The River Torridge is a river in Devon

Devon

Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...

 in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It was the home of Tarka the Otter

Tarka the Otter

Tarka the Otter: His Joyful Water-Life and Death in the Country of the Two Rivers is a novel by Henry Williamson. The book narrates the experience of an otter. It was first published in 1927 by G.P. Putnam's Sons, with an introduction by the Hon. Sir John Fortescue, K.C.V.O..-Plot summary:The plot...

 in Henry Williamson

Henry Williamson

Henry William Williamson was an English naturalist, farmer and prolific author known for his natural and social history novels. He won the Hawthornden Prize for literature in 1928 with his book Tarka the Otter....

's book. The Torridge

Torridge

Torridge is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in Bideford. Other towns and villages in the district include Holsworthy, Great Torrington, Hartland and Westward Ho!. The Island of Lundy is administratively part of the District...

 local government district is named after the river.

The river rises close to the border with Cornwall

Cornwall

Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...

 (north of the source of the River Tamar

River Tamar

The Tamar is a river in South West England, that forms most of the border between Devon and Cornwall . It is one of several British rivers whose ancient name is assumed to be derived from a prehistoric river word apparently meaning "dark flowing" and which it shares with the River Thames.The...

 http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=227510&y=117240&z=3&sv=227500,117500&st=4&ar=Y&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf. It flows generally east, passing between East Putford and West Putford, and near Bradford

Bradford, Devon

Bradford is a village in Torridge, Devon, England. The population was 359 in 2001.The church has several Norman features, including the baptismal font, a chest and bench-ends.Hengist the Saxon is said to have camped at Bradford....

 it is joined by the River Waldon, then heads east past Black Torrington

Black Torrington

Black Torrington is a village in north Devon, England, situated between the towns of Holsworthy and Hatherleigh. It is situated on and named after the River Torridge.The river also flows through a near by town called Bideford.Black Torrington is one third of the town Torrington,the other thirds are...

 and Sheepwash

Sheepwash, Devon

 Sheepwash is a village in Devon, sitting on the River Torridge. It can be found approximately 15 miles from Okehampton on the northern edge of Dartmoor....

. It is joined by the River Lew

River Lew

The River Lew can refer to either of two short rivers that lie close to each other in Devon, England.The more northerly of the two rises just south of the village of Beaworthy, and flows east, then turns north to run past Hatherleigh before joining the River Torridge about 1 km north of the town...

 near Hatherleigh

Hatherleigh

Hatherleigh is a small market town in west Devon, England.It hosts an arts festival in July, and a carnival in November featuring two flaming tar barrel runs. The Walruses meet on New Year's Day to jump into the River Lew to raise money for local good causes...

, and then by the River Okement

River Okement

The River Okement is a tributary of the River Torridge in Devon, England. It was formerly known as the River Ock.It rises at two places in Dartmoor, as the West Okement and the East Okement. These meet with other minor streams and join together at Okehampton...

 near Meeth.

It then flows northwards, picking up the River Mere south of Beaford

Beaford

Beaford is a village and civil parish in the Torridge district of Devon, England. It is about five miles south-east of Great Torrington. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 393....

. After this it makes tight bends, and goes past Little Torrington

Little Torrington

Little Torrington is a village and civil parish near Great Torrington, in the Torridge district, in north Devon, England. In 2001 the population of the civil parish of Little Torrington was 420. Little Torrington has a church called Church of St Giles...

 and Great Torrington

Great Torrington

Great Torrington is a small market town in the north of Devon, England. Parts of it are sited on high ground with steep drops down to the River Torridge below...

 heading generally north-west. It is joined by the River Yeo at Pillmouth, and then becomes estuarine by Bideford

Bideford

Bideford is a small port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is also the main town of the Torridge local government district.-History:...

. Between Appledore and Instow

Instow

Instow is a village in north Devon, England. It is on the estuary where the rivers Taw and Torridge meet, between the villages of Westleigh and Yelland and on the opposite bank of Appledore....

 it joins the estuary of the River Taw

River Taw

The River Taw rises at Taw Head, a spring on the central northern flanks of Dartmoor. It reaches the Bristol Channel away on the north coast of Devon at a joint estuary mouth which it shares with the River Torridge.-Watercourse:...

.

The Tarka Trail

Tarka Trail

The Tarka Trail is a series of footpaths and cyclepaths around north Devon, England that follow the route taken by Tarka the Otter in the book of that name. It is a figure-of-eight route, based on Barnstaple, and covers some of path....

 walking and cycle route partly follows the course of the North Devon Railway

North Devon Railway

The North Devon Railway was a British railway company which operated a line from Cowley Bridge Junction, near Exeter, to Bideford in Devon, later becoming part of the London and South Western Railway's system...

, which, for a considerable distance, closely followed the line of the river. Around Bideford

Bideford

Bideford is a small port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is also the main town of the Torridge local government district.-History:...

the railway crossed from one bank to the other, and the Trail provides a good vantage point for viewing the river.