Bideford Bay, also known as
Barnstaple Bay and often shown on maps as
Barnstaple or Bideford Bay, is a large area of water on the northwest coast of
Devon in
South West England, at the southwestern end of the
Bristol Channel where it joins the
Celtic Sea. The bay extends from
Hartland Point in the southwest to
Morte Point in the northeast, a distance of , and is partly sheltered by the island of
Lundy, offshore. It takes its alternative names from the towns of
Bideford and
Barnstaple, located respectively on the rivers
Torridge and
Taw which flow into the bay. The alternative spelling
Barnstable Bay, in use long after that spelling became obsolete for the town, is also sometimes seen.