River Dart
| River Dart | |
| River | |
 The River Dart
|
|
| Country | England |
|---|---|
| County | Devon |
| Source | West Dart |
| - location | Lower White Tor |
| - elevation | 450 m (1,476 ft) |
| Secondary source | East Dart |
| - location | Kit Rock, Whinney's Down |
| - elevation | 510 m (1,673 ft) |
| Source confluence | |
| - location | Dartmeet |
| - elevation | 210 m (689 ft) |
| Mouth | English Channel |
| - elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| - coordinates | 50°20′33″N 3°33′51″W / 50.34250°N 3.56417°WCoordinates: 50°20′33″N 3°33′51″W / 50.34250°N 3.56417°W |
| Discharge | for Austins Bridge, Buckfastleigh |
| - average | 11.04 m3/s (390 cu ft/s) |
| - max | 40 m3/s (1,413 cu ft/s) |
The River Dart is a river in Devon, England which rises high on Dartmoor, and releases to the sea at Dartmouth. Its valley and surrounding area is a place of great natural beauty.
The river's name is presumed to be Brythonic Celtic meaning 'river where oak trees grow' due to the banks of the lower Dart being covered in ancient woods of native oak Bray notes in 1832 that the name was occasionally spelled 'Darant'.
The river begins as two separate branches (the East Dart and West Dart), which join at Dartmeet. The paths along these rivers offer very attractive walking, and there are several small waterfalls. The rivers are crossed by a number of clapper bridges, notably at the hamlet of Postbridge.
After leaving the moor, the Dart flows southwards past Buckfast Abbey and through the towns of Buckfastleigh, Dartington and Totnes. At Totnes, where there is a seventeenth-century weir (rebuilt in the 1960s), it becomes tidal, and there are no bridges below the town.
A passenger ferry operates across the river from the village of Dittisham to a point adjacent to the Greenway Estate. Formerly the home of the late crime writer Agatha Christie, this has stunning views across the river, and the house and gardens are now owned by the National Trust and are open to the public.
...
Wikipedia