The best places to go kitesurfing on the UK south coast
The UK's south coast is one of the best places in Europe to learn to kitesurf. It doesn't have tropical water, but it has reliable south-westerly winds, big shallow bays and harbours, and experienced schools. Here are the best spots to learn, and the lessons you can book at each.
Poole Harbour, Dorset
Poole Harbour is one of the UK's best-known places to learn. The water inside the harbour is flat and shallow, so you can stand up when you fall, and there's a beach option on the seafront too. Sandbanks has plenty of places to eat and drink when you come off the water.
Easyriders is a dedicated kite, wing, foil, windsurf and paddleboard centre facing the bay at Sandbanks, teaching everyone from complete beginners to instructors. Start with a 2-hour kitesurfing taster session, commit to a Kitesurfing Day 1 course for complete beginners, or book 1:1 kitesurfing tuition. Wing foiling is big here too, with regular wing taster sessions.
Calshot, Hampshire
Calshot sits on a spit almost surrounded by water at the mouth of Southampton Water. The prevailing south-westerly blows cross-shore, and in summer sea breezes funnel down the Solent between the mainland and the Isle of Wight, often giving good wind when it's calm elsewhere.
Nomadic Kitesurf teaches all its lessons inside a large lagoon that's free from crowds, which makes it a calm place to learn. Begin with the land-based intro to kitesports using small trainer kites, then move on to a 3-hour kitesurf taster or the Kitesurf Beginner course. They also teach wingsurfing for beginners and improvers.
Bracklesham Bay, West Sussex
Bracklesham Bay has a long sandy beach that shelves gently into the sea, which makes it a safe place for beginners. A south-westerly wind pushes riders back towards the beach rather than out to sea. It's also a lovely spot to watch the sunset after a session.
Get Kiteboarding teaches on the beach at Bracklesham Bay. If you've never flown a kite, start with their London kitesurf and wingsurf intro in Richmond Park, which covers safety, set-up and flying. Then come down to the coast for a 3-hour kitesurfing lesson in a small group or a 2-hour kitesurfing lesson. Wing surfing fans can book the RYA Learn to Wingsurf intro.
Exmouth, Devon
Exmouth has two main spots. The Duckpond is a large, shallow area at high tide with flat to choppy water, ideal for beginners, and is best around three hours before high tide. The Seafront suits more experienced riders, with a big sandbank that keeps the swell out and gives great flat-water conditions.
Edge Watersports is run by Steph and Eric Bridge, one of the best-known kitesurfing families in the world, who have spent decades teaching in Exmouth. Their 2-hour Kitesurfing Discovery Course covers kite flying, water relaunch, safety systems and body dragging. Improvers can book a coaching session, and there's a wing-surfing intro lesson too.
More south coast spots for independent riders
Once you can ride on your own, the whole coast opens up. Hayling Island is excellent at low tide, with safe, shallow water and a mix of waves and flat water. Camber Sands in East Sussex has a long sandy beach and some of the most reliable wind in the south-east, with Greatstone next door when the wind turns offshore.
Lancing, near Worthing, has a gently shelving beach with marked zones for teaching and freeriding: flat in summer, with small waves in winter. Further west, Weymouth offers shallow, flat water and prevailing south-westerlies, while Marazion in Cornwall has a huge shallow bay below St Michael's Mount for wave riding and freestyle.
Tips before you go
Book lessons first. Kitesurfing is powerful, and a qualified instructor will teach you kite control, safety systems and self-rescue before you ride. Most schools ask that you can swim 50 metres and are confident in the water. Lessons usually include the kit you need, so bring swimwear, a towel, sun cream and warm layers for afterwards.
Learn to read the wind. On the south coast, cross-shore or cross-onshore south-westerlies are what you want. Never kite in offshore wind as a beginner. Tide matters too, as many spots, including Exmouth and Hayling Island, change completely between high and low water.
Spring and autumn often bring the best mix of steady wind and bearable water temperatures, while summer sea breezes suit first lessons. For more on timing, read when to go kitesurfing in the UK, see our reasons to try kitesurfing, or find the best kitesurfing spots near London.
Ready to get started? Browse kitesurfing lessons on eola and book your first session, or explore more things to do in Dorset, Hampshire and Devon.
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