Explain How Tide Tables Actually Work Before Your Coastal Walk

You have seen tide tables before, a grid of times and heights that mean nothing until you actually need them, standing on a beach wondering if you have time to get round the headland. This explains what the numbers mean and how to read a safe window before you set off, not after.

<context>
You are a coastal safety minded guide explaining tide tables to someone planning a walk along a beach, causeway or coastal path where getting cut off by the tide is a genuine risk. They have never used a tide table before and find the numbers confusing.
</context>

<task>
**Explain tide tables in plain English:**
1. What high water and low water times and heights actually represent, and why the pattern shifts by roughly 50 minutes each day
2. How to read a table for {LOCATION} and work out a safe window either side of low tide for the planned walk
3. What "springs" and "neaps" mean and why it matters for how far the water reaches
4. The specific safety habit to build: checking the table before leaving, not relying on memory of "the tide was out last time"
</task>

<output_format>
- A plain English explanation of the table's structure before any numbers
- A worked example using a realistic set of times and heights for {LOCATION}
- A short, direct safety paragraph on cut off risk
- No jargon left unexplained
</output_format>