The Severn Bore is a wave that travels up the River Severn on the biggest tides of the year. The estuary narrows quickly, so as the tide comes in it builds into a single wave that can run for miles upriver. Bores happen on around 130 days a year, but only a handful are big enough to surf properly. Tides are graded from one to five stars, and on 21 September we had a four-star morning tide.
Thirty members came on the coach. It left Peckham at 2am.
The morning
We parked up at Newnham just after 5:30 and walked down to the bank in the dark. The mud on the Severn is thick and deep, and getting in and out of the river is the hardest part of the whole thing. We’d brought old towels to stand on and a bucket of water to rinse feet.
By the time the bore was due there were about eighty surfers spread along the bank and a few hundred people watching from the road. The river goes quiet beforehand. Then you hear it, a low rumble from downstream, a few minutes before you see anything.
The wave was about two to three feet on the open stretches and bigger where the river bends. It’s slow compared to a sea wave, roughly running pace, so catching it is easy. Staying on it is the hard part. The wave changes shape constantly as the river narrows and widens, and you have to keep moving across it to find the part that’s still breaking.
Most of us got a ride of between one and three minutes. Mia rode it for nearly ten and came out about a mile and a half upriver, where somebody’s dad gave her a lift back to the coach.
Afterwards
The water behind the bore keeps rising fast for about an hour, carrying branches and the odd tree trunk. Get out once your ride ends. We regrouped in a pub car park, drank tea, and hosed down as much mud as we could before getting back on the coach. We were back in London by early afternoon.
Planning your own trip
- Bore times and star ratings are published a year ahead. Pick a four- or five-star tide and aim to arrive at least an hour early.
- Newnham and Minsterworth are the usual places to get in. Parking fills up fast on big tides.
- Bring an old board you don’t mind getting scratched. Debris in the river is common.
- Never go alone, and agree where everyone will get out before you go in.
- Respect the people who live along the river. Don’t block driveways and take your rubbish home.
We’ll run another coach for the big tides in spring. Dates go to the email list first.
