River Dart tidal section 4
Stoke Gabriel to Dittisham and Greenway
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, oyster beds, submerged rubbish and the tide (upto 4knots here) .
Paddlers: Monkey_pork and Geisha.
Did we forget anything: Yeah, we did this time (rescue hook).
This is the forth of our river Dart guides.
This section covers the run down from Stoke Gabriel to Dittisham and Greenway.
Same as earlier trips, start off at Stoke Gabriel. If the tide has fallen too far to use the pontoon, there is a mud-free point that is useable on all states of the tide at Mill Point – SX847566 – remember to take a trolley, or be prepared for a bit of a slog. This bit of the creekside is drivable with care, but I’m not sure of the access position – it may be for the local boating association only.
[Low water at Stoke, looking over towards Dittisham]
[Geisha unloading his boat at Mill Point - Whitestone farm off in the distance]
Out into the river you opposite you is a ridge of farmland on the Dittisham to Cornworthy road, and is home to some increasingly interesting looking architecture, some of which has recently been built close to the waterline.
On a low tide there is a big solid and useable sandbank, ‘Middle Back’ – SX846563. No problem for us, but it’ll push the bigger boats out into the middle section of the river. If you get the tides right this is useable for a quick picnic.
Dittisham itself is already visible downstream, just past Dittisham Mill Creek, but only easily accessible once you’ve rounded the peninsula marked by the points at Higher and Lower Gurrow .
It’s pretty much a straight run downstream from here past farmland, Dittisham Mill Creek is there for a quick exploration on the right tide at SX859555, more of an inlet really as it’s only a few hundred mtrs long, but is home to waders so can be worth a quick detour.
Opposite this is Sandridge point SX859559.
[Looking back towards Whitestone Farm again, with Sandridge point just off the middle of the picture on the RHS]
Just along from this is Sandridge boathouse SX865562, which along with Waddeton Boathouse SX874560 form part of the key navigation aids on this section of the river. There are a couple of rocky beaches along this section too, with good views over towards Dittisham, and back upstream.
[Sandridge boathouse from Higher Gurrow Point - the fin in the shot is part of the oyster beds along here]
The downstream edge of the creek is Higher Gurrow Point, this is home to low water oyster beds which sit just under the water at a low tide, this bit of water is often opaque with silt the first you know is that scraping noise you get, either that, or you can’t get a paddle stroke in. Home to more waders, generally you’ll always get Herring Gulls, Blackbacks, Herons, Cormorants, Oyster Catchers and Sandpipers.
Off this point, pretty much due east is Galmpton Creek.
[Higher Gurrow Point, Galmpton Creek, just defined in the dip in the land above the point]
This stage is the widest point of the river now, so there is a lot of water that can be covered, rather than just making a straight run into Dittisham. This section of the river is very busy, and again, in an attempt to avoid the mud and sandflats the bigger boats take a convoluted looking route around stuff. Watch the wind too here, this catches it from all directions, and none is better than another. This entire section of water, from Stoke down to the mouth of the Dart should be regarded as ‘open water’ and treated with respect.
A paddle across the river gets you to the edge of Galmpton Creek itself.
[Looking towards Galmpton Creek from one of the little beaches mentioned above - this is between Sandridge and Waddeton boathouses]
[This is Dittisham, taken from the same little beach as above, the yellow field on the RHS is pretty much Lower Grrow Point]
Paddling into and then following the shoreline through Galmpton Creek is interesting.
(We forced our way across in the teeth of a howling wind, so no pictures of that bit this time).
[Looking at Dittisham again, this time from Galmpton Creek, Greenway is to the left now - the row of trees mark the spine of the peninsula you paddle around at Higher and Lower Gurrow Points]
[Looking back into Galmpton Creek now, just off Dittisham, Greenway is to the right]
Marking the edge of the river again, Greenway quay is on the downstream side of Galmpton Creek at SX869548, directly opposite Dittisham.
[Greenway quay from Dittisham - Dartmouth and Kingswear are off, downstream to the RHS of this picture]
Here the river narrows to perhaps no more than 250mtrs. It’s also one of the deepest sections, and there are plenty of rumours of it significant whirlpools on certain tides. This is also about the quickest place for the tide too, as lots of water squeezes through a narrow gap. Beyond this is the run down to the very end of the river at Dartmouth, Kingswear and then out into the salt road of Start Bay, but that’s sea tourer water, so that’s for another day, in another boat…
[Downstream to the salt road beyond the mouth - the woodland on the farthest shore is accessible by foot, it's called Long Wood, and is lovely, with great views over Dartmouth]
Dittisham has a pub and café on the waterside, plus a pontoon, and a decent amount of hard standing, so makes a useful, and attractive stopping off point – SX869548. Pretty much any of the quayside seems ok, right along the riverside back towards Lower Gurrow point. There is a ferry that runs ‘twixt the two
[Dittisham pontoon at low tide - looking back towards Galmpton]
The return is a version of the outgoing of course, we rode out on a falling tide, and back up on a rising tide, which saved a walk at the end of the trip, as the tide was getting on for the stand at the top of the tide by the time we got home.
[A busy Stoke Gabriel pontoon - one of the big Canoe Adventures boats just returning home up the Harbourne on an incoming tide]
Stoke Gabriel to Dittisham and Greenway
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, oyster beds, submerged rubbish and the tide (upto 4knots here) .
Paddlers: Monkey_pork and Geisha.
Did we forget anything: Yeah, we did this time (rescue hook).
This is the forth of our river Dart guides.
This section covers the run down from Stoke Gabriel to Dittisham and Greenway.
Same as earlier trips, start off at Stoke Gabriel. If the tide has fallen too far to use the pontoon, there is a mud-free point that is useable on all states of the tide at Mill Point – SX847566 – remember to take a trolley, or be prepared for a bit of a slog. This bit of the creekside is drivable with care, but I’m not sure of the access position – it may be for the local boating association only.
[Low water at Stoke, looking over towards Dittisham]
[Geisha unloading his boat at Mill Point - Whitestone farm off in the distance]
Out into the river you opposite you is a ridge of farmland on the Dittisham to Cornworthy road, and is home to some increasingly interesting looking architecture, some of which has recently been built close to the waterline.
On a low tide there is a big solid and useable sandbank, ‘Middle Back’ – SX846563. No problem for us, but it’ll push the bigger boats out into the middle section of the river. If you get the tides right this is useable for a quick picnic.
Dittisham itself is already visible downstream, just past Dittisham Mill Creek, but only easily accessible once you’ve rounded the peninsula marked by the points at Higher and Lower Gurrow .
It’s pretty much a straight run downstream from here past farmland, Dittisham Mill Creek is there for a quick exploration on the right tide at SX859555, more of an inlet really as it’s only a few hundred mtrs long, but is home to waders so can be worth a quick detour.
Opposite this is Sandridge point SX859559.
[Looking back towards Whitestone Farm again, with Sandridge point just off the middle of the picture on the RHS]
Just along from this is Sandridge boathouse SX865562, which along with Waddeton Boathouse SX874560 form part of the key navigation aids on this section of the river. There are a couple of rocky beaches along this section too, with good views over towards Dittisham, and back upstream.
[Sandridge boathouse from Higher Gurrow Point - the fin in the shot is part of the oyster beds along here]
The downstream edge of the creek is Higher Gurrow Point, this is home to low water oyster beds which sit just under the water at a low tide, this bit of water is often opaque with silt the first you know is that scraping noise you get, either that, or you can’t get a paddle stroke in. Home to more waders, generally you’ll always get Herring Gulls, Blackbacks, Herons, Cormorants, Oyster Catchers and Sandpipers.
Off this point, pretty much due east is Galmpton Creek.
[Higher Gurrow Point, Galmpton Creek, just defined in the dip in the land above the point]
This stage is the widest point of the river now, so there is a lot of water that can be covered, rather than just making a straight run into Dittisham. This section of the river is very busy, and again, in an attempt to avoid the mud and sandflats the bigger boats take a convoluted looking route around stuff. Watch the wind too here, this catches it from all directions, and none is better than another. This entire section of water, from Stoke down to the mouth of the Dart should be regarded as ‘open water’ and treated with respect.
A paddle across the river gets you to the edge of Galmpton Creek itself.
[Looking towards Galmpton Creek from one of the little beaches mentioned above - this is between Sandridge and Waddeton boathouses]
[This is Dittisham, taken from the same little beach as above, the yellow field on the RHS is pretty much Lower Grrow Point]
Paddling into and then following the shoreline through Galmpton Creek is interesting.
(We forced our way across in the teeth of a howling wind, so no pictures of that bit this time).
[Looking at Dittisham again, this time from Galmpton Creek, Greenway is to the left now - the row of trees mark the spine of the peninsula you paddle around at Higher and Lower Gurrow Points]
[Looking back into Galmpton Creek now, just off Dittisham, Greenway is to the right]
Marking the edge of the river again, Greenway quay is on the downstream side of Galmpton Creek at SX869548, directly opposite Dittisham.
[Greenway quay from Dittisham - Dartmouth and Kingswear are off, downstream to the RHS of this picture]
Here the river narrows to perhaps no more than 250mtrs. It’s also one of the deepest sections, and there are plenty of rumours of it significant whirlpools on certain tides. This is also about the quickest place for the tide too, as lots of water squeezes through a narrow gap. Beyond this is the run down to the very end of the river at Dartmouth, Kingswear and then out into the salt road of Start Bay, but that’s sea tourer water, so that’s for another day, in another boat…
[Downstream to the salt road beyond the mouth - the woodland on the farthest shore is accessible by foot, it's called Long Wood, and is lovely, with great views over Dartmouth]
Dittisham has a pub and café on the waterside, plus a pontoon, and a decent amount of hard standing, so makes a useful, and attractive stopping off point – SX869548. Pretty much any of the quayside seems ok, right along the riverside back towards Lower Gurrow point. There is a ferry that runs ‘twixt the two
[Dittisham pontoon at low tide - looking back towards Galmpton]
The return is a version of the outgoing of course, we rode out on a falling tide, and back up on a rising tide, which saved a walk at the end of the trip, as the tide was getting on for the stand at the top of the tide by the time we got home.
[A busy Stoke Gabriel pontoon - one of the big Canoe Adventures boats just returning home up the Harbourne on an incoming tide]
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