Name:

Minnis Bay, Birchington-on-Sea

Beach description:

Minnis Bay is situated at Birchington-on-Sea in Kent. Kitesurfing is positively promoted at this beach. It features a long stretch of beach with plenty of space for setting up. Usual conditions are chop, but you’ll sometimes find some small waves with flat sections between them. Minnis Bay tends to be windier than other North Facing spots in the region. Minnis Bay will work on anything from WNW, clockwise around to ENE.

Beach Access

Follow A28 all the way into Brichington town center. Go Left at the roundabout down the high street (station road), keep following the road left to take Minnis road, go under the railway bridge and keep going, when you hit the seafront turn left and head for the Cafe. For the best conditions launch from in front of the restaurant then tack towards Reculver Abbey (westward) for about 800m. You will find a large sandy cove. Here the distance between groynes is much greater, the beach is wide with pebbles and sand, the water is flatter and the sea bottom soft and sandy. If you need to walk back (or to) this spot there is a paved cycle path that runs parallel to the beach.

Code of Conduct

Wind Direction

North, North-East, North-West

Water Type

With small waves and chop, Minnis Bay is most suited to freestyle/freeride kitesurfing. On a very low tide a series of sharp razor shell encrusted reefs are exposed along the water line. At high tide there is very little or even no beach left so this spot is best ridden mid tide.

Hazards

There is a large sea wall, and some concrete groynes which go a long way out to sea (watch out for the marker posts at the end of them).