United Kingdom Arpingstone · Public domain
The cut
76 metres, to scale.
A slice through Avon Gorge where it is deepest and narrowest, measured on the Copernicus relief model every 30 m. Same scale as the landmark standing on the floor.
Standing on the floor, to scale: Tower of Pisa · 56 m
Depth is measured to the lower rim; the width is from rim to rim. A 30 m relief model smooths the narrowest walls, so a slot canyon reads shallower than it is.
76m
Depth
published figure: 90 m
510m
Rim to rim
measured on the 30 m relief model
0m
Floor altitude
Rim to floor
Afternoons, up top and down below.
In July the afternoon reaches 22 °C. The best months to hike are from June to September.
- 8°7°Jan
- 8°7°Feb
- 10°9°Mar
- 14°13°Apr
- 17°16°May
- 20°19°Jun
- 22°21°Jul
- 22°21°Aug
- 19°19°Sep
- 15°14°Oct
- 11°10°Nov
- 8°7°Dec
Afternoon highs, 1991–2020 averages (NASA POWER) brought to the altitude of the rim and of the floor with the standard lapse rate (6.5 °C per 1 000 m). Shade, wind and rock change this on the day. Not a forecast.
Gorge on the River Avon in Bristol, England
Avon Gorge is a canyon in United Kingdom, cut by the River Avon. The relief model measures 76 m from the floor to the lower rim, and 106 m to the higher one. Rim to rim it is 510 m wide where the cut was taken.
Getting there.
- Bristolnearest town · 2.2 km in a straight line
- Parking 940 m awaynearest car park in OpenStreetMap, straight line
- Viewpointsnearest viewpoint · 0.1 km from the floor
- Bristol Airport (BRS)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 10 km in a straight lineCar hire at BRS airport (Bristol)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
- From June to Septemberbest months to hike (estimate)
Plan the visit
Guided hikes, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
The river
The River Avon runs highest from November to February.
The River Avon carries about 36 m³/s on average here. It runs highest from November to February.
- 59 m³/sJan
- 46 m³/sFeb
- 38 m³/sMar
- 26 m³/sApr
- 19 m³/sMay
- 15 m³/sJun
- 16 m³/sJul
- 20 m³/sAug
- 13 m³/sSep
- 36 m³/sOct
- 56 m³/sNov
- 65 m³/sDec
From about 13 m³/s in the lowest month to 65 m³/s in the highest. Its basin above this point covers 2,185 km².
The River Trym from source to mouth on Riveryas — coming soon
Estimate: long-term flow from the HydroATLAS model (WaterGAP, 1971–2000) shaped by the monthly rain, snow and temperature of the area (NASA POWER). Dams change it. Not a forecast.
From the sky.
The canyon from above, with the relief shaded, the line of the cut, the river and what people have mapped around it.
N
1.2 km
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 5.0 × 5.0 km, north up. The line is the cut above. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Around the canyon.
- 50viewpoints within 5 kmGrotto, Bristol Heritage Walk 1, Bristol Heritage Walk 22 and 47 more
- 12marked hiking routes within 4 kmMonarch's Way, Frome Valley Walkway, Samaritans Way South West and 9 more
- 2climbing crags within 3 kmRedpoint Bristol, The Climbing Hangar
- 110footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 kmMary-le-Port Street and 109 more
- 8rafting, canoe, kayak or canyoning spots within 4 kmAvon Scout & Guide Canoe Club, Bristol Rowing Club, Grove Ferry Slip and 5 more
- 10caves within 3 km
- 566car parks within 3 km
- 313information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
- 136bus stops within 2 km
- 4campsites within 8 kmEnneywevers, Bristol View Glamping and 2 more
- 102hotels and guesthouses within 8 kmThe Tythe Barn, Rock N Bowl Hostel, Revilo Guest House and 99 more
- 721restaurants and cafés within 4 km
- via ferrata routes within 4 km
- swimming spots within 3 km
- named waterfalls within 4 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, around the floor of the canyon. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Towns nearby
- Bristol2.2 km in a straight line
- Long Ashton3.6 km in a straight line
- Bishopsworth4.5 km in a straight line
- Easton-in-Gordano5.5 km in a straight line
- Dundry6.3 km in a straight line
- Winford8.3 km in a straight line
- Kingswood8.3 km in a straight line
- Stoke Gifford9.2 km in a straight line
In our other atlases
What else is around Avon Gorge.
The river that carved it, the waterfalls inside it, the mountains on the rim, the lakes, beaches and island nearby — from our six sister atlases, each with its own figures.
Riveryas2 rivers in the canyon
Peakyas8 mountains within 15 km
Lakeyas4 lakes within 15 kmComing soonFigures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, NOAA, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Month by month
The weather, at the floor and at the rim.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon · floor | 8 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Afternoon · rim | 7 | 7 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 14 | 10 | 7 |
| Night · rim | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 3 |
| Rain (mm) | 76 | 60 | 60 | 50 | 60 | 62 | 68 | 72 | 50 | 83 | 86 | 84 |
| Rainy days | 14 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 14 |
| Sun hours/day | 1.5 | 2.6 | 4.1 | 6.1 | 6.8 | 7.0 | 6.6 | 5.6 | 5.2 | 3.0 | 1.8 | 1.2 |
| Snow on the ground (cm) | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Afternoon · floor | Afternoon · rim | Night · rim | Rain (mm) | Sun hours/day | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | 7 | 2 | 76 | 1.5 |
| Feb | 8 | 7 | 2 | 60 | 2.6 |
| Mar | 10 | 9 | 2 | 60 | 4.1 |
| Apr | 14 | 13 | 4 | 50 | 6.1 |
| May | 17 | 16 | 7 | 60 | 6.8 |
| Jun | 20 | 19 | 10 | 62 | 7.0 |
| Jul | 22 | 21 | 12 | 68 | 6.6 |
| Aug | 22 | 21 | 12 | 72 | 5.6 |
| Sep | 19 | 19 | 10 | 50 | 5.2 |
| Oct | 15 | 14 | 8 | 83 | 3.0 |
| Nov | 11 | 10 | 5 | 86 | 1.8 |
| Dec | 8 | 7 | 3 | 84 | 1.2 |
Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (0 m) and the rim (106 m) with the standard lapse rate. Not a forecast.
Photographs
Seen from the trail.
Recent years
Wet years, dry years.
Rain of each month as a share of the 1991–2020 average. A dry year means a lower river and hotter rock; a wet one, more water in the gorge.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 107% | 272% | 103% | 113% | 13% | 174% | 87% | 142% | 69% | 199% | 94% | 166% |
| 2021 | 148% | 126% | 80% | 43% | 205% | 76% | 127% | 67% | 114% | 164% | 28% | 97% |
| 2022 | 48% | 153% | 87% | 59% | 122% | 114% | 22% | 23% | 121% | 110% | 162% | 97% |
| 2023 | 121% | 23% | 210% | 150% | 95% | 73% | 165% | 91% | 134% | 141% | 118% | 176% |
| 2024 | 93% | 226% | 173% | 153% | 149% | 36% | 113% | 78% | 271% | 133% | 105% | 85% |
| 2025 | 128% | 109% | 22% | 81% | 43% | 105% | 58% | 47% | 152% | 81% | 153% | 159% |
130% or more: wet month 70% or less: dry month
Compare with the neighbours.
Avon Gorge
United Kingdom
- 76 mDepth
- 510 mRim to rim
- —Length
- —Steepest wall
Burrington Combe
United Kingdom · 16 km
- 162 mDepth
- 7.5 kmRim to rim
- —Length
- 16°Steepest wall
Ironbridge Gorge
United Kingdom · 130 km
- 95 mDepth
- 2.2 kmRim to rim
- —Length
- 13°Steepest wall
Where these figures come from
| Name, type, published depth and length | Wikidata (Q4250531) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| The cut: depth, width, wall and 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| River flow and basin | HydroATLAS / RiverATLAS v1.0 (Linke et al. 2019) · CC BY 4.0 |
| Climate | NASA POWER, 1991–2020 |
| Viewpoints, trails, bridges and the river line | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Rivers, waterfalls, mountains, lakes, beaches and islands nearby | Coastya, Lakeyas, Peakyas, Cascadyas, Islandyas, Riveryas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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