Why the Yorkshire coast tides deserve respect

The Yorkshire coast is one of the most rewarding stretches of shoreline in Britain, but it is also one of the most tidal. Between Saltburn and Spurn Point the sea rises and falls by several metres twice a day, and the shape of the coastline means that rise happens in very different ways from bay to bay. A beach that seems to stretch forever at low water can be gone within a couple of hours, and a rocky ledge that looked like a comfortable route out to a headland can turn into an island while you are busy taking photographs.

Understanding tide times is not about being cautious to the point of spoiling the day. It is about knowing when to go, what to expect while you are there, and when to turn back. Get it right and you will see parts of the coast that most visitors never do — the exposed rock platforms, the sea caves, the fossil beds and the wildlife that only appears when the water pulls back.

How to read a tide table properly

A tide table looks dry, but it holds almost everything you need. For each day it lists high water and low water times, together with the predicted height in metres above chart datum. A few things are worth checking before you rely on it.

• Local time versus GMT. Many printed and online tables are given in GMT or UT. During British Summer Time you need to add an hour, otherwise you will be planning your walk around the wrong tide entirely.
• Height matters as much as time. A low water of 0.4 metres exposes far more rock than one of 1.9 metres. If you are heading out for rock pools or a long beach walk, look for the lowest numbers of the month.
• Location, location. Predictions are calculated for a specific point. Whitby, Scarborough, Bridlington and the Humber all have their own figures, and times can differ by half an hour or more along the coast.
• Tide times drift. High water arrives roughly 50 minutes later each day, which is why a perfect low tide on Saturday morning becomes a mid-afternoon low by the following weekend.

Springs, neaps and the rule of twelfths

Twice a month, around the new and full moon, the coast gets spring tides — the biggest range of the lunar cycle. These are the days for serious rock pooling and for reaching parts of the shore that are otherwise submerged. Between them come neap tides, when the range shrinks and the low water mark sits noticeably higher up the beach.

A useful trick for judging what the sea is doing between the listed times is the rule of twelfths. Divide the tidal range into twelve parts: in the first hour after low water roughly one twelfth comes in, then two twelfths in the second hour, three in the third, three in the fourth, two in the fifth and one in the sixth. The tide moves fastest around the middle of the cycle — which is exactly when people get caught out, because the change from the first hour to the third is startlingly quick.

Where the coast behaves differently

Headlands and estuaries are where tide predictions need the most common sense added. Around Flamborough Head, the flood sweeps in fast against the cliffs and the bays at North Landing and Selwicks Bay lose their sand quickly. Filey Brigg is a classic cut-off spot: the rocky promontory is wonderful to explore, but only on a falling or low tide, and the route back is not one to leave until the last minute. Spurn Point is narrower and more exposed than many people expect; on big spring tides the sea can wash right over the spit, and the tidal road out to it floods.

Working harbours have their own rhythms. At Whitby the harbour entrance and piers are affected by strong tidal streams, and at Scarborough the two bays can feel completely different on the same day, depending on wind direction. Runswick Bay, Staithes and Robin Hood's Bay all have rocky scars and boulder fields that are best explored on a low spring tide, with a clear mental note of where the escape route up the beach lies.

Rock pools, fossils and wildlife at low water

The best coastal wildlife watching in Yorkshire is tied directly to the tide. Low water on a spring tide opens up the rock platforms, where beadlet anemones, limpets, periwinkles, shore crabs and small blennies are easy to find in shallow pools. Look, photograph, and put every stone back as you found it.

• Fossils. The beaches around Whitby, Runswick Bay and Robin Hood's Bay reward patient searching, especially after rough weather has scoured the sand.
• Seals. Grey seals haul out on isolated rocks and are best watched from a distance, particularly when pups are around.
• Seabirds. Cliff-top colonies are at their busiest in late spring and early summer, and the tide below determines whether you can walk beneath the cliffs at all.

Planning a beach walk or a seaside break around the tide

If your day out involves a long beach walk — Sandsend to Whitby, Filey to Speeton, or the sands at Bridlington — plan to walk out against the falling tide and back on the rising one, so you are never racing the water. Carry a tide table screenshot, tell someone your route, and check the inshore weather and swell forecast as well as the tide; a strong onshore wind can push the sea noticeably further up the beach than predicted.

If you are staying for a few days, build the tide into your itinerary rather than fighting it. Low water mornings suit rock pooling and fossil hunting; high water afternoons are ideal for harbour towns, promenades, cliff-top walks and a pot of tea while the sea does its work. And if you are ever cut off, do not try to swim for it — climb higher, stay put and call 999 and ask for the coastguard. The tide will come back down, and the coast will still be there to enjoy tomorrow.