4* bore at the Severn, 22/02/23

 The river Severn is commonly said to have the second-largest tidal ranges in the world. A rising tide goes up an increasingly narrow estuary, and produces a large wave called a tidal bore. These vary considerably in height, often being very small or even nonexistant, whereas the largest recorded crest height of the wave is 2.6 meters- by far the largest in the UK. For the 22nd February, a 4* tidal bore was predicted. A wave of that size has not been seen in the entirety of 2022, and would involve a 10.1 meter tide. As such, it became important for me to see this event, even as I expected it to be, as I termed it, 'nothing more than a ripple', based on an overwhelming amount of photos showing that on the internet. 

I chose to see it at Stonebench, for a number of reasons. I got there over an hour early, and whilst I was waiting, a large crowd of people formed, including one surfer. Not as much people as I was expecting, but close. Initially, it was cloudy and rainy, but as the time of the arrival of the bore drew near, the sun came out, making for the best viewing conditions I could possibly think of. Despite my expectations of how big the wave was going to be, I was getting very excited about it. 

The first indication that my prediction would turn out wrong was when something smashed into a bank hidden from view by a meander. I didn't see the wave, but a large splash suddenly flew onto that bank, drenching it, and the roar of the wave then became apparent. A few seconds later, the wave came into view. It took the bore only a few seconds to appear from that meander and smash into the bank where I was standing, about 200m distant, when its true size became apparent. The wave just literally overtopped that bank! In order to do so, the wave must have briefly approached 2m in crest height. A second later, it broke, whilst the rest of the wave grew in size, forming a majestic crest. 

The surfer paddled towards it. We all got concerned for him, as about fifteen minutes earlier branches and then an entire tree trunk floated past us, and that was going to go back up the river when the bore passed! One person I was with recounted an episode where storms in Wales caused the river to fill with branches, rubbish and even fridge doors. The bore came and swept all of that back up in the direction of Gloucester. The surfer was wiped out in a few seconds. The wave the broke across its length. I could only imagine how amazing the views would have been if I was standing closer to it!

The wave then hit the opposite bank, and appeared to then die out along its length, advancing as nothing more than a ripple. Seems all the excitement was in the distance. However, the roar of water kept increasing. As I watched from behind a tree leaning into the water, suddenly a huge, foaming wall of water materialised from behind that tree and rapidly swept past where I was standing. I took a full step backwards. 

Unfortunately, someone else was standing a bit too close, and when the bore hit our bank, a muddy plume of water went straight into that person's face. It was lucky that the bore wasn't larger. The wave then passed, leaving behind an agitated, turbuleant Severn. 

This was truly am amazing spectacle, although the best action was rather distant. Now I at least have an idea where to go when I return to see the 5* bore in September...at night.