Why are the tides not the same all round the coast of Britain?

You might expect that as Britain passes under the bulge of water, time of high water would be roughly the same for all points on the coast, but it isn't. The problem is caused by the land that 'gets in the way' of the moving water. As the Earth rotates, the water has to move to generate the high tides but because of the shape of coastlines and the variation in sea depth (bathymetry), there is a lag. Every location has a unique coastline and bathymetry - which gives each location its unique tidal pattern.