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The Tamar is a river
River

A river is a natural stream of water, usually freshwater, flowing toward an ocean, a lake, or another stream. In some cases a river flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water....
 in south western England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
, that forms most of the border between Devon
Devon

Devon is a large Counties of England in South West England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name, rarely used inside of the county but often indicating a shire....
 (to the east) and Cornwall
Cornwall

Cornwall , constitutional Duchy and palatine, is a metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England of England, United Kingdom, located at the tip of the south-western peninsula of Great Britain....
 (to the west). At its mouth, the Tamar flows into the Hamoaze
Hamoaze

The Hamoaze is an estuary stretch of water at the point where the tidal River Tamar, the River Tavy, and the River Lynher meet, prior to entering Plymouth Sound....
 where it joins with the River Lynher
River Lynher

The River Lynher flows through Cornwall, passing St Germans and enters Plymouth Sound at the Hamoaze.The river is approximately 21 miles , rising at a height of approximately 920 feet on Bodmin Moor and flowing into the Tamar Estuary at Plymouth....
 before entering Plymouth Sound
Plymouth Sound

Plymouth Sound, or locally just The Sound, is a Headlands and bays at Plymouth in England.Its south west and south east corners are Penlee Point, Rame in Cornwall and Wembury Point on Devon, a distance of about 3 nautical miles ....
. The river has some 20 road crossings, including the Tamar Bridge
Tamar Bridge

The Tamar Bridge is a major road bridge at Saltash in South West England England carrying traffic between Cornwall and Devon. When it opened in 1961 it was the longest suspension bridge in the United Kingdom....
, a toll bridge
Toll road

A toll road, , is a road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels....
 on the A38
A38 road

The A38 is a major trunk road in England. Though formally known as the Exeter - Leeds Trunk Road, it actually runs from Bodmin in Cornwall to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire....
 trunk road
Trunk road

A trunk road, trunk highway, or strategic road is a major road—usually connecting two or more city, ports, airports, etc.—which is the recommended route for long-distance and freight traffic....
 and the world renowned Royal Albert Bridge
Royal Albert Bridge

The Royal Albert Bridge spans the River Tamar in the United Kingdom between Plymouth, on the Devon bank, and Saltash on the Cornwall bank. It was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and carries the Cornish Main Line in and out of Cornwall....
, both are at Saltash
Saltash

Saltash is a town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a population of about 17,000. It lies in the southeast of Cornwall, facing Plymouth over the River Tamar....
 known as the Gateway to Cornwall and the Tamar Valley.

The Tamar's source is less than 6km (4 miles) from the north Cornish coast, but it flows southward.






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Encyclopedia


The Tamar is a river
River

A river is a natural stream of water, usually freshwater, flowing toward an ocean, a lake, or another stream. In some cases a river flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water....
 in south western England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
, that forms most of the border between Devon
Devon

Devon is a large Counties of England in South West England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name, rarely used inside of the county but often indicating a shire....
 (to the east) and Cornwall
Cornwall

Cornwall , constitutional Duchy and palatine, is a metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England of England, United Kingdom, located at the tip of the south-western peninsula of Great Britain....
 (to the west). At its mouth, the Tamar flows into the Hamoaze
Hamoaze

The Hamoaze is an estuary stretch of water at the point where the tidal River Tamar, the River Tavy, and the River Lynher meet, prior to entering Plymouth Sound....
 where it joins with the River Lynher
River Lynher

The River Lynher flows through Cornwall, passing St Germans and enters Plymouth Sound at the Hamoaze.The river is approximately 21 miles , rising at a height of approximately 920 feet on Bodmin Moor and flowing into the Tamar Estuary at Plymouth....
 before entering Plymouth Sound
Plymouth Sound

Plymouth Sound, or locally just The Sound, is a Headlands and bays at Plymouth in England.Its south west and south east corners are Penlee Point, Rame in Cornwall and Wembury Point on Devon, a distance of about 3 nautical miles ....
. The river has some 20 road crossings, including the Tamar Bridge
Tamar Bridge

The Tamar Bridge is a major road bridge at Saltash in South West England England carrying traffic between Cornwall and Devon. When it opened in 1961 it was the longest suspension bridge in the United Kingdom....
, a toll bridge
Toll road

A toll road, , is a road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels....
 on the A38
A38 road

The A38 is a major trunk road in England. Though formally known as the Exeter - Leeds Trunk Road, it actually runs from Bodmin in Cornwall to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire....
 trunk road
Trunk road

A trunk road, trunk highway, or strategic road is a major road—usually connecting two or more city, ports, airports, etc.—which is the recommended route for long-distance and freight traffic....
 and the world renowned Royal Albert Bridge
Royal Albert Bridge

The Royal Albert Bridge spans the River Tamar in the United Kingdom between Plymouth, on the Devon bank, and Saltash on the Cornwall bank. It was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and carries the Cornish Main Line in and out of Cornwall....
, both are at Saltash
Saltash

Saltash is a town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a population of about 17,000. It lies in the southeast of Cornwall, facing Plymouth over the River Tamar....
 known as the Gateway to Cornwall and the Tamar Valley.

The Tamar's source is less than 6km (4 miles) from the north Cornish coast, but it flows southward. North of the source the Cornish border heads to the sea along Marsland Water, making Cornwall nearly an island.

In a few places the border deviates from the river, leaving, for instance, the Devon village of Bridgerule
Bridgerule

Bridgerule is a village in Devon, England, a mile from the border with Cornwall. The River Tamar runs through it and frequently floods the High Street....
 on the 'Cornish' side. Curiously, the modern administrative border
Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England

Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of subdivisions of England used for the purposes of local government outside Greater London....
 between Devon and Cornwall more closely follows the Tamar than the historic county border
Historic counties of England

The historic counties of England are ancient subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxons kingdoms and shires....
. Several villages north of Launceston
Launceston, Cornwall

Launceston is a town, an ancient borough, and a civil parish in the north of Cornwall, United Kingdom. The form 'Lanson' based on the traditional pronunciation is almost obsolete ....
 which are west of the Tamar were actually in Devon until the 1960s.

The Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of Rural considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government; or the Norther...
 covers around 195kmē (75 square miles) around the lower Tamar (below Launceston) and its tributaries the Tavy
River Tavy

The Tavy is a river on Dartmoor, Devon, England: it has given its name to the town of Tavistock and the villages of Mary Tavy and Peter Tavy.It is a tributary of the River Tamar and has as its own tributaries the:...
 and the Lynher
River Lynher

The River Lynher flows through Cornwall, passing St Germans and enters Plymouth Sound at the Hamoaze.The river is approximately 21 miles , rising at a height of approximately 920 feet on Bodmin Moor and flowing into the Tamar Estuary at Plymouth....
. It was first proposed in 1963, but was not designated until 1995. Rocks around the edge of Dartmoor
Dartmoor

Dartmoor is an area of moorland in the centre of Devon, England. Protected by National parks of England and Wales status, it covers .The granite highland dates from the Carboniferous period of geology history....
 were mineralised by fluids driven by the heat, which gave rise to ores containing tin
Tin

Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. Tin is obtained chiefly from the mineral cassiterite, where it occurs as an oxide, SnO2....
, copper
Copper

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29.It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity....
, tungsten
Tungsten

Tungsten , also known as wolfram , is a chemical element that has the symbol W and atomic number 74.A steel-gray metal, tungsten is found in several ores, including wolframite and scheelite....
, lead
Lead

Lead is a main-group Chemical element with symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal, also considered to be one of the heavy metal ....
 and other minerals in the Valley. During the industrial revolution the Tamar was an important river for shipping copper from ports such as Morwellham Quay
Morwellham Quay

Morwellham Quay is a historic river port in Devon, England that developed to support the local mines. The port had its peak in the Victorian era and is now run as a tourist attraction....
 and New Quay (Devon)
New Quay (Devon)

New Quay is a small abandoned village on the banks of the river Tamar in Devon, the village is just downstream of the similar port of Morwellham Quay ....
to south Wales where it would be smelted. A traditional Cornish tale claims that the devil would never dare to cross the River Tamar into Cornwall for fear of ending up as a pasty
Pasty

A pasty , less commonly known as tiddly oggy or tiddy oggy, and sometimes as pastie in the United States, is a filled pastry case, commonly associated with Cornwall, United Kingdom....
 filling.

See also

  • The Tamar River
    Tamar River (Tasmania)

    Named for the River Tamar in Great Britain, the Tamar River in northern Tasmania is formed by the merging of the North Esk River and South Esk Rivers in Launceston, Tasmania....
     in Tasmania
    Tasmania

    Tasmania is an Australian island and States and territories of Australia of the same name. It is located south of the eastern side of the continent, being separated from it by Bass Strait....
     was named after this Tamar.
  • Rivers of the United Kingdom
  • Tamar Valley Line
    Tamar Valley Line

    The Tamar Valley Line is a railway line from Devonport, Devon in Plymouth Devon, to Gunnislake in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The line follows the River Tamar for much of its route....
  • Saltash
    Saltash

    Saltash is a town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a population of about 17,000. It lies in the southeast of Cornwall, facing Plymouth over the River Tamar....
  • Royal Albert Bridge
    Royal Albert Bridge

    The Royal Albert Bridge spans the River Tamar in the United Kingdom between Plymouth, on the Devon bank, and Saltash on the Cornwall bank. It was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and carries the Cornish Main Line in and out of Cornwall....


External links

  • Morwellham Quay
    Morwellham Quay

    Morwellham Quay is a historic river port in Devon, England that developed to support the local mines. The port had its peak in the Victorian era and is now run as a tourist attraction....