Borth & Ynyslas
Four miles of Cardigan Bay sand with drive-on access at the northern end.
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● Spot · shaded: the wind directions that work here. It is not a riding area or a permitted kite zone. Two fingers to move the map.
Location & launch
Know before you go.
- Launch
- Four miles of sand running north from Borth to the Dyfi estuary at Ynyslas, with drive-on access at the northern end.
- Wind
- S · SSW · SW · WSW · W · WNW · NW · NNW · N winds work here.
The shaded area shows the wind directions recorded as working here. It is not a permitted kite zone or a safe launch boundary. Check local signs.
Local rules, hazards & spot guide
Need to know
The things that catch people out here.
- Ynyslas at the northern end has drive-on beach access, which makes it far easier with kit than Borth.
- The Dyfi bar at the northern end runs hard on the ebb. Stay south of it.
- The Ynyslas dunes are a National Nature Reserve — stay off them.
- Aberystwyth's student population means there's usually a scene here in term time.
Conditions
- Best
- Works
- Offshore
- Works in
- S, SSW, SW, WSW, W, WNW, NW, NNW, N
- Best in
- SW, WSW, NW
- Offshore (careful)
- NNE, NE, ENE, E, ESE, SE
- Wind quality
- clean
- Water
- Choppy
- Depth
- standing
- Best tide
- Low to mid
- Spring range
- 4.4 m
Sea breeze · May–Aug
- Beginner
- Good
- Intermediate
- Good
- Advanced
- Good
Hazards
Most serious first. The level is in words as well as colour.
- high
current The Dyfi estuary bar at the northern end runs hard on the ebb.
- medium
shore break Storm pebble ridge at the Borth end produces a dump at high water.
- medium
wildlife Ynyslas dunes are a National Nature Reserve.
Access & rules
- Launch
- Four miles of sand running north from Borth to the Dyfi estuary at Ynyslas, with drive-on access at the northern end.
- Permit
- Not required
- Insurance
- Third-party liability expected
- Tuition
- Permitted
- Facilities
- toilets, cafe, pub, shop
Parking
- Ynyslas beach (drive-on)
paid
- Borth seafront
mixed
Safety
Who is around if it goes wrong. None of it makes the water safe.
- Lifeguards
- Seasonal RNLI cover at Borth.
- RNLI
- Borth RNLI
- Nearest A&E
- Bronglais Hospital, Aberystwyth (~20 min)
- Water quality
- Designated bathing water — good
The spot
Borth and Ynyslas form a four-mile stretch of sand running north from Borth village to the mouth of the Dyfi. At the northern end, Ynyslas has drive-on beach access, which makes it substantially easier with kit than most Welsh beaches.
The Dyfi bar at the northern end runs hard on the ebb — stay south of it. The Ynyslas dunes behind are a National Nature Reserve. Aberystwyth is twenty minutes away, so in term time there is usually a scene.
Sources
Where this record came from, and how confident we are in it.
- Windfinder — Borth
Checked 2026-09-07 · coordinates, wind
- Kitesurfing UK (archived) — Borth & Ynyslas
Checked 2026-09-23 · wind
Verify locally. Coordinates 52.5092, -4.0556. Conditions, access arrangements and beach rules change; check them on the day before you rely on anything on this page.