A day out with Pam - what a Bore!

This week the relative positions of the Earth, Moon and Sun resulted in the highest tides predicted for this year. Under such conditions, the surge of the rising tide when funnelled into narrowing river estuaries can give rise to a frontal wave known as a "bore". The best known bore in Britain is that associated with the River Severn.

The rising tide funnelling into the Bristol Channel and up into the rapidly constricting
River Severn is responsible for the Severn Bore

The tidal bore on the River Severn can be large enough to provide an opportunity for surfers
(For source please click on the picture)

Nearer to my home, Morecambe Bay provides a wide enough "mouth" to funnel the rising tide into the River Kent to create an observable Bore. So Pam and I visited a viewing spot by the River Kent at Arnside to witness the spectacle.

Morecambe Bay, showing the funnelling effect up into the River Kent (top right). The red arrow indicates our viewing position; the green arrow shows the approximate position of Arnside Knott hill and the direction of the picture below.
The location of Maalie Court is shown in the top left.

Southerly view from Arnside Knott into Morcambe Bay

Spectators gather on the pier waiting for the Bore
with snow on the Cumbrian fells in the background

Pam (left) cannot contain her excitement as she breaks away from the crowd
to look for the approach of the bore...

Here it comes!

And off it goes on its way upstream!

Well, on this occasion the bore was not as dramatic a spectacle as has been known in the past. Local people said that there was too much water in the river from the melting snow in the mountains, which tends to flatten out the bore wave. Nevertheless it was fun to see, and not a bad way to mark Pam's birthday!