Bristol Channel

Bristol Channel, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, in the south-west of England, between South Wales on the north, and Devon and Somerset shires on the south; or it may be regarded as an extension of the estuary of the river Severn. It is about 80 miles long, and 5 to 43 miles broad; the depth ranging from 5 to 40 fathoms. It is the largest inlet or estuary in Britain, having a very irregular coast-line of 220 miles. The chief rivers which flow into it are the Towy, Taff, Usk, Wye, Severn, Avon, Axe, Parret, Taw, and Torridge. The tides in it rise to an extraordinary height—at Bristol, 35 feet; at King's Road, 40; and at Chepstow, sometimes 70. The rapid flow of the tides meeting the currents of the river produces, in the narrow parts of the channel, and in the mouths of one or two of the rivers which enter it, the phenomenon of the Bore (q.v.), the tide advancing like a wall of water sometimes 6 to 9 feet high. The chief bays and harbours are Caermarthen and Swansea Bays, Cardiff Roads, on the north, and Bideford or Barnstaple, Ilfracombe, Minehead, Porlock, and Bridgwater, on the south.