The 50-mile stretch of the River Tamar forms a unique county boundary
between the counties of Devon and Cornwall. The Tamar's source is East
Youlstone near Bude less than 4 miles from the north Cornish coast. But
instead of flowing northward into the Atlantic Ocean it flows slowly
south. through reed-fringed mudscapes passing the towns of Launceston,
Gunnislake, and Saltash before widening out and eventually meeting the
English Channel at Plymouth Sound. In the sound the river merges with
the rivers Tavy, Plym and Lynher to form the Tamar Valley, an area of
outstanding natural beauty. The river has some 20 road crossings,
including some medieval stone bridges, and the famous Tamar Bridge,
opened in 1961 which carries the A38 and the Royal Albert Bridge built
in 1859 by Brunel, to carry the railway from Devon into Cornwall. The
natural wonders of the environment contrast sharply with the manmade
industrial relics which are strewn along the middle reaches of the
river. The cries of the raven and the peregrine falcon echo around the
site of abandoned mines in which men toiled for more than two centuries.
The Tamar has always played an important role in the region's economy
with mineral extraction a key industry in the Tamar valley. The Tamar
has also served naval interests since 1691, when William of Orange
commissioned a new dockyard at the mouth of the river in Devon.
