River Avon, Bristol
The River Avon /ˈeɪvən/ is a river in the southwest of England. To distinguish it from a number of other rivers of the same name, it is often called the Bristol Avon. The name 'Avon' is loaned from an ancestor of the Welsh word afon, meaning 'river'.
| River Avon Bristol Avon | |
|---|---|
The Avon Gorge and Clifton Suspension Bridge | |
Course of the Avon | |
| Etymology | Common Brittonic abona, 'river' |
| Location | |
| Country | England |
| Counties of England | Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Somerset, Bristol |
| Towns/cities | Chippenham, Melksham, Bradford on Avon, Bath, Bristol |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Didmarton |
| • location | Gloucestershire, England |
| • coordinates | 51°31′49″N 2°16′26″W |
| • elevation | 120 m (390 ft) |
| Mouth | Severn Estuary |
• location | Avonmouth, Bristol, West of England, England |
• coordinates | 51°30′22″N 2°43′06″W |
| Length | 134 km (83 mi) |
| Basin size | 2,308 km2 (891 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Bath |
| • average | 21.98 m3/s (776 cu ft/s) |
| • minimum | 2.457567 m3/s (86.7882 cu ft/s) |
| • maximum | 310 m3/s (11,000 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | River Malago, Brislington Brook, River Chew, Corston Brook, Midford Brook, River Frome, Paxcroft Brook, River Biss, Semington Brook, Cocklemore Brook, River Marden, Brinkworth Brook, Woodbridge Brook, Tetbury Avon |
| • right | River Trym, River Frome (Bristol), Siston Brook, River Boyd, Lam Brook, Bybrook, Gauze Brook |
| River system | River Severn |
The Avon rises just north of the village of Acton Turville in South Gloucestershire, before flowing through Wiltshire into Somerset. In its lower reaches from Bath (where it meets the Kennet and Avon Canal) to the Severn Estuary at Avonmouth near Bristol, the river is navigable and is known as the Avon Navigation.
The Avon is the 19th longest river in the United Kingdom, at 83 miles (134 km), although there are just 19 miles (31 km) as the crow flies between the source and its mouth in the Severn Estuary. The catchment area is 2,220 square kilometres (860 sq mi).