The Kingsbridge Estuary (also, erroneously, known as the 'Salcombe Estuary') in the

South Hams South Hams is a local government district on the south coast of Devon, England. Services divide between those provided by its own Council headquartered in Totnes, and those provided by Devon County Council headquartered in the city of Exete ...

area of

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

runs from

Kingsbridge Kingsbridge is a market town and tourist hub in the South Hams district of Devon, England, with a population of 6,116 at the 2011 census. Two electoral wards bear the name of ''Kingsbridge'' (East & North). Their combined population at the abo ...

in the north to its mouth at the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

near

Salcombe Salcombe is a popular resort town in the South Hams district of Devon, south west England. The town is close to the mouth of the Kingsbridge Estuary, mostly built on the steep west side of the estuary. It lies within the South Devon Area of ...

and lies between Bolt Head and Sharpitor to the west and Portlemouth Down to the east. The estuary is some in length, with numerous side channels. Several of its creeks have independent names, including Blanksmill, Frogmore, Southpool, Batson and

Bowcombe Creek Bowcombe Creek is a tidal creek in Kingsbridge, Devon, England. It is the most northerly creek of the Kingsbridge Estuary. The creek is fed by a stream to the north and is located one mile south-east of Kingsbridge. The A379 road crosses the ...

(the most northerly portion of the estuary). It covers an area of 674ha of which 446 ha are inter-tidal. At high water the length of coast within the ria is . Although there are no major water courses entering the estuary, its total

catchment A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, the ...

area is . The estuary is an extreme example of a

ria A ria (; gl, ría) is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea. Definitions Typically rias have a dendritic, treelike outline although they ca ...

or drowned valley caused by rising sea levels rather than a true estuary. Prior to the

sea level rise Globally, sea levels are rising due to human-caused climate change. Between 1901 and 2018, the globally averaged sea level rose by , or 1–2 mm per year on average.IPCC, 2019Summary for Policymakers InIPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cry ...

at the end of the last glacial period, it was the valley of a river. Its size is disproportionate to the size of the small streams which flow into it. In February 1987 the estuary was designated a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

. It is a Local Nature Reserve and lies within the

South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty The South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) covers 337 square kilometres, including much of the South Hams area of Devon and the rugged coastline from Jennycliff Bay to Elberry Cove near Brixham. The purpose of an Area of Outstandi ...

(AONB).

References

Landforms of Devon Estuaries of England {{Devon-geo-stub