10-12 September 2022
Despite having lived in Worcestershire for several years, fairly near the River Severn, I had never seen the Severn Bore which is a large surge wave progressing up the river. The River Severn has the third highest tidal range in the World (up to 15m). Approximately sixty bores occur throughout the World with the phenomenon depending on a large tidal range and a funnel-shaped estuary so that the water passes into an increasingly narrow channel as the tide rises. A decreasing river depth helps the funneling effect. The Severn Bore is one of the biggest in the World.
Actually being in the right place at the right time to see it would require complex calculations. However, fortunately, timetables for the bore and predictions of bore heights are published
https://www.severn-bore.co.uk/2022_times.html
Heights and timings are subject to variation independent of the predicted height of the tide (https://www.severn-bore.co.uk/factors.html). These factors include wind direction and speed (out at sea rather than locally) freshwater depth, and barometer pressure.
The bore predictions are graded from one to five stars and, in general, it is those from three stars that are of note. However, some of the two star bores are only just below the three star lower boundary so these can be just as impressive given the other variables. Recently there haven’t been any four or five star bores. The best bores are generally those near the equinoxes.
Having studied the tables, I noted some predictions of high two star and a couple of three star bores between 10-12 September. Unfortunately both the three stars were during darkness. My husband and I decided to focus on aiming to view four bores from evening of 10th September to morning of 12 September and varying from 9.4m to 9.9m tides – this included one three star bore predicted at 21:48 on 11 September.
To our amazement, despite being rather late with our arrangements, we managed to book accommodation with a garden abutting onto the river bank near Minsterworth, close to one of the popular viewing points. The public footpath along the Severn actually runs through the end of the back garden.
On arrival at The Naight House, we were given a warm welcome by Marie-Clare, who explained to us where to stand to obtain the best views – walking along the Severn footpath towards the village so we would see the wave coming round the river meander rather than a “snapshot” between the trees in the garden. Naight means “island” and the house is on a slightly higher area of ground than its surroundings. The link for this incredibly comfortable and luxurious bed and breakfast accommodation is https://www.naighthouse.co.uk/. It was certainly a very convenient place for us to walk out only a matter of a few yards to the river bank each evening and morning
Our first foray was on Saturday evening when the tide was predicted at 9.6m and the bore time predicted at 21:06. We were aware that the bore could arrive up to twenty minutes early or thirty minutes late so we were positioned in good time. A couple more people arrived in the area soon after us and went right down to the water. We remained on the flood bank giving a good view downriver to a meander in an area where there were no high trees or bushes between us and the river. Once positioned, we turned off our head-lights so as to optimise our night vision ready for the event.
A full moon rose slowly above the level of the trees, illuminating the church and the river. Gradually, as the rest of the sky became darker, we made out some star formations and I was pleased to be able to pick out The Plough and the North Star. My husband’s ambitions went a bit further and he commented on some individual stars too. We could also see the lights and hear the roar of traffic on the A48. Otherwise, it was peaceful, dark and quiet.
We had a long wait, having arrived early. I was giving up hope of anything happening. Twenty minutes after the predicted time, we heard a small whooshing sound and caught the first glimpse of a wave rolling up the river. It seemed to travel slowly. There were some splashes as the wave broke on the bank as it turned the corner. The brave souls right down on the river bank shrieked as it passed and splashed on them. We walked back upstream towards The Naight House. There were still swirls and eddies of water and some sounds of turbulent flow as we made our way in ever increasing darkness, with the moonlight obscured by trees in the small wooded area. Marie-Clare’s dachshund Lulu noticed our return even if no-one else did.
On Sunday morning we arrived early again, after our scrumptious locally sourced cooked breakfast. The tide prediction this time was 9.4m. It was our first opportunity to witness the Severn Bore in daylight. Gradually more people appeared to line the river bank. However there was plenty of room for everybody and we had set ourselves up in the space we had decided was optimum for visibility. People were waiting in excited anticipation, alongside dogs who weren’t sure what all the fuss was about. We had a long wait again and the dalmatian dog standing near us was more interested in some scents near the river. Senses seemed heightened with the sound of tweeting birds, the roar of traffic, the low hum of quiet conversation punctuated by the occasional impatient dog bark.
Eventually, about twenty-five minutes late, the call went up that those further downstream had spotted the wave. The river until that time had been flowing in the direction from source to sea. The water was otherwise still and reflecting the vegetation on the banks, with just occasional spreading circular ripples suggesting that there were fish present. Then a small wave travelled slowly towards us in the opposite direction, occasionally breaking on an irregular area of the river bank. Once the first wave had passed, the river continued to rise and the flow could still be seen going up rather than down river. Debris and foam moved up the river and there were many areas of turbulent flow.
Sunday evening saw our only three star bore – the tide prediction was 9.9m. This time we were the only people watching and waiting on that part of the river bank. The predicted time was 21:48 so of course it was dark; the moon light was less than on the previous evening and it was difficult to see anything, let alone think about photographs. However we were rewarded for our long wait (around 25-30 minutes later than the prediction) as it was the most impressive we had witnessed, accompanied by a roaring sound and many breaking waves as well as visualisation of the powerful and majestic progress of the main tidal surge.
On Monday morning we followed the now familiar routine after enjoying our breakfast. Marie-Clare sensibly warned us not to assume it would be late just because the three prior to it had all been at least twenty minutes late. This time quite a crowd gathered. The onset of the bore (late again!) was heralded by a motor boat driving upstream. Unfortunately it didn’t quite deliver as well as we had expected despite the tide prediction of 9.5m. However we had enjoyed watching three relatively impressive bores. It certainly brought home to us the wisdom of being available to watch a series of bores rather than focusing on visiting for a single tide.
This is definitely a spectacle worth viewing and we are intending to keep an eye on the web-site to see if there are any upcoming four or five star predictions. The forecasts for the coming calendar year tend to get posted in the late Autumn of the previous year so the 2023 list could be there soon!
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