Several decades ago our family spent 3 weeks in the United Kingdom. About 4 days of this was in Wales, including a few days in the charming town of Tenby. It was the mid-point of our trip and we wanted a rest day—time to do laundry, and relax and amble around the charming town.
The contrasting tidal views of the town’s harbor were snapped across the street from our hotel room. The town is very pretty and relatively quiet (at least it was back then). I was impressed by the dramatic changes caused by the tide. I checked out the tide flow later and it is quite variable in Tenby, ranging from 13-23 feet (4-7 meters).
A prominent feature in town is St Catherine’s Island, accessible on foot from Castle Beach for several hours during low tide. A fort was built on the island in 1867–1870 as part of Britain’s coastal defenses against a possible French invasion. The invasion never happened and the fort was decommissioned in the early 20th century. Visitation is allowed and the fort is currently undergoing restoration.
Fascinating! I witnessed something similar in Northern Germany.
Further up the Bristol Channel you get even higher tide differences. Here at Swansea we have an average spring tidal range of 8.5m and at Avonmouth to the west it is 12.3m. It is the second highest tidal range in the world – after the Bay of Fundy in Canada.
It was my first experience with such a marked tidal shift. I have since visited the Bay of Fundy where they have the most extreme tides in the world, as you noted. It is a strange feeling walkng on the floor of the ocean.