Moorings in Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary

The Bristol Channel separates South Wales from Somerset and narrows eastwards into the Severn Estuary. Moorings in the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary are of two kinds: marinas held afloat behind locks, gates and barrages, and drying harbours for boats that can take the ground.

Marinas in the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary

• Portishead Marina: sector gate locks give access for at least three and a half hours either side of high water.
• Bristol Marina: the only fully serviced marina in Bristol's Floating Harbour, beside the SS Great Britain.
• Penarth Marina: more than 300 berths inside the Cardiff Bay Barrage.
• Cardiff Marina: 350 berths on the River Ely, inside the barrage, run by The Marine Group.
• Swansea Marina: opened in 1982 and run by Swansea Council, with further berths on the River Tawe behind the barrage.
• Watchet Marina: 150 berths behind a gate, fully dredged since Western Marinas took over in 2024.
• Porthcawl Marina: run by Bridgend County Borough Council, behind a single gate that works three hours either side of high water between 7am and 10pm.

Drying harbours and club moorings

• Minehead: a drying harbour run by Somerset Council, with 47 moorings and a waiting list, best entered within two and a half hours of high water.
• Porlock Weir: a small drying harbour that can be entered for just over an hour either side of high water, suited to bilge keel boats.
• Pill: Portishead Cruising Club runs more than 40 drying trot moorings on the Avon.
• Lydney: the Environment Agency runs the harbour, which has a limited number of inner harbour moorings. The entrance can be used only within half an hour of high water.
• Barry: Barry Yacht Club has drying mud moorings in the outer harbour for boats up to 10 metres.
• Burnham-on-Sea: the Motor Boat and Sailing Club has pontoon moorings at the mouth of the River Brue.
• Weston-super-Mare: Uphill Boat Centre has pontoons and trot moorings on Uphill Pill, reached by the River Axe.
• Burry Port: Carmarthenshire County Council took over the running of the harbour after its operator failed in 2023, and dredged it in 2026 to restore access.

Tides and access

The tidal range here is the second highest in the world, at up to about 14 metres, so almost every berth is reached through a lock or gate, or dries.

• Cardiff Bay Barrage: three locks worked 24 hours a day all year, though silting or low river flow can bring restrictions at short notice.
• Bristol: the Cumberland Basin entrance lock is six and a half miles up the tidal Avon. Boats lock in during the hours before high water, with 24 hours' notice in summer and 48 in winter.
• Sharpness: the lock is worked from three hours before high water to one hour after, and must be booked at least 24 hours ahead.
• Swansea: the Tawe Barrage lock and the marina lock both work published daytime hours.

Inland connections

At Sharpness, the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal, a ship canal completed in 1827, carries boats 16.5 miles to Gloucester. In Bristol, the Floating Harbour, opened in 1809, keeps boats afloat in the centre of the city.

Who runs the harbours

• Bristol: Bristol City Council owns and runs the Floating Harbour.
• Upper estuary: Gloucester Harbour Trustees, from the Second Severn Crossing up to Gloucester, including the tidal Wye.
• Sharpness: the Canal & River Trust is the harbour authority for Sharpness Port.
• Cardiff Bay: Cardiff Harbour Authority runs the barrage and the bay.