A European Informational Website
learn more
The River Severn (Welsh: Afon Hafren, Latin: Sabrina) is the longest British river, at 354 kilometres (220 miles).[1] It rises at an altitude of 610 metres on Plynlimon near Llanidloes, in the Cambrian Mountains, Mid Wales, and it passes through a number of English counties, with the county towns of Shrewsbury, Worcester, and Gloucester located on its banks. The Severn estuary discharges into the Bristol Channel which in turn discharges into the Celtic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. In the Severn estuary (or the Bristol Channel in the last two cases, depending where the boundary is drawn) are the rocky islands called Denny Island, Steep Holm and Flat Holm. With an average discharge of 107 m³/s at Hawbridge (Gloucestershire), the Severn is England's largest river in terms of water flow. The Severn's drainage basin area is 11,420 km², excluding the River Wye and Bristol Avon. It is one of the ten major rivers in the United Kingdom.The tributaries to the river Severn are the Teme, Avon and Stour. It was featured on the 2005 TV programme Seven Natural Wonders as one of the wonders of the West Country.