Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
River Dart
The River Dart is a river in Devon, England, that rises high on Dartmoor and flows for 75 kilometres (47 mi) to the sea at Dartmouth.
Most hydronyms in England derive from the Brythonic language (from which the river's subsequent names ultimately derive from an original Celtic etymology. As the lower stretches of the river are still covered in ancient oak woodlands, it is accepted that the first element derives from dar-, meaning 'oak' (Cornish: derow, Welsh: derw). However the second element (evident in the hard consonantal termination of Dar-t) is less certain, with postulated etymologies from Darwent / Derventio ('sacred place of oak') or Darnant / Darant ('oak stream').
The Ravenna Cosmography records a number of Latinised names for the area, Devionisso Statio and Deventiasteno may represent corrupted doublets of a statio ('station') on a river named Derventio. Although the name Derventio is otherwise unattested for the river, it is an established etymology throughout Britain, found at the River Darent, Derwentwater, and a number of rivers named Derwent. Anna Eliza Bray recorded that a version of the name, Darant was still in common usage as late as 1832.
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 crime writer Agatha Christie, this has views across the river, and the house and gardens are now owned by the National Trust and are open to the public.
The entrance to the river from the sea is a rocky entrance with cliffs either side. On the East side Kingswear Castle sits very close to the water's edge, and on the west side Dartmouth Castle is built on a rocky promontory at sea level. The castles once operated a defensive chain across the estuary, which was raised at dusk to destroy enemy ships attempting to attack the harbour.
The flooded ria that forms the lower reaches of the Dart, with its deep water and steeply sloping valley sides, is a considerable barrier to crossing traffic. There are no bridges below Totnes.
Hub AI
River Dart AI simulator
(@River Dart_simulator)
River Dart
The River Dart is a river in Devon, England, that rises high on Dartmoor and flows for 75 kilometres (47 mi) to the sea at Dartmouth.
Most hydronyms in England derive from the Brythonic language (from which the river's subsequent names ultimately derive from an original Celtic etymology. As the lower stretches of the river are still covered in ancient oak woodlands, it is accepted that the first element derives from dar-, meaning 'oak' (Cornish: derow, Welsh: derw). However the second element (evident in the hard consonantal termination of Dar-t) is less certain, with postulated etymologies from Darwent / Derventio ('sacred place of oak') or Darnant / Darant ('oak stream').
The Ravenna Cosmography records a number of Latinised names for the area, Devionisso Statio and Deventiasteno may represent corrupted doublets of a statio ('station') on a river named Derventio. Although the name Derventio is otherwise unattested for the river, it is an established etymology throughout Britain, found at the River Darent, Derwentwater, and a number of rivers named Derwent. Anna Eliza Bray recorded that a version of the name, Darant was still in common usage as late as 1832.
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 crime writer Agatha Christie, this has views across the river, and the house and gardens are now owned by the National Trust and are open to the public.
The entrance to the river from the sea is a rocky entrance with cliffs either side. On the East side Kingswear Castle sits very close to the water's edge, and on the west side Dartmouth Castle is built on a rocky promontory at sea level. The castles once operated a defensive chain across the estuary, which was raised at dusk to destroy enemy ships attempting to attack the harbour.
The flooded ria that forms the lower reaches of the Dart, with its deep water and steeply sloping valley sides, is a considerable barrier to crossing traffic. There are no bridges below Totnes.