BRISTOL CHANNEL

inlet of the Atlantic Ocean separating southwestern England from southern Wales. The northern shore borders the South Wales coalfield and is heavily industrialized; the southern shore in the counties of Somerset and Devon is mainly agricultural. At the eastern end of the channel is the estuary of the River Severn. Lundy Island, now the property of the National Trust, lies in the centre of the channel 12 mi (19 km) west of Ilfracombe. Ships using the English port of Bristol and the Welsh ports of Swansea and Cardiff pass through the channel.