River Teign

The River Teign rises on Dartmoor and flows for 50 kilometres to the English Channel at Teignmouth. Its name appears in an Anglo-Saxon charter from the 8th century as Teng, linked to a Welsh word meaning ‘stream’. Along its course it passes villages with names ending in ‘-steignton’, such as Kingsteignton and Bishopsteignton. Near Drewsteignton a Grade II* listed bridge, Fingle Bridge, spans the river. The river also gives its name to Teigngrace and Teigncombe on the eastern edge of the moor. The Teign Estuary widens below Newton Abbot and carries clay, timber and grain to the port of Teignmouth. Shaldon Bridge, opened in 1827, is the lowest road crossing before the passenger ferry to Teignmouth. The river once powered Newton Abbot power station from 1898 to 1974, drawing cooling water from its flow. A British record flounder weighing 1.2 kilograms was caught in the estuary in 1994. Anglers also take grey mullet, brown trout and occasional salmon in the lower and middle reaches. Walkers follow the river through steep-sided valleys where the Teign Valley Line once ran until 1967. At Leigh Bridge the North and South Teign rivers meet, and the Tolmen Stone stands nearby with a large hole worn through it. The Stover Canal, built for the ball clay trade, links the river to Teigngrace and once carried granite from Haytor. Above Newton Abbot the river passes a nature reserve on its east bank before turning east towards the tidal estuary.