A documentary exploring the River Dart airs on BBC One tonight, December 10.

‘River Walks’ traces the river from high up on Dartmoor to Dartmouth.

Presenter Jemma Woodman starts at Fox Tor Mire, wreathed in frost, and explores the eerie plateau, which was once home to a bustling mining community, but is now silent and empty.

She talks to Arctic explorer Pen Hadow about how he used the mire, which inspired Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles, to train for his epic polar journeys.

She ends her journey sharing locally-caught mackerel on a boat in Dartmouth with celebrity chef Mitch Tonks.

River Walks is made especially for viewers in the South West, but is available nationwide on iPlayer after it airs on Monday night.

Along her journey she takes a dip with a hardy bunch of wild swimmers who brave the frigid river all year-round, goes foraging with a wild food expert, and boards a South Devon Railway steam train.

Jemma said: ‘The Dart is one of our most varied and picturesque rivers, one that feeds the imagination and the appetite of those lucky enough to call this corner of Britain home.’

Mitch Tonks added: ‘The older I get and the more time I spend on the river, it never ceases to amaze me how magical it is.’

River Walks will air at 7.30pm on BBC One South West tonight and will be available on the BBC iPlayer immediately afterwards.

The show is one of 11 made for the different regions of England. All episodes will play at the same time in their regions and will be available as a box-set online afterwards.

The Dart episode has been picked to play countrywide on BBC One HD.