Beach Guide: South West

Oldbury-on-Severn is one of the spots right up into the River Severn that you can launch and sail from. Not really a beach, more of a muddy river bank with a concrete slipway, but the Anchor Pub is pleasant enough and the windsurfing conditions can be surprisingly good. To get to the launch spot follow the signs for Oldbury-on-Severn from the A38, follow the road to the pub car park and then follow the single track to the sailing club. You can only sail here just before high tide (in a NE wind) or just after high tide (in a SW wind) under these conditions the wind is against the very strong tidal currents so you can blast downwind for pretty much your whole session and still return to your launch spot as the current keeps pushing you upwind. Don't be tempted to stay out too long on a rising tide though, or after the tide turns, as you'll soon be washed downstream by both the tide and the wind. The currents here are really are a 'force-of-nature' to be reckoned with, so beware. The mud can be quite challenging too. Only recommended for intermediates or above and this location can provide some good blasting or bump and jump sailing. Parking is available in the sailing club. There are nice country pubs nearby, but no other amenities.

The rocky and then muddy beach of Severn Beach isn't the prettiest in the world (or even in the Bristol Channel for that matter) but it is possible to windsurf here either an hour or so before high tide in a NE wind or an hour or so after high tide in a SW wind. These wind against tide conditions provide good blasting back and forth sailing in the shadow of the Second Severn Crossing. Access is difficult, the dangerous currents make it unsuitable for beginners and therefore it isn't that popular.

Another of the Bristol Channels muddy beaches with strong currents, so not recommended for beginners. The town of Portishead itself is OK, but nothing special. If you want to see the tidal forces of the River Severn in action then head to Battery Point and just watch the currents and eddies. The beach itself is fairly sandy and you can sail here at high tide in SW winds. Watch out for the currents and the large ships that pass close by though. Most facilities are available in Portishead itself.

Clevedon is slightly different to the other Bristol Channel beaches as it can be sailed at mid to low-tide. High tides come right up to the rocks and destroys kit and there is too much of a wind shadow anyway. The place to sail from is actually Lady Bay in Clevedon. Just beyond the car park for the coastal path is a set of steps down to the bay. Carry your kit down these and rig up on the beach. Access is fairly difficult, the currents are strong, there are hazards in the form of huge container ships and sailing is limited to a few hours before low tide in a SW, so it is only recommended for experienced windsurfers. There are the usual amenities in Clevedon itself.

Protected from the strongest of the currents by Sand Point, Sand Bay is a realatively safe and therefore popular location for forces-of-nature sports. It remains fairly quiet as it is more difficult to get to than nearby Weston-Super-Mare, but there is a small caravan site nearby, parking is easy and the beach itself is sandy and fairly pleasant. Windsurfing and kitesurfing at high tide is possible here in most wind direction and it is suitable for all levels depending on the wind direction and strength. The tidal currents can be strong and there is the usual Bristol Channel mud to contend with once the tide starts to recede. There are pleasant walks up onto Middlehope to the North (from the NT car park) with good views across the Bristol Channel to Cardiff and Newport. There are also a few secluded rocky coves on the north of Middlehope that are worth exploring when conditions aren't suitable for forces-of-nature sports.

Weston-Super-Mare is a long, flat sandy beach that is ridiculously busy all year round and impossible on bank holiday weekends. OAP's trundle along the wide prom, boy racers with heavy bass music pounding from their souped up Fiesta's patrol the one way system and kids covered in ice cream and candy floss scream at their parents. There are numerous seaside stalls along the beachfront, a huge pier full of amusements, donkey rides on the beach, a land train and countless other tacky 'attractions'. Despite all this, if you head south from the Tropicana and then turn right into Marine Drive, you can drive right onto the beach here and park on the sands. When the tide is out, the 100m or so of hard packed sand is ideal and very popular for kite-buggying, mountain-boarding and landsailing., Its also popular with boy-racers razzing around in their 'souped up' fiestas, so keep an eye out for them. Watch out for the sand further out though as it becomes more and more muddy and eventually bogs you down to your armpits...Certainly don't try to drive too far down the beach or you'll lose your car to first the mud and then the incoming tide. Once the tide comes in, its possible to windsurf or kitesurf for about 1.5 hours (or 2 hours on neap tides) either side of high tide. There aren't too many hazards here as the tidal currents are minimal, the waves lack too much power and there are no rocks. There are a few groynes that will be submerged at high tide though, so know their wherabouts before sailing, and don't sail on an incoming tide that is larger than 12m as the beach disappears completely. Also, don't be tempted to stay out for more than 2 hours at the most after high tide as you'll have to drag your kit through the stickiest, smelliest mud you've ever seen!

Sailing from Uphill further south is also good, especially in more southerly winds (SW winds are cross-onshore at Weston-Super-Mare). You can no longer drive along the sands to Uphill, but you can get there by continuing on past Marine Drive for a mile or so and then driving through Uphill village and onto the beach.

On a good day Weston can get quite busy with up to 50 people windurfing and kitesurfing, but its size means it can handle these numbers without getting crowded. It can be OK for all levels, from complete beginners in light winds to experts in stronger winds when the confused waves and strong, usually onshore, winds can make it quite challenging. Sailing usually consists of bump and jump conditions in cross-onshore winds with mushy waves. Don't be too put off by the colour of the water either.

Although this isn't really a surfers beach, a few mad locals do give it a go now and then, but don't expect perfect conditions. There are waves here, but only for the desperate.

The long sandy beaches of Brean and Berrow are considerably quieter than nearby Weston-Super-Mare and often offer better conditions for forces-of-nature sports. The waves tend to be better, bigger, cleaner and more swell-based rather than just wind-blown. Its not really a surfers beach, but it can be surfed, although it is never good. For windsurfing and kitesurfing the prevailing SW winds are less gusty than at Weston and provide good cross-onshore bump and jump sailing conditions. The beaches of Brean and Berrow are still highly tidal though and sailing is therefore restricted to around 2 hours either side of high tide.

All the usual seaside amentites can be found nearby and you can park on the beach. To find the place where most people sail from, drive into Burnham and drive north towards Brean Down, look for the sign pointing to Berrow Beach. At the beach turn left and drive about 500m to the pylons. Launch from here.

The large sandy beach of Burnham-on-Sea offers similar windsurfing and kitesurfing conditions to the other beaches in the area (Brean, Berrow and Weston-Super-Mare). As with the others, it can only be sailed for around 2 hours either side of high tide, after this the water goes out miles leaving huge tracts of mud between it and the shore. SW winds are cross-onshore and produce good blasting conditions. Beginners can sail here in lighter winds. In NW winds it is possible to sail across to the small island of Gore Sand which is pretty cool. The usual seaside amenities are all within easy reach in Burnham itself. Parking is available on the beach roadside and you rig on the beach itself.

Information coming soon....Despite having visited Watchet many times in the past, my memory seems to have failed me and I can't recall much about it (or nearby Blue Anchor), so if you can help, please submit a listing.

Information coming soon....Despite having visited Blue Anchor many times in the past, my memory seems to have failed me and I can't recall much about it (or nearby Watchet), so if you can help, please submit a listing.

Minehead is a fairly busy seaside resort with numerous caravan parks and all the amenities asscoiated with such things. The beach itself is a a curved sand and shingle beach that faces North-NW and looks out across the Bristol Channel to Wales. It doesn't get any surf, but can be good for windsurfing or kitesurfing. Conditions can vary quite a bit depending on wind strength and direction, and although it can be OK for beginners in light winds they should be particularly careful of the tidal currents as this beach is still in the Bristol Chanel and is therefore affected by some huge tides. For the more competent windsurfer (or kitesurfer) Minehead offers decent flat water blasting or bump and jump conditions. It is usally sailed when there are wind against tide conditions and is sailable at all states of the tide, although there are some nasty rocks around the low tide mark, particularly on spring tides. The place to launch from is the Lifeboat Station Car Park at the western end of the beach. There is a little grassy area here that is perfect for rigging on. Most wind directions are sailable, but Southerly and SW winds are very flukey due to the hills of Exmoor just inland. Westerly winds can be gusty too for the same reasons. NW through to Easterlies are the best.

One of my favourites this. Porlock Weir is a sleepy little village nestling below Porlock Hill. It has a decent pub, a little harbour, a car park, a couple of cool fishermans houses and a pebbly beach. Theres not much else here, except for some nice walks in the surrounding countryside and a not particularly well kept secret left-hander that breaks off the pebble beach to the left side of the car park (as you look out to sea). It takes a massive swell for it to work, but when it does the swell hitting the coast of North Devon makes it all the way up the Bristol Channel, and wraps around into Porlock Weir producing some sweet, very fast and hollow lefthanders. When its only a foot or two you'll end up surfing right onto the pebble beach. The waves are best at or just before high tide, and cleanest with a southerly wind. There is a big car park right in fron of the break.

The seaside town of Lynmouth (famous for a catastrophic flood in 1952) nestles at the base of several steep hills and looks out across the Bristol Channel. The sea front has all the usual seaside shops and also a funicular railway to the village of lynton at the top of one of these hills. The River Lyn tumbles down the hills and out into the Bristol Channel right in the middle of Lynmouth and it is here that several well know and pretty good waves break. It takes a large swell for Lynmouth to work, but when it does it can get pretty busy (especially when the beaches of N.Devon are too big). Theres a left hander that breaks off the rocks to the west of the rivermouth. At low tide this is often the best, biggest and fastest wave in Lynmouth There are usually two other lefthanders in Lynmouth, one into the river mouth and one to the east of the river mouth. At high tide there can be a nice right-hander breaking into the river mouth as well. (I've actually scored some amazingly fast, long rides on this wave before now). To get to the line up either jump into the river mouth (from the steps on the wall) at high tide and let it take you out, or paddle out from the pebbly beach just to the West of the river mouth. Parking is available along the seafront or in the car parks in town.

Woody Bay is a small rocky and sandy bay nestling within some amazing scenery of the Exmoor National Park. The steep hills that surround it are densely wooded and contain lots of pleasant walks. Access is by small country lanes, from the A39 follow signs for Martinhoe and then Woody Bay. Not really a froces-of-nature sports destination, but a nice little hideaway from the hectic world outside.

The little rocky beach of Combe Martin is not particularly inspring, although there are plenty of rockpools to explore. The town of Combe Martin though has quite a few pubs and I seem to remember doing a strange wheelbarrow pub-crawl here once (an annual event I think??). Theres also a small wildlife park here. Parking can be problematic in the summer, but usually its OK. Not really a forces-of-nature sports beach, but worth a quick stop if you're exploring this bit of coastline.