The Looe Estuary () is an
estuary
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...
in the southeastern part of
Cornwall
Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
in south-west
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, which leads to the mouth of the
River Looe
The River Looe (, meaning ''deep water inlet'') is a river in south-east Cornwall, which flows into the English Channel at Looe. It has two main branches, the East Looe River and the West Looe River. The eastern branch has its source near St C ...
in
Looe Bay. The town of
Looe
Looe (; , ) is a coastal town and civil parish in south-east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, with a population of 5,280 at the 2011 census.
Looe is west of Plymouth and south of Liskeard, divided in two by the River Looe, East Looe () a ...
sits on the west and east side of the estuary.
The estuary is a
ria
A ria (; , feminine noun derived from ''río'', river) 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 dendriti ...
and was formed around 12,000 years ago.
From 1405 to 1411, a bridge was built over the estuary and in 1824, a coastguard station was built, possibly to suppress smuggling operations in the area.
References
External links
Photo of the estuary at BBC Cornwall website
Estuaries of England
Cornish coast
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