Moorings on the River Tamar

The River Tamar forms the historic boundary between Devon and Cornwall, flowing 97 kilometres south from its source on the rugged moorland near Morwenstow through deep wooded valleys to broaden into the Tamar Estuary at Plymouth Sound. The navigable tidal section runs from Plymouth Sound up the river to Morwellham Quay (a Victorian copper-mining port now restored as an open-air museum) and Calstock, with sea-going access to one of the finest natural harbours in Europe. For boat owners, the Tamar offers an extraordinary combination — a deeply rural, AONB-protected river valley with steep wooded banks and historic copper-mining heritage, opening into a major sea-going harbour with the Royal Navy's Devonport base, marina facilities and onward cruising to Cornwall, the Channel Islands and France. Long-stay moorings are available at Plymouth Yacht Haven, Mayflower Marina, King Point Marina, Queen Anne's Battery, and Saltash Sailing Club, with quieter swinging moorings further upstream at Cargreen and Calstock. The Tamar Bridges (road and Brunel's iconic Royal Albert Bridge of 1859) give the lower river its dramatic visual signature. Liveaboards based here enjoy the full Plymouth amenity (rail, restaurants, the Hoe, the Barbican) plus genuine wild cruising up the river — egrets, salmon, even the occasional seal coming inland on the tide.