Totnes Totnes ( or ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England, within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is about west of Paignton, about west-so ...
.


Geography

The harbour is located at the mouth of the River Dart (the name 'Dart' is Brythonic
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...
meaning 'river where oak trees grow'), which rises high 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 ...
, and enters the sea at Dartmouth. The river begins as two separate branches (the
East Dart The East Dart River is one of the two main tributaries of the River Dart in Devon, England. Its source is to the west of Whitehorse Hill and slightly south of Cranmere Pool on Dartmoor. It flows south and then south-west for around 9 km to ...
and
West Dart The West Dart River is one of the two main tributaries of the River Dart in Devon, England. Its source is about 2 km north of Rough Tor on north Dartmoor. It flows south to Two Bridges, then south east past Hexworthy to meet the East Dart ...
), which join at
Dartmeet Dartmeet is a popular tourist spot in the centre of Dartmoor, Devon, England at . It lies at the end of the B3357 road, about east of Two Bridges. From here, the road continues eastwards as a minor road with restrictions on the size of vehic ...
. The rivers are crossed by a number of
clapper bridge A clapper bridge is an ancient form of bridge found on the moors of the English West Country (Bodmin Moor, Dartmoor and Exmoor) and in other upland areas of the United Kingdom including Snowdonia and Anglesey, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Yorkshire, La ...
s, notably at the
hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
of
Postbridge Postbridge is a hamlet in the heart of Dartmoor in the English county of Devon. It lies on the B3212, roughly midway between Princetown and Moretonhampstead. Postbridge is next to the East Dart river, one of two main tributaries of the River ...
. At Totnes a weir (of the 17th century vintage rebuilt in the 1960s) has been constructed across the river. The river reach between the Totnes weir and the port is tidal and hence navigable, and there are no bridges across the river in this reach. The banks of the lower Dart are covered in
ancient woodland In the United Kingdom, an ancient woodland is a woodland that has existed continuously since 1600 or before in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (or 1750 in Scotland). Planting of woodland was uncommon before those dates, so a wood present in 16 ...
of native
oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
. The entrance to the river from the sea is rocky with cliffs on either side. The lower section of the River Dart forms the Dartmouth Harbour, a deep water natural harbour with a long history of maritime usage. The low coast line rises gradually. The harbour entrance is to the south west of
Berry Head Berry Head is a coastal headland that forms the southern boundary of Tor Bay in Devon, England. Lying to the east of the town of Brixham, it is a national nature reserve and a local nature reserve. Berry Head To Sharkham Point is a Site of Sp ...
. On the east side,
Kingswear Castle Kingswear Castle is an artillery fort, built to protect Dartmouth harbour in Devon, England. It was constructed between 1491 and 1502 in response to the threat of French attack and was one of the first purpose-built artillery forts in Britain. ...
is located very close to the water's edge, and on the west side,
Dartmouth Castle Dartmouth Castle is an artillery fort, built to protect Dartmouth, Devon, Dartmouth harbour in Devon, England. The earliest parts of the castle date from the 1380s, when, in response to the threat of a French attack, the civic authorities creat ...
is built on a rocky
promontory A promontory is a raised mass of land that projects into a lowland or a body of water (in which case it is a peninsula). Most promontories either are formed from a hard ridge of rock that has resisted the erosive forces that have removed the so ...
. Visible landmarks from the entrance to the harbour are: the outline of Dartmoor Range which has
granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
peaks of Hayton (rugged peak); Rippon with single
carn ''Carn'' is the official magazine of the Celtic League. The name, a Celtic word which has been borrowed into English as ' cairn', was chosen for its symbolic value and because it can be found in each of the living Celtic languages. The subtit ...
; Stoke Fleming Church built on a high ground, about to the west of the entrance; and Mewstone, a rocky islet about east of the entrance. Dartmouth is located on the right bank of the estuary. The tide rise is about and the patent slips are of and length, capable of berthing large vessels. Navigation up to Totnes is possible for along the River Dart. Blackstone rock, above high water level, is a landmark for ships to bypass shoals at the entrance. Entrance to the bay is wide between the rocks but as it widens into the harbour it provides enough room for vessels of any draught and fairly large capacity to berth safely. However, during rough weather it is dangerous to navigate through the entrance due to the rough rocky faces, and for miles without any sand bars for protection.


Features

The port is available 24 hours a day. Up to the minute
tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...
information is available from Dart Harbour administration, based on
UK Hydrographic Office The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) is the UK's agency for providing hydrographic and marine geospatial data to mariners and maritime organisations across the world. The UKHO is a trading fund of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and is l ...
data. It is a very busy port with about 2,800 moorings including 200 visitors’ moorings. Dart Harbour administration has a specific Moorings’ Policy to help guide its moorings decisions. It is said that in modern times, the port's commercial activity has declined, but it is still a busy port for local
fishing vessel A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to catch fish in the sea, or on a lake or river. Many different kinds of vessels are used in commercial, artisanal and recreational fishing. The total number of fishing vessels in the world in 2016 was es ...
s and a wide variety of
yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...
s and other private boats and cruise ships. Several local companies specialise in shipbuilding and repairs to small tonnage craft. Large
cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as "s ...
s are occasional visitors; the largest visitor to date was the
MS The World MS ''The World'' is a private residential cruise ship operated like a condominium complex, with large apartments that can be purchased. The residents, from many countries, can live on board as the ship travels. Some residents choose to live on ...
, a residential cruise ship as well as Sailing Yacht EOS (built in Bremen, Germany) before it was delivered to her owner in the
Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...
and another cruise ship, the
Le Diamant Le Diamant (; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Dianman or , ) is a town and commune in the French overseas department of Martinique. Geography The town of Le Diamant is situated in southwestern Martinique, where the Diamond Rock is. Population ...
in September 2012, with
MV Minerva The ''Minerva'' is a cruise ship built in 1989, and originally intended as a Soviet research vessel, the ''Okean''. The deal to purchase her fell through and Swan Hellenic (at the time a subsidiary of P&O Cruises) purchased her in 1996 and rena ...
visiting on 11 July 2010. Smaller naval Picket Boats and whalers are often seen carrying out training exercises in the harbour and river. The port facility is under the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code). A bunkering facility is available.
Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...
,
Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
and
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
airports are easily accessible from the port by local transport. The light provided on the tower (above high tide), as of 1871, could be seen over a distance of in clear weather. Another fixed leading light, seaward of the first tower is at above high tide and the two lights together guide the ships to the center of the entrance channel. After passing through the channel between Castle and Kettle points, the fixed light provided at the guard station at the southern end of the town guides ships into the anchorage through the fairway. Red light is flashed to indicate
shoals In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface. It o ...
to the north of the harbour and green light is flashed to indicate the shoals over the south point, off "One Gun Point". A day time
beacon A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location. A common example is the lighthouse, which draws attention to a fixed point that can be used to navigate around obstacles or into port. More mode ...
in the form of a truncated
pyramid A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...
of height on the land to the eastern side of the entrance, about above sea level, is meant to guide ships.


Visitor attractions

Visitor attractions from the port are the Dartmoor National Park and the Bovey Castle (now a hotel). Good quality produce is available, with some of the best shellfish areas in the whole of the UK, as well as Sharpham Vineyard and Cheese Dairy (for the best of wines), and a hot air balloon over the nearby countryside. The harbour and port are popular leisure boating locations, and several
marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...
s and
boat yard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...
s are located on the river. The
Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta The Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta is a regatta in the English county of Devon. The first recorded regatta was in 1822 and the regatta was formally established in 1834. It is based on the River Dart, in the town of Dartmouth, and the villag ...
takes place annually over three days at the end of August. The ancient town around the Dart Harbour town has a long history. Other historical sites at the estuary of Dart are
Dartmouth Castle Dartmouth Castle is an artillery fort, built to protect Dartmouth, Devon, Dartmouth harbour in Devon, England. The earliest parts of the castle date from the 1380s, when, in response to the threat of a French attack, the civic authorities creat ...
and
Kingswear Castle Kingswear Castle is an artillery fort, built to protect Dartmouth harbour in Devon, England. It was constructed between 1491 and 1502 in response to the threat of French attack and was one of the first purpose-built artillery forts in Britain. ...
, which is painted white on its front face towards the sea. The castles once operated a defensive chain across the estuary, which was raised at dusk to block enemy ships attempting to attack the harbour. The remains of the operating mechanisms for the chain are still visible in Dartmouth Castle. Dartmouth Castle's artillery blockhouse, dated to 1481, was constructed to protect the harbour. Dartmouth is also the home of the
Britannia Royal Naval College Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC), commonly known as Dartmouth, is the naval academy of the United Kingdom and the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy. It is located on a hill overlooking the port of Dartmouth, Devon, En ...
(with links to the British Royal family) and as a result is routinely visited by sizable
naval ship A naval ship is a military ship (or sometimes boat, depending on classification) used by a navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amph ...
s.


See also

*
Dartmouth Higher Ferry The Dartmouth Higher Ferry, also known as the Dartmouth–Kingswear Floating Bridge, is a vehicular and passenger cable ferry, which crosses the River Dart in the English county of Devon. It is one of three ferries that cross the tidal river fro ...
* Dartmouth Lower Ferry *
Dartmouth Passenger Ferry The Dartmouth Passenger Ferry, also known as the Dartmouth Steam Railway and Riverboat company, is a passenger ferry that crosses the River Dart in the English county of Devon. It is one of three ferries that cross the tidal river from Dartmout ...


References

{{authority control Ports and harbours of the English Channel Ports and harbours of Devon Dartmouth, Devon River Dart