River Dart tidal section 2
Stoke Gabriel to Sharpham Point.

Map: OS Outdoor Leisure 20.
South Devon, Brixham to Newton Ferrers
Parking: Stoke Gabriel Quay, SX848569.
River access: Stoke Gabriel Quay,
Distance: 2.5 miles (one way).
Hazards: Shallow sections, bigger boats, wind, mud, currents and the tide.
Paddlers: Monkey_pork and Geisha.
Did we forget anything: Yes

This is the second of our river Dart guides.
This section covers the run up from Stoke Gabriel to Sharpham point. There is another section above that, to Totnes, but we’ll cover that in a later trip.
Stoke provides an ideal entry into the middle section of the Dart, from here you can explore upriver as far as Totnes, or downriver as far as being swept out to sea at the mouth of the Dart, or poke about up the Harbourne – we’ll cover the downstream bit, and the Harbourne bit later too, but hopefully we’ll avoid being swept out to sea.

Stoke is a very pretty little village, and well worth a bit of a poke around in it’s own right. This is the quay car park, and there is also a little cafe here, about 75mtrs from where we are parked.


[Looking into Mill Pool, which is just about paddle'able, but you'd not want to. The river is behind the camera].

Stoke has a useful pontoon, and I think useage is probably chargable, but we kinda seem to have got away with it this long, so maybe they don't charge canoes. Failing that, if the tide is right, just go off the ‘beach’ alongside the pontoon. Actually, now would be a good time to mention the tide, on a low tide this can be hard work launching or beaching here –Mill Point retains a solid surface on a low tide, it’s at the mouth of the creek at SX845566. The rest of this creek is mud, deep scary sucky mud.

Right, off we go.


[Looking out of Stoke Mouth, across the river and up at the ridge between East Cornworthy and Dittisham - the pontoon is off to my left].

Out of the creek, and into the main flow – which can be significant on the turn of the tide. The old guidebook I have states ‘treat as open water’, and having paddled this bit of the river in rough conditions, that’s exactly how to treat it. She wasn’t like that today tho’...


[Looking downstream towards Dittisham, and ultimately Dartmouth - we left at the same time as a couple of kayaks].


[Looking, and travelling upstream towards the mouth of the Harbourne, off on the left, and beyond, the ridge that runs down to Ashprington Point].

Upstream a bit the Dart is joined by the Harbourne at SX837568. This is an odd bit of the river, as the point opposite is shallow for miles out into the river, so all the big boats swing out close to the mouth of the Harbourne around the mudflats. The are lots of nav bouys for a bit now.

This section can also present a challenge if you get wind against tide, as the two streams run side by side for a bit and make a ridge in the water, which with an opposing wind, makes for some pretty intense and quite odd standing waves. Just something else to be aware of …


[Looking back at the mouth of the Harbourne, beyond which lies Tuckenhay, and the navigable end of this creek. We have travelled up the water to the left of this picture - Ashprington Point is alongside us on the right, the river continues upwards behind me].

Safely past the conjunction of water, one pulls alongside Ashprington Point (at which a public footpath terminates), and opposite is Duncannon. I may be making this up, but I think it may be the smallest village in England as it was incorrectly classified as a village at some point in time.


[180' aound from the last picture to find Geisha paddling towards Duncannon].


[Opposite Duncannon is Ashprington Point, again, looking downstream at it - I've seen lots of camping here, but I think it's scounts only. There is a footpath to the end tho].

From Ashprington Point, one finds oneself in Ham reach, which is a lovely bit of river, if everso slightly melancholy. Sharpham Wood runs alongside one side, and farmland along the other. The autumn colours here are spectacular (but as we took these pictures in April and the seasons are not quite that out of control yet, you’ll have to imagine that). There is a short and shallow creek on the Duncannon side, in which a very wrecked houseboat is slowly sinking into the mud.


[Upstream again now, this is the start of Ham Reach].


[Whilst this is further into Ham Reach, showing off Sharpham Woods].

Up at the end of Ham is Sharpham Point, on which one finds Sharpham House, (www.sharpham-trust.org & www.sharpham.com) and down on the river, a lovely boathouse at SX829577. Sharpham Point is also home to a vineyard, which can be clearly seen from the river (although probably not in my photos!).


[MP on the approach to Sharpham House].



[...and round the corner, looking at the boat house, with Sharpham House behind].

Upstream a bit is Sharpham Point itself SX833579– and on this trip, beyond which we didn’t venture (especially as it started raining)


[Sharpham Point in the rain, with the vineyards, just about visible. Beyond lies Fleet Mill Reach, Home Reach and Totnes].

The return is similar to the upstream run of course, except here we had the stand of the tide, so there was much floating aimlessly on a fat, slow river, until the tide started to pull outwards, which on the turn of the tide is a very fast flow, slows up a bit later, them sprints out at the end again. Down past Duncannon, past the mouth of the Harbourne, and off into Long Stream heading home to Stoke.


[Sat out in Long Stream, heading for home. This is a big bit of water here, and if you get caught out this far out into the middle of the river, it'll get serious very quickly, especially with wind against tide].


[One last push against the outflowing tide, and we are back in Stoke Mouth, home safely].

We ran this with the tide, up on a rising tide, and back on a falling one. It works just as well going downstream on a falling tide, and up on a rising one. Please bear in mind the size of the river at this point, and keep a weather eye out, remember too that the first and last bits of the tide are fast, and will sweep you past the creek if you let them. And the mud, don't forget the mud. If you catch the stand of the tide, the river becomes swollen and lazy for a time, and it's bliss to paddle.