Kitesurf at Camber Sands

Windiest spot on the South Coast

  • Overview
  • Good to know
  • Getting there

Overview

Camber Sands is a sandy south-facing beach near the Kent/East Sussex border. It is one of the closest kitesurfing beaches to Central London and is easily accessible by train, car, bus or even London Kitesurfers Group LiftShares. Camber is a trendy spot with the London population and probably the busiest in the UK, with around 200 kites in the sky on a warm, windy weekend with suitable tides. Camber's coastline extends along four miles of beautiful sandy beach, so there is plenty of space for water and land kite disciplines. Due to its location on a peninsula and topographical features, Camber Sands offers the most reliable wind in the summer months of any beach on the south or east coasts as it benefits from excellent seabreezes. Water conditions vary from flat water to small waves depending on tides and wind strength. The beach is very tidal, and it is essential to check tide times before travelling to this location.

Good to know

VISAS: Part of Schengen Area. Countries outside of the European Economic Area or Switzerland may need a visa. CURRENCY: Pound Sterling £ (GBP) PRICES: Beer: £4 (€4.50) Food: Lunch £7-18 (€8-21) Accommodation: £50-200 (€56-225) Kite Lessons: 6hrs private £300 (€340) Kite Gear rental: £25per hour, £70 per day (€80 per day) LANGUAGE: English INTERNET: The 3G network for Vodafone and Three is good throughout the day but can sometimes slow on evenings. All of the local Bars, Restaurants and most Accommodations have WiFi. TRAVEL ADVICE: Bank Holidays get very busy and will add at least 1 hour onto your travel time. It is recommended to travel via New Romney and enter Camber from the East if you travel by car. TEMPERATURE: Water temperature ranges from 5- 9°C /41- 48°F in winter months to 16- 19°C/61-66°F in July. A 5mm wetsuit is required for most of the year. During peak summer a 3mm may be worn. Boots and gloves are recommended during winter, early spring and late autumn; they are not needed at any other time. A pair of sandals may be useful for crossing the gravel car park and small stones (‘shingle’) at the top of the beach.

Getting there

NEAREST TOWN: Rye, Hastings, Ashford NEAREST CITY: London NEAREST AIRPORT: London Gatwick (LGW) The easiest way to reach Camber Sands is by car, especially if you’re transporting your equipment. Drive through Camber onto Lydd Road and use the free carpark with the kite school buildings. Alternative route - On bank holidays it is recommended to travel into camber from the East passing Lydd town to avoid heavy traffic. To get to Camber via public transport requires the use of both Train and Bus. Your train destination will be Rye station; depending on your start point you will have to travel through Ashford or Hastings, but it is a straightforward journey through the Sussex countryside. From Rye station, you will be able to take the Wave102 bus to Camber. Ask the driver to drop you at The Kitesurf Centre or hop off at the last stop in Camber (Camber Sands Holiday Park) and walk 300m along the promenade. Please note that the bus only runs once an hour, so make sure you plan your journey.

  • Beach
  • Wind
  • Rules/Hazards

Beach

The kiting area is to the east of the Camber beach, and it is directly in front of the sea defence and promenade. The kiting area is split into a teaching zone, and a freeride zone. The teaching zone starts at the black/white flag and extends west up to the first houses; while the freeride zone (for all riders) begins at the black/white flag and continues east to the MOD Live firing range (where the kiting is not allowed when the range is in use). Independent riders should not ride in the teaching zone, and instructors will enforce this rule. The beach is very tidal, and spring tides often get a tidal range of 8m. There is no kiting during high tide and 2.5hours either side of high tide due to loss of launching area and proximity to hazards. Wait for 2.5hours from the high tide time for the beach to be exposed again for safe kiting. It is essential to check the tide times for this location before travelling to this beach. Water conditions are slightly choppy in light winds with waves forming in stronger South Westerly winds. Swells get larger over a few days of strong winds so you can get some big waves when the SW winds pick up. Small lagoons form between sandbars on the incoming and outgoing tides providing perfectly flat water for brief periods. All this makes Camber beach quite versatile for freeride, freestyle and wave riding. AMENITIES: Kite Schools, Kite Shop, Boat Rescue, Gear Rental, Cafe/Bar, Accommodation, Car Park, Camping, Toilets, Shower, Food Shop.

Wind

Camber Sands is one of the most wind consistent locations in England. The kiting season generally runs from March to November for most riders, and that's the time when you’ll see the most kiters on the water. Winter kiting is possible too and some locals do also kite throughout the winter. Summer months are the busiest time of year at Camber Sands. From April to October, the predominant wind direction is South Westerly, and this blows almost every day throughout the season with occasional gaps due to high pressure. Wind in Camber is usually less gusty and more reliable than many other UK beaches as there are not many obstacles nearby. Directly north of Camber Sands is low lying marshland and wind farms (always a good indicator that a location gets good wind). Throughout the summer months, this marshland heats up quickly drawing a Seabreeze through camber sands which can easily increase the wind speed by 5-15knots above forecast. This Seabreeze effect goes on throughout most of the season but is most active during the spring and early summer when the sea temperature is still a little cold, and the difference between warm land and cooling water is greater. If the wind is blowing from the North, then the whole kitesurfing operation moves to a Greatstone beach only 10 min drive away from Camber. WIND DIRECTIONS: W, SW, S, SE WINDIEST MONTHS: High season - June, July, August, September. Mid Season - April, May, October, November.

Rules/Hazards

There are few unspoken rules for kitesurfing in Camber Sands: Ride and Launch minimum 75m away from hard hazards (Sea Defence and steps, Granite Rocks, Wooden Groynes). There are 2 x Shipwrecks visible on low tide. Ask other kiters or School to point them out before riding. Independent riders should not ride in the teaching zone. Teaching zone starts at the black/white flag and extends west up to the first houses. Freeride zone (for all riders) starts at the black/white flag and extends east to the MOD Live firing range. Do not ride in front of the MOD live firing range when the red flags are up. No kiting during high tide and 2.5hours either side of high tide due to loss of launching area and proximity to hazards. Wait for 2.5hours from high tide for the beach to be exposed again for safe kiting. *If you need kite related services like kite repairs, lessons or beach assistance please contact the local kite centres or camps. ** We always recommend seeking additional knowledge about the spot from local Kite School.

Info

Rider Level:
beginner, intermediate, advanced
Discipline:
freeride, waveriding, landboarding, foiling
Spot Type:
Choppy water; Small wave (up to 1m); Medium wave (up to 2m); Open Water
Launch area:
Sand
Tidal:
yes
Windiest Months:
Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct,

Around Camber Sands

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The reviews say it all

spot reviews

Best kiteboarding location near London

Camber Sands, United Kingdom

Simply the easiest location to learn and improve your kitesurfing skills near London. Reliable sea breeze/thermals enable the wind to pick up almost every day (there is a reason why they there is wind turbines nearby!) and the beach is shallow in the low tide helping beginner kiters to feel safe. I had my lessons here and after trying out other spots decided to come back as I just felt safer in the waist deep water. When the tide moves in or out you can find some small waves here that bring in more challenge, but it's great for learning your first jumps!

Samina Laurinaityte
Camber Sands

Amazing Camber

Camber Sands, United Kingdom

Camber is one of my favourite places to kitesurf because of the wind, waves, community and local amenities nearby. There is always more wind at Camber, and sessions are amazing whether it be blowing at 20 or 40 knots - the wind quality is superb! The desert effect also means that it barely rains. I absolutely love the waves, they really do challenge you and being at nature with such a huge space of water to play with is a magical feeling - and you certainly get that sense of scale out at Camber. The community is awesome - The Kitesurf Centre at Camber really do make it an incredible place, they’re inclusive and don’t do the whole clique thing and encourage and support you whatever your level of riding is. They’re always super friendly and are the nicest group of people you’ll meet! In terms of local amenities you have cafes, bars, restaurants and supermarkets all within walking distance. The nightlife is what you make it and there are plenty of campervan spots nearby so a camp stove, good music and s’mores is all you pretty much need post session.

Amy

Rating Summary

Overall Rating
Beginner Friendly
Wind quality
Non-kiting activities
Nightlife