Location of Bristol channel

The Severn Bridge and Bristol channel, looking from England towards Wales

The Bristol Channel coast at Ilfracombe, North Devon, looking west towards Lee Bay

The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, the area of the Atlantic Ocean and River Severn estuary which separates South Wales from South West England. It is named after the city of Bristol, England.

Ecology

At low tide large parts of the channel may become mud flats, as the estuary has a tidal range of 15 metres, the second largest in the world. The estuary is an important area for wildlife, in particular waders, and has protected areas, including National Nature Reserves. Various development schemes have been proposed along the channel, including an airport and a tidal barrier for electricity generation, but the conservation issues have always blocked such schemes.

Major islands in the Bristol Channel are Lundy, Steep Holm and Flat Holm. The islands and headlands shelter the upper reaches of the channel from storms. These islands are uninhabited and protected as nature reserves, and are home to some unique wild flower species.

Coastal towns

There are many towns along the coast of the Bristol Channel, particularly in the industrial areas of South Wales. The sheltered upper reaches of the channel protect a number of ports.

On the English coast is the city of Bristol, and associated ports at Avonmouth and Portishead, and the towns of Clevedon, Western-Super-Mare and Minehead in Somerset, and Ilfracombe and Barnstaple in Devon.

On the Welsh coast are the port cities of Swansea and Cardiff and the towns Newport and Chepstow.

Crossings

At two of the narrower parts, near Bristol and Chepstow, the channel is crossed by the Severn Bridge and the Second Severn Crossing carrying, respectively, the M48 and M4 motorways. Previous to the contruction of the first bridge in 1966, the channel was crossed by the Aust ferry. The Severn Tunnel carries a railway line under the channel, situated near the second road bridge.

1606/1607 flood

On January 20, 1607 (or maybe January 20, 1606) thousands of people were drowned, houses and villages swept away, farmland inundated and flocks destroyed when a flood hit the shores of the channel. The devastation was particularly bad on the Welsh side from Laugharne in Carmarthenshire to above Chepstow on the English border. Cardiff was the most badly affected town. There remain plaques up to 8ft above sea level to show how high the waters rose on the sides of the surviving churches. It was commemorated in a contemporary pamphlet "God's warning to the people of England by the great overflowing of the waters or floods."

The cause of the flood remains disputed. In the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami disaster the English newspaper The Times (article (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,1-17089-1424953,00.html)) suggested it might have been caused by a tsunami, but it is more likely that the floods were caused by a combination of meteorological extremes and tidal peaks (discussion (http://www.severnsolutions.co.uk/twblog/archive/2005/01/06/greatflood1606)).

cy:Môr Hafren no:Bristolkanalen