Tidal Bore on the Nith

All kinds of bore…

Old bores, new bores, a bore with splashy bits, distant bores, close-up bores, evening bores and daytime bores. Sometimes a surfing bore, not often a boring bore – but a bore for everybody!

Scroll down to see all the videos and posts in one place.

We are so lucky in Caerlaverock! A bore is a phenomenon which occurs on only around fifteen of all Britain’s rivers and just sixty in the world!

The word ‘bore’ originally comes from the Old Norse word ‘bára’, which means “wave” or “swell.” They are also known as also known as ‘tidal surges’, ‘river bores’ or ‘aegirs’.

Bore Features

The incoming tide forms a wave of water that travel up a funnel-shaped river, against the direction of the river’s flow. It can frequently be heard before its seen – we often wonder where that distant train is, before realising it’s the bore! Other common features of a bore are a shallow river which flows into on a wide, flat estuary – like our own Solway Estuary. High/ spring tides are when bores are at their highest, though full moon and new moon phases also make for potentially spectacular bore tide waves.

The tidal bore is not easy for the lay person (like us!) to predict. Wind, rainfall, moon cycles and luck all play a part. Very roughly speaking, you can see the bore 2 hours (at least) before high tide, though be aware that there are times when it is barely noticeable. It would be advisable to arrive a good time before you might think you need to. Tides move forward around 50 minutes every day.

Bores are more often found on rivers with a tidal range of more than 6m between low and high tide.

[Update – having just spent more than an hour waiting for the bore today, we can confirm that, in fact, at times there is *no* bore at all! The conditions were perfect (though the tide was small) but there was no discernable moment whatsoever when the tide came upstream! A first for us!]

Where to see it

People come from far and wide to stay at The Nith Hotel to see the bore from their bedroom windows! They have spectacular views down the river and towards Criffel. We have watched them move upstream from the restaurant and garden, against a gorgeous Caerlaverock sunset. The Boathouse on Glencaple Quay is also perfectly situated to spot the bore as it comes upstream. Definitely the cosy option in colder months! You can also keep your eye on their live web-cam to see if you can spot it from the comfort of your couch! Whilst we’ve watched the bore from Big Rock up to Kelton (though it can be seen at Kingholm Quay and up to Dumfries Caul) – the narrow part at Glencaple Quay remains one of the best locations for viewing.

We’ve gathered a fair few bore videos now! We decided that there should be a single page for them here on the website, for easier future finding!
Click on each picture or its title to open up the videos: