Overview
The River Plym is a river in Devon, England. It runs from Dartmoor in the centre of the county southwest to meet the River Meavy, then south towards Plymouth Sound. The river is popular with canoeists, and the Plym Valley Railway runs alongside a section of the river.
Course
The river's source is around above sea level on Dartmoor, in an upland marshy area called Plym Head. From the upper reaches, which contain antiquities and mining remains, the river flows roughly southwest past clay workings at Shaugh Prior to The Dewerstone, where it meets the River Meavy. The course then changes to run southwards, between Plymouth and Plympton passing through the National Trust owned Plymbridge Woods and under the ancient Plym Bridge. Its upper tidal estuary is known as the Laira and the lower part is called Cattewater, which is navigable and leads towards Plymouth Sound. It is approximately long.
Nomenclature
The name Plym is thought to have its origins in Old English and means the "plum tree" (Cornish ploumenn), from a back-formation from the name of Plympton. The port of Plymouth took its name from the river.
History
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).