Dartmouth Harbour
| Dartmouth Harbour | |
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Dartmouth Harbour, with Kingswear in the background, and River Dart cruise boats alongside Dartmouth Town Jetty.
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| Location | United Kingdom, Devon County |
| Coordinates | 50°21′06″N 3°34′40″W / 50.35167°N 3.57778°WCoordinates: 50°21′06″N 3°34′40″W / 50.35167°N 3.57778°W |
| River sources | Dart River |
| Basin countries | United Kingdom |
| Settlements | Dartmouth |
| References | Dartmouth Harbour |
Dartmouth Harbour (also Dart Harbour) is a natural port located in Dartmouth, Devon, England. It is situated at the mouth of the River Dart on the English Channel.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; warships routinely visit the harbour. The River Dart is navigable from Dartmouth to the old weir location at Totnes.
The harbour is located at the mouth of the River Dart (the name 'Dart' is Brythonic Celtic meaning 'river where oak trees grow'), which rises high on Dartmoor, and enters the sea at Dartmouth. The river begins as two separate branches (the East Dart and West Dart), which join at Dartmeet. The rivers are crossed by a number of clapper bridges, notably at the hamlet of Postbridge. 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 of native oak. 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 5 miles (8.0 km) to the south west of Berry Head. On the east side, Kingswear Castle is located very close to the water's edge, and on the west side, Dartmouth Castle is built on a rocky promontory. Visible landmarks from the entrance to the harbour are: the outline of Dartmoor Range which has granite peaks of Hayton (rugged peak); Rippon with single carn 1,525 feet (465 m); Stoke Fleming Church built on a high ground, about 1.75 miles (2.82 km) to the west of the entrance; and Mewstone, a rocky islet about 0.75 miles (1.21 km) east of the entrance. Dartmouth is located on the right bank of the estuary.
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