River Dart tidal section I
Totnes town weir to Longmarsh.

Map: OS Outdoor Leisure 20.
South Devon, Brixham to Newton Ferrers
Parking: SHDC Longmarsh, Totnes. SX803598.
River access: SHDC Longmarsh slipway (adjacent to the car park).
Distance: 1.5 miles (one way).
Hazards: Submerged material, shallow sections, bigger boats, wind, mud and the tide.
Paddlers: Monkey_pork and Geisha.

This’ll be the first in a series of River Dart trip guides.
This bit is the very top end of the tidal section, and is one of the Darts more urban areas to paddle, although as Totnes isn’t really very big at all, describing it as urban is relative only.

I’ve not given times and stuff, as that’ll depend on the paddlers as much as anything. There was a cold and strong headwind today, which, along with a falling tide, made for a long old paddle there, and a very short paddle back. This river does drain out fast, so the tide is something to watch out for – not unnecessarily watch out for, but just to be aware of. Ok, into guidebook mode…

The most straightforward access to the river is via the Longmarsh car park slipway. (There are a couple of other access points, but they are not ideal…). This slipway is about 1.3 miles downstream from the weir but for completeness, we’ll paddle upstream for a bit to start the river guide off properly. Most trips starting here I’d imagine go off downstream …

Totnes Town Weir.
SX801613

Big, shallow flow, and currently unknown stopper state.
Probably not a weir to be run I’d say at a guess. The weir itself is big, but shallow and has a small wall on the right hand side to direct the flow. Having seen this in a scary spate in the autumn, I’d be very careful running off it into the stopper, as I watched whole trees being carried down this river about five months ago. There is a good condition salmon ladder alongside the weir, which is well fished by Heron.
[Geisha approaching the weir, brace at the ready]

Almost immediately downstream there is a sandy, flat section in the middle of the river that attracts water birds by the hundreds on low tides. This is passable on either side. Shortly onto a couple of bridges, one for people using the South Devon Steam Railway, the other carries the main railway line, which eventually goes onto to Penzance. On high tides a small water taxi uses a little wooden quay just upstream of the footbridge.


[Looks like one bridge, but it really is two, and yes Geisha really is laying on the airbag in the back of his boat - as we've paddled together for years, you soon get used to it]

Under the rail bridge is a small sub-GI rapid, which, as it’s so shallow is an absolute nightmare to paddle up on a falling tide (as we rediscovered today). On low water you’ll be portaging this bit. (SX80461).


[Past the bridges, looking back upstream, and the little rapid is 'just' about visible]

On past the small River Hems, coming in from your left, SX807610 and dodging the fallen trees stuck in either bank, the river swings south, towards the two bridges that carry the A385, and on the other, older bridge, local traffic. The Hems is navigable on a high tide, and is an interesting little bit of water – but probably only for completeness tho’.

There is a SWW water treatment plant of some sort on this corner too...

[The Hems is over my left shoulder here - that tree behind my mate is typical of this section. Bridgetown Church is just visible in the distance, beyond a section of flood meadow]

On the left bank (past the reinforcing work) we saw a kinda wheel-trim shrine in amongst the willow trees. The A381 runs alongside this section, and it appears that perhaps trims that ping off along that road get placed in the trees, by unknown cargo-cultists, who also may own the small allotments that are there too.

On under the road bridges, the new bridge (SX808606) is fine, the older bridge (SX807603) does have a fun bit of GI water on low tide, but just hit the central section and just power it through and you’ll be fine.


[This bridge has an inscription carved on the central span on the otherside, that from memory sets out the time of it's construction in relationship to the monarch sitting at the time - not visable here, but there is a rapid trough the centre, that Geisha is about to power through. Vire island is the park in the right-hand bridge span]

Alongside you now to the right is Vire Island, which isn’t actually an island. There is a narrow creek up past this on the right, but it doesn’t go anywhere (SX801601). From the first bridge to the end of Vire Island is a mooring, so there will be boats, and mooring lines here during the season to avoid.

Slightly SE again now at the end of Vire Island, past the embarkation point for the big river tipping boats on the quay to the left – these are best avoided. You’ll see them from this point onwards now, as they run between Totnes and Dartmouth. As the Dart meanders, she varies her navigable channel, so if you see a sudden shift in the direction of these boats downstream, don’t be surprised.


[Off to the right is the creek past Vire Island, just in front of us is the embarkation point. There is a big stack of tires at the end of the quay. The building is the office of a local building company, with one of the Baltic Wharf Boatyard sheds beyond it]

That’s nearly the end of this section now, as we are almost back at Longmarsh, but the river flows onwards from here to the sea … and this is where we’ll again pick up from later.


[Off to the right is the Baltic Wharf Boatyard, the left, just past the second boat is the slipway, and beyond it, the river continues her journey to the sea]

Totnes itself is a great little town, lots of history, a good deli, a few wholefood shops, lots of bookshops and cafes, and we discovered on Friday, a canoe shop. Regular Friday market, good bread and olive stalls, plus loads of other stuff. I know I’m scarcely impartial, but South Hams really is beautiful, and well worth a bit of time exploring – and that’s before you take in Dartmoor and the Cornish coast and countryside, an hour or so down the road …