page_title: Dartmouth Harbour
section_title: Geography
hierarchical_section_title: Dartmouth Harbour / Geography
caption_attribution_description: English: Map of Dartmouth, Devon
context_page_description: Dartmouth 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.
context_section_description: 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.
  The tide rise is about 14 feet (4.3 m) and the patent slips are of 250 feet (76 m) and 450 feet (140 m) length, capable of berthing large vessels. Navigation up to Totnes is possible for 10 miles (16 km) along the River Dart. Blackstone rock, 8 feet (2.4 m) above high water level, is a landmark for ships to bypass shoals at the entrance. Entrance to the bay is 220 yards (200 m) 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.
caption: Map of Dartmouth
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