SAND ACRE BAY, SALTASH

Ken Endean finds a quiet place to drop the hook in the usually busy waters of the Tamar Estuary on the border between Devon and Cornwall

- Devon and Cornwall

The Tamar Estuary is the largest ria in the West Country, with around 25 navigable miles in the main river and its tributary, the Lynher. Both waterways wind and loop through rich scenery and there are plenty of available anchorages, even in the upper reaches, where drying patches alternate with deeper pools and it is possible to spend a peaceful night cut off from civilisation. However, if civilisation is what you want, perhaps for reprovisioning or simply for eating and drinking, the options are restricted because much of the foreshore and hinterland is private, and wide mud banks mean that some of the public landings are inaccessible at low tide.