The Severn Bore is a world-famous tidal bore that pushes up the River Severn on spring high tides. It's a river-mouth wave with a huge range of moods and shapes, shifting with river flow, tide height and following winds. Around the wider parts of the river near Newnham you'll find open walls of whitewash and shifting shoulders, while from the Severn Bore Inn onwards it tightens into peelers running close to the bank. The wave finishes at the weir at Over, where it can rebound into a rideable wave back down the river. On its best days it can be ridden for miles, with the record sitting at around six.
When It Works
The bore breaks over sand and draws swell from southwest through west, with southwest the best match. It works from 0.3 m / 1 ft to 1.8 m / 6 ft and offers both lefts and rights. Consistency is on the patchy side, so lining up the right spring tide matters. It can jump from overhead to nothing in moments, sucking back into the bank and dropping everyone off as it hits deeper water.
Wind and Tide
This is a spring high tide wave, and a rising tide is the better call. The workable offshore wind blows from the northeast.
Local Tips
The Severn Bore suits intermediate surfers and is popular with longboarders, kayakers and waveskis. Expect a busy lineup when it runs. One of its quirks is that you can catch the same wave several times by driving between the easy-access spots, and it's best caught between Fretherne and Maisemore. Stay alert for submerged objects like tree stumps that can make the wave explode and send riders into the trees along the bank, along with barbed wire, dead sheep, bridges and slippery banks. The surge behind the wave is especially strong, so plan your exit, and don't surf alone or at night.
Access
There's a car park with free parking, plus roadside parking.
