Today's Tides

The times above are today's predictions for West Kirby and Hilbre Island, pulled from the Admiralty UK Tidal API. A safe crossing window is the time either side of low water when the sand and rock between the beach and the island are walkable. As a rule it opens about three hours after high tide and closes about three hours before the next one, but the exact minutes move along by roughly 50 minutes every day, so it's worth checking fresh each time.

The walk is around two miles each way and takes most people 45 to 60 minutes. That walking time is already built into the windows shown here. The "depart from West Kirby after" time is when the route has drained enough to set off safely, and the "return by" time leaves you a margin to get back before the flood tide reaches the gutter, the low channel by the mainland that fills first.

Why today's window is the size it is

Mostly it comes down to how big the tide is. On a spring tide (the larger tides, a day or two after a new or full moon) the water comes in higher and faster and the window is shorter; on the biggest springs the crossing barely opens at all. On a neap tide (the smaller tides around the half moon) it's gentler and the window runs longer. The tide tiles above are marked "Large tide" or "Small tide" so you can see which sort of day it is. Strong onshore wind and low pressure can also lift the real water level above the prediction and eat into the window, which is why the weather sits right next to the tides on this page.

Before you set off today

• → Check the window and the weather strip above — wind and visibility change a safe crossing into a risky one.
• → Set off near the start of the window, not the end. Time spent rock-pooling or watching seals eats into your return margin.
• → Wear something on your feet you don't mind getting wet, and take a charged phone.
• → If you're not back at the start of the return window, turn around — the tide comes in faster than you can walk.

New to the crossing? Read our full walking and safety guide, see the 7-day forecast to plan ahead, or learn how to read tide tables for yourself.