River Taw

The River Taw rises at Taw Head on Dartmoor and flows north for about 72 kilometres through North Devon. It passes villages named after it, such as South Tawton and North Tawton, and is joined by tributaries like the Lapford Yeo and Little Dart River. Near the middle of its course, the river becomes a popular spot for fishing trout, sea trout and salmon. The Tarka Trail follows much of the river’s route, named after Tarka the Otter. In the early 17th century, timber floated down the river to Barnstaple caused damage to riverbanks owned by the Earls of Bedford and Bath. The river’s tidal section begins at Newbridge, about 19 kilometres from the sea, where daily water depth changes of six to eight metres occur. The estuary widens dramatically, reaching a kilometre across near Fremington. Barnstaple’s Long Bridge, originally medieval, marks one of the river’s lowest crossing points. The Braunton Canal, made navigable in the early 19th century, joins the river near its mouth. Braunton Burrows, a large dune complex, once blocked the river’s path, forcing it to divert south-westward. The Taw shares its estuary with the River Torridge before emptying into Barnstaple Bay. Fremington was once the second busiest port between Bristol and Lands End, handling Welsh coal until the mid-20th century. Yelland, the lowest point on the river, was home to a coal-fired power station until 1984. Ted Hughes wrote a poem inspired by the river’s flooding in 1983. The preserved steam locomotive Taw Valley runs on the Severn Valley Railway, honouring the river’s name.