Old Sea DogsSearch
Old Sea DogsSearch
Painting of the wooded River Yealm with boats moored between Newton Ferrers and Noss Mayo.
River Yealm, illustrated for Old Sea Dogs Guides. · Artwork supplied by Old Sea Dogs

Old Sea Dogs Guides

River Yealm (Newton Ferrers & Noss Mayo)

Just east of Plymouth Sound, the Yealm is a wooded South Hams river haven: Newton Ferrers and Noss Mayo face each other across the Pool, with public moorings and visitor pontoons under green hills.

Harbour · West Country

Welcome to River Yealm (Newton Ferrers & Noss Mayo)

Just east of Plymouth Sound, the Yealm is a wooded South Hams river haven: Newton Ferrers and Noss Mayo face each other across the Pool, with public moorings and visitor pontoons under green hills. It is a quiet contrast to the Sound — and it keeps no VHF listening watch, so the telephone matters.

Harbour authorityRiver Yealm Harbour Authority (RYHA)
Harbour officeYealm Steps, Yealm Road, Newton Ferrers PL8 1BN
Telephone01752 872533
Email[email protected]
VHFNo listening watch — phone the office
Water taxi / Coast Path ferry (independent, seasonal)07817 132757
Speed limit6 knots, minimum wash
AnchoringCellar Bay only; east of Misery Point use buoy or pontoon
Large craftcontact office before arrival if over 45 ft, over 25 t displacement, or draft over 2.2 m
FeesRYHA Visitor Charges 2026 (inc VAT), 1 Apr–31 Oct by length — e.g. 10 m overnight £28/day; lunchtime 1130–1500 at 50%; overnight charging from 1530; multihulls +50% (full table on RYHA site / PDF)
DepthsConfirm with HM — main pontoon if draft >2.0 m; upstream pontoon if >1.5 m; entrance shallow at springs

Setting & Character

A statutory harbour run for the benefit of users, with Newton Ferrers and Noss Mayo the natural shore bases. Most moorings are private; visitors use six public buoys and two pontoons, with the Pool as the usual focus.

Arrival by Sea

Hazards include unlit rocks and a sand bar on the northern side of the entrance. The harbour cites only about a metre within the entrance at springs and does not recommend the entrance on an ebb with strong onshore wind or swell. Orientation only — use Admiralty 30 / 1613 (or Imray C6 / C14) and current local advice. Phone the Harbour Office; there is no VHF watch.

Choosing a Berth

Public moorings PM1–6 are size-banded (PM1 for larger craft — contact first). Two visitor pontoons take up to three abreast each side; the main Pool pontoon has a awkward spring-tide set that pushes boats onto the channel side — the harbour notes most collisions happen there. Vacant private moorings may be used at your own risk if publics are full; overnight or unattended stays need Harbour Master approval.

Fuel & Facilities

Visitor showers, toilets, waste, water and lifejacket lockers are available 1 April–31 October. No fuel barge is listed on RYHA visitor pages — plan to top up in Plymouth or Tor Bay unless the office confirms otherwise. Seasonal water taxi / ferry links Wembury Point, Yealm Steps and Wide Slip.

Tides

Use the free official tide tables linked below — this guide does not copy tide heights.

RYHA cites HW Yealm about 05 h 20 min before Dover

BBC Weather — River Yealm Entrance ADMIRALTY EasyTide

Old Sea Dogs View

The missing river pin between Salcombe and Plymouth — Newton Ferrers and Noss Mayo for the visitor who wants woods and a Pool pontoon rather than a Sound marina.

Skipper's Notes

Quick notes before arrival.

  • No VHF — phone 01752 872533 before you need help.
  • Do not take the bar on an ebb with onshore swell.
  • Main visitor pontoon set at springs — allow for it.
  • Overnight charging from 1530; lunchtime half-rate 1130–1500.
  • East of Misery Point: no anchoring — buoy or pontoon only.

Information checked against official sources

The practical information in this Guide was checked against the source records below on 28 October 2026. Operational details can change — confirm with the harbour office before arrival.

  • yealmharbourauthority.co.uk
  • yealmharbourauthority.co.uk/visitors/visitor-moorings/pontoon-moorings
  • yealmharbourauthority.co.uk/visitor-charges-2
  • yealmharbourauthority.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2026-RYHA-Annual-Charges.pdf
  • bbc.co.uk/weather/coast-and-sea/tide-tables/10/17

Conditions

Tide and wind

A quick look at the water around River Yealm (Newton Ferrers & Noss Mayo) before you set off. Always check the full forecast and tide tables.

Tide times official tables

Official tide tables via BBC / UKHO and ADMIRALTY EasyTide. Confirm local advice with the harbour office.

BBC Weather tide tables — River Yealm Entrance

Wind knots

Now
ESE 15, gusts 18
Sat
E 10, gusts 16
Sun
NE 7, gusts 12
Mon
NE 14, gusts 23

Powered by Met Office data. Day figures are for midday. Updated 15:53.

Find your way

Location

This map is supplied by Google. Google may receive connection and device data when you load it.

Open River Yealm (Newton Ferrers & Noss Mayo) in Google Maps

This map is provided for general orientation only and must not be used for navigation.

Cruise On

Where the water leads next

Plymouth

A naval sound with a leisure arrival at Sutton Harbour’s Barbican lock — Mayflower Marina and Plymouth Yacht Haven as brief alternatives, under King’s Harbour Master control of the Dockyard Port.

Salcombe

A steep wooded Devon estuary west of Start Point — visitor buoys and pontoons under the town, Whitestrand walk-ashore by arrangement, and a bar that wants respect in onshore swell.

Related Guides

Painting of Durdle Door, the limestone arch on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast, with a yacht and the cliffs beyond.

Cruising Area

West Country

Devon and Cornwall’s south coast — deep river harbours and the long hop west from Portland Bill, from Tor Bay and Dartmouth to Falmouth, Newlyn and Padstow.

Painting of Salcombe harbour with wooded hills and boats off the town.

Harbour

Salcombe

A steep wooded Devon estuary west of Start Point — visitor buoys and pontoons under the town, Whitestrand walk-ashore by arrangement, and a bar that wants respect in onshore swell.

Painting of Plymouth Sound (or the Barbican lock) with boats and the historic waterfront.

Harbour

Plymouth

A naval sound with a leisure arrival at Sutton Harbour’s Barbican lock — Mayflower Marina and Plymouth Yacht Haven as brief alternatives, under King’s Harbour Master control of the Dockyard Port.

Local knowledge

Know this area?

Old Sea Dogs welcomes constructive feedback from local sailors, harbour users and cruising skippers. If you have spotted something that has changed, or have local knowledge that would improve this Guide, we would be pleased to hear from you.

Send Guide feedback