High and Low Tides
| High and Low Tides | |
| When we moved to Burnham in 2024, we realised that the high tides here on the Severn Estuary are second only to the Bay of Fundy in Canada with 16 metres. Closer to Bristol they have 14-15 metres. Here in Burnham and Weston they are frequently 11-12 metres. | |
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| Here is the River Brue in Burnham-on-Sea at low tide. The boats are resting on the muddy banks of the river. | |
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At high tide the boats are lifted out of the mud by the water.
Note the old wooden boat with a white wheelhouse. We watched it deteriorate since we first saw it in June 2024. The boat is submersed in water at very high tides. We spoke with the guy who used to own it. Him and his friend rescued it off the beach in the 80s and sailed around for fun. The owner who had lost it was from Wales, and he did not want the boat back. At some point the new owners dumped it here on the banks of the Brue. He used to walk the river path, look at the boat, and remember the good old times. |
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| Then on the 8th of December 2024 the wheelhouse was blown to bits by storm Darragh. It didn't help that there were high tides too. | |
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| This nursing home did a bit worse in storm Darragh when a giant tree toppled over in the wind. The tree dragged up pipes with its roots and crashed through the roof of the building. No one was injured. | |
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| At the mouth of the river is our local sailing club. They have a jetty that makes for fun with/without high tide photos. | |
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| At high tide all the boats are floating nicely - including our very orange pilot boat, Sea Sprite. | |
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| At low tide the floating jetty sinks down and the boats are sitting in mud. | |
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We walk along Burnham beach every morning. It isn't like a Florida beach
mainly because the tidal differences and muddy water making it
impossible to swim in.
There is plenty of sand. This particular access path is often filled with sand all the way up to the railings. The sign that instructs you to "hold on to the railing" was even buried on this day! When the tides are more than 11 metres, we typically cannot pass along the wall at Allandale Road. Sometimes we decide to wait for a few minutes and pass when the tide has gone down. Other days we just give up and walk along the road downtown. |
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| This is what it looks like when we can pass along the beach - together with dogs and their people. | |
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| Burnham Pier is one of the smallest in the UK. Other cities have been known to make fun of it. At high tide it looks like this: | |
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| And at low tide we can walk uninterrupted under it. | |
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| At the end of Stoddens road we find the Burnham Low Lighthouse. It is small but functional. At high tide it is quite inaccessible without a boat. | |
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| At low tide you wan walk right up to it. Dogs love to play in the large puddle that forms under the lighthouse. | |
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In 1988 the Burnham built a sea wall to protect the town
from flooding during high tides. There was a massive flood in 1981.
No lives were lost but lots of houses and infrastructure were damaged.
One insurance claim was for costs to remove a dead cow
after it floated through the window into an upstairs bedroom.
As far as we can see from other towns along the Severn Estuary,
we have by far the best sea wall!
At 11-12-meter tides the water covers all the stairs along the sea wall. In the video below we tried to capture the waves rolling along the bottom steps. You can hear the waves and wind too. |
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| And at low tide there is plenty of sand to walk on above the "evil" mud that will stick to your shoes so that they are never the same again. Some of the mud is also sinking-mud so you could be stuck in it and face humiliation by needing to be rescued. Or you face drowning, which is worse. | |
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| A quick look at the tides in Weston-Super-Mare. They are as high as in Burnham. At low tide, they use parts of the beach for parking. Then at high tide: not so much. | |
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| On Weston beach our favourite picnic spot is on the sand while leaning up against the wall of the Tropicana (old events venue). | |
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| At high tide it is not a good picnic spot... | |
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| We did visit Weston one time when they had a 13-metre tide. Many other people had come to see the same event. This couple had to jump to avoid the splash of the waves over the sea wall. See what I mean: not as good a sea wall as we have in Burnham! However, they have the famous Grand Pier. You win some, you lose some. | |
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| Rob took this picture over Marine Lake in Weston. The wave splashed against the wall below him and straight up in front of his camera. Good shot! And he didn't get wet. Lucky man! | |
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| Marine Lake looks very different at low tide. | |
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Apr 2026