The River Plym is a river in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

, England. It runs from Dartmoor in the centre of the county southwest to meet the

River Meavy The River Meavy is a river in the southwest part of Dartmoor in Devon in south-west England. It runs entirely in the national park and connects Burrator Reservoir to the River Plym. Course The river is long, and flows in a generally south-west ...

, then south towards Plymouth Sound. The river is popular with canoeists, and the

Plym Valley Railway The Plym Valley Railway is a heritage railway based on part of the now-closed South Devon and Tavistock Railway, a branch line of the Great Western Railway in Devon, England. History The line was originally part of the South Devon and Tav ...

runs alongside a section of the river.

Course

The river's source is around above sea level on Dartmoor, in an upland marshy area called

Plym Head Plym can refer to: * River Plym The River Plym is a river in Devon, England. It runs from Dartmoor in the centre of the county southwest to meet the River Meavy, then south towards Plymouth Sound. The river is popular with canoeists, and the ...

. From the upper reaches, which contain antiquities and mining remains, the river flows roughly southwest past clay workings at Shaugh Prior to The

Dewerstone Dewerstone is the site of an Iron Age Hill fort on a rocky promontory overlooking the River Plym on the South West edge of Dartmoor to the North of Plympton in Devon. The fort consists of ramparts to the Northern side of the promontory at app ...

, where it meets the

. The course then changes to run southwards, between Plymouth and Plympton passing through the National Trust owned

Plymbridge Woods Plymbridge Woods is a woodland in Plympton, Devon, England managed by The National Trust. The woods are named after the historic Plymbridge, a Grade II listed bridge over the River Plym. Drake's Trail passes through the woods providing a cycling ...

and under the ancient Plym Bridge. Its upper tidal estuary is known as the

Laira Laira – previously recorded as Lare(1591), Lary poynte (1638), the Leerie (1643), and the Lairy (1802) – was originally the name given to that part of the estuary of the River Plym from the Cattewater up to Marsh Mills in Plymouth, Devon ...

and the lower part is called Cattewater, which is navigable and leads towards Plymouth Sound. It is approximately long.

Nomenclature

The name Plym is thought to have its origins in

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th ...

and means the "plum tree" ( Cornish ''ploumenn''), from a back-formation from the name of Plympton. The port of Plymouth took its name from the river.

History

, a River-class antisubmarine frigate, was named after the river during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. It carried out convoy escort duties in the North Atlantic and was later destroyed in the UK's first nuclear explosion. When it was in operation, the

Cann Quarry Canal The Cann Quarry canal was a canal in Devon, England which ran for just under from Cann Quarry to the River Plym at Marsh Mills. It opened in 1829, and a short tramway connected it to the Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway at Crabtree Junction. It h ...

left the river at Marsh Mills. The

runs alongside the River Plym. It opened in 1856 as a section of the South Devon and Tavistock Railway, which followed the river as far as the tributary with the River Meavy. The line closed to passengers in 1962, and goods services stopped four years later. The new railway is volunteer-run railway which operates steam and diesel hauled train rides. The first section from Plym Valley from Marsh Mills station opened in 2001, with an extension to Lee Moor Crossing in 2008. In 2013, the line was extended to Plymbridge. The remainder of the line forms part of the Plym Valley Trail, a cycle route from Plymouth to Ilfracombe.

Leisure

The River Plym is popular for canoeing. The upper section in Dartmoor from Cadover Bridge to Shaugh Bridge is considered challenging, and has been described by the British Canoe Union as the hardest section of river to navigate the park. It is often the first river to fill during heavy rain, and one of the first to drop afterwards. Experienced canoeists judge the water level carefully around the weather. This section has a number of pool drops, which are not recommended for novices. Lower sections beyond Shaugh Bridge to Bickleigh Bridge are easier to navigate past the first rapid, provided the river is at a sufficient water level. In addition the Plym is rich with brown trout, sea trout and salmon. Angling is allowed in both lower and upper areas with much of the water being managed by Plymouth & District Freshwater Angling Association.

References

Citations Sources * {{authority control Plym, River P

Course

Nomenclature

History

Leisure

See also

References