Are you the kind of surfer who’s all about getting from A to B, and enjoys sharing the wave you’re on with as many other surfers as possible? Are you a sucker for a straight-hander, to the extent that you abhor all form of lateral movement of along a wave? Are you overweight and experiencing a midlife crisis? If the answer to all of these questions is yes, you might want to consider surfing a tidal bore.

True Facts About The Severn Bore

• The River Severn’s huge tidal range of approximately 15m is the third largest in the world, and accounts for the tidal surges that are funnelled up the estuary and break upstream against the river current several times a month.
• The bore was first surfed in 1955 by World War II veteran Jack Churchill, who rode a board he designed himself. Churchill, nicknamed Fighting Jack Churchill and Mad Jack, was a recipient of the Military Cross who fought throughout the Second World War armed with a longbow, bagpipes, and a basket-hilted Scottish broadsword. He is also known for his personal motto “any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed,” and for being the only Allied soldier to kill an enemy with a longbow during the war.
• Railway engineer Steve King is said to have surfed a single wave along the Severn lasting 9.25 miles — the longest wave ever ridden there. Good work Steve.

• Some people say it’s the biggest bore in the world; others maintain that activities such as watching paint dry and filing paperwork are in fact more boring.