Motor Boat & Yachting – May 2018

THE RIVER ERME

Devon’s south coast is indented with many river estuaries and

there was another of these that I was keen to explore. Bigbury

Bay stretches in an eight-mile arc from Hope Cove to Plymouth

Sound, and is blessed by three river estuaries which are all

extremely different.

The most westerly of these, and just a few nautical miles outside

Plymouth Sound, is the River Yealm. Crowded with moorings,

it is a popular day’s sail for yachtsmen from Plymouth’s marinas.

The most easterly of the trio is the River Avon, its entrance

guarded by a sandbar and by Burgh Island.

John’s drone captured
this stunning view
of the River Erme

For me, the hidden gem among this trio of rivers lies midway

between them. The fact that it is so shallow has been the salvation

of the River Erme, as it has not suffered from development. As

a result, it is one of south Devon’s most pristine estuaries and has

been designated an Area of Outstanding

Natural Beauty. Like its sister rivers, its

source is high on Dartmoor, way inland.

At low tide, the entrance dries totally

and only on a rising tide is it possible to

explore just a little way in. And unless you

want to dry out, a visit to the estuary will

probably be restricted to just a couple of

hours either side of high water, anchoring

just a short way in and possibly exploring

a little further upstream on the tender.

But it’s an ideal place for a picnic and

a swim. Virtually empty beaches line

both banks, and if you carry a kayak or

paddleboard with you, this is the ideal

playground for them.

What amazed me was that on a high-

season weekend of glass-calm seas and

a cloudless sky, Cecienne was the only

boat there. A true secret jewel of the

south Devon coast.

Cecienne is the only boat in

sight on the crystal-clear waters

of the near deserted estuary

John enjoys the

tranquillity of this

rarely visited river

TRAVEL