High tide/Low tide
01 Feb 2010 Leave a Comment
in The River Tags: mussels, oysters, river, shellfish, shoreline, tides
There was a lot of activity on the river today. There l was beavering away on the bed that is nearly cleared now, and all the time there were boats of all shapes and sizes leaving the river. As the morning progressed l realized why. It was one of the years highest tides coming in at 112. Only March & September at 116 will beat todays. Of course, if its a big tide so will it be a very low tide exposing the shoreline not often seen. The boats were going to the numerous small islands to gather nature’s rich maritime bounty, namely any shellfish that could be found left by the low tide. We were lucky enough to go with some friends last year on their boat to do the same thing. It was like entering a different world. The vast shoreline that would normally be under water was an amazing place to be walking. We had small rakes and by pressing the sand with the back of the rake you could tell if a cockle was underneath when
a small jet of water appeared. Great stuff.
I took these photos of the Oyster beds on the river as the tide quickly went out. They are a hardy bunch who work these beds going out in all weathers to tend the young Oysters ready to be sent to the rest of France to be grown on.
There is a saying here that you should only eat Oyster’s when there is an ‘R’ in the month. The same applies to mussels. I’m not sure why?
As l walked the shore l looked around for some driftwood to take back with me to use on the border. It was at this time when l noticed just how much the tides differ by looking at a rock. You can see how high the tide comes in! 
I will try and get some more photos tomorrow at high water mark to compare but obviously not from the same spot!
