Bristol Channel
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The Severn Bridge and Bristol Channel, looking northwestward from England towards Wales |
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The location of the Bristol Channel |
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The Bristol Channel coast at Ilfracombe, North Devon, looking west towards Lee Bay |
The
Bristol Channel (
Welsh: Môr Hafren) is a major inlet in the island of
Great Britain, separating
South Wales from
South West England and extending from the lower
estuary of the
River Severn to that part of the
North Atlantic Ocean known as the
Celtic Sea. It takes its name from the
English city of
Bristol and is over 50km across at its widest point.
At low
tide large parts of the channel may become
mud flats due to the estuaries
tidal range of 15
metres, the second largest in the world. A result of this tidal range is the famous Severn Bore, creating a spectacular rush of water upstream. The estuary is an important area for wildlife, in particular
waders, and has protected areas, including
National Nature Reserves. 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 provide some shelter for the upper reaches of the channel from storms. These islands are mostly uninhabited and protected as nature reserves, and are home to some unique wild flower species.
Arguably, the Bristol Channel has better beaches and more spectacular scenery than the equavilant
English Channel, particularly on the coast of
Exmoor and
Bideford Bay in
Devon and the likes of the
Vale of Glamorgan and the
Gower Peninsula in Wales. The western stretch of Exmoor boasts the highest cliffs in mainland Britain, culminating in the gigantic 'Great Hangman', a 1043ft 'hog-backed' hill with a cliff-face of 820ft; its sister cliff 'The Little Hangman' has a cliff-face of 716ft. On the
Gower Peninsula, at its western extremity is the surreal Worms Head, a serpent shaped island of
carboniferous limestone which is approachable at low tide only. The beaches of both Gower and North Devon, for example
Woolacombe and
Rhossili win leigons of awards for their water quality and setting, as well as their excellent surf.
The Bristol Channel is a notoriously dangerous area of water because of its strong tides and the rarity of havens on the north Cornish and north Devon coasts that can be entered in all states of the tide. A sailor's rhyme goes "Twixt Hartland Point and Padstow Bay is a sailor's grave by night or day."
In the estuary above Avonmouth, river rescue is provided by
Severn Area Rescue Association.
Situated on the River Avon is the city of
Bristol, from which the Channel takes its name and which was once one of the most important
ports in Britain. There are still docks in the city centre, but these are largely now given over to leisure use. Bristol's dock activity has now been transferred to the nearby Channel coast at
Avonmouth Docks and
Royal Portbury Dock. Resort towns include
Portishead,
Clevedon,
Burnham on Sea,
Weston-super-Mare,
Minehead,
Watchet,
Porlock in
Somerset, and
Ilfracombe,
Bideford and
Barnstaple in
Devon.
The Welsh capital,
Cardiff, is on the northern side side of the estuary, home of the Welsh Assembly building and the Wales Millennium Centre. Further west is the city of
Swansea with a fine marina. Important ports on the Welsh coast include
Milford Haven, a major oil import terminal. Resort towns and villages on the Welsh coastline include Penarth,
Llantwit Major,
Mumbles and
Barry with Barry Island. The city of
Newport on the estuary of the River Usk is an important administrative, industrial and docks centre, famous for its transporter bridge.
Chepstow is an ancient fort town, with a fine castle.
Rail
The
Severn Tunnel, situated near the
Second Severn Crossing road bridge, carries the
railway line under the channel.
Road
At two of the narrower parts, near Bristol and Chepstow, the channel is crossed by the:
*
Severn Bridge - opened in
1966 carrying the
M48*
Second Severn Crossing opened in
1996 carrying the
M4 motorwayPrevious to the construction of the first bridge in 1966, the channel was crossed by the
Aust ferry.
Paddle Steamers
P and A Campbell of
Bristol were the main operators of pleasure craft and particularly
paddle steamerss, from the mid-1800s to the late 1970s, also the
Barry Railway Company. This tradition is continued each summer by the PS Waverley, the last sea-going paddle steamer in the world (built in 1947). The steamer provides pleasure trips between the Welsh and English coasts and to the islands of the channel.
Severn Barrage
The proposed
Severn Barrage would constitute a third crossing, and would have a significant environmental impact on the Severn estuary and Bristol Channel.
Main article: Bristol Channel floods, 1607
On
30 January 1607 (New style) 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 8
ft 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 is disputed: it had long been believed that the floods were caused by a combination of
meteorological extremes and
tidal peaks, but research published in 2002 has shown evidence of a
tsunami in the Channel.
