Carnoustie
Long, shallow Angus sand behind the famous links — good progression terrain with a firing range next door.
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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
- Long sandy beach behind the golf links, with promenade access and large sandbars at low water.
- Wind
- NE · ENE · E · ESE · SE · SSE · S · SSW · SW 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.
- Barry Buddon is an active MOD training area immediately west. Red flags mean stop — do not ride down towards it.
- The Tay estuary streams and shifting bars off Buddon Ness are serious. Stay east.
- Long, shallow sand with big bars at low water — good progression terrain twenty minutes from Dundee.
Conditions
- Best
- Works
- Offshore
- Works in
- NE, ENE, E, ESE, SE, SSE, S, SSW, SW
- Best in
- S, SSW, SW
- Offshore (careful)
- N, NNE, W, WNW, NW, NNW
- Wind quality
- clean
- Water
- Flat to choppy
- Depth
- standing
- Best tide
- Low to mid
- Spring range
- 4.9 m
- Beginner
- Good
- Intermediate
- Good
- Advanced
- Workable
Hazards
Most serious first. The level is in words as well as colour.
- high
current The Tay estuary and Buddon Ness to the west run strong streams over shifting bars.
- high
military Barry Buddon MOD training area occupies the coast west of Carnoustie. Red flags mean the range is live.
- medium
cold water North Sea temperatures.
Access & rules
- Launch
- Long sandy beach behind the golf links, with promenade access and large sandbars at low water.
- Permit
- Not required
- Insurance
- Third-party liability expected
- Tuition
- Permitted
- Facilities
- toilets, cafe, shop
Parking
- Carnoustie seafront parking
mixed
Safety
Who is around if it goes wrong. None of it makes the water safe.
- Lifeguards
- None
- RNLI
- Broughty Ferry RNLI
- Nearest A&E
- Ninewells Hospital, Dundee (~25 min)
- Water quality
- Designated bathing water — good
The spot
Carnoustie's beach runs behind the golf links and offers long, shallow sand with substantial bars exposed at low water. It is twenty minutes from Dundee and works across a wide range of directions.
Two things bound the spot. Barry Buddon, immediately west, is an active MOD training area with live firing — red flags mean stop. Beyond it, the Tay estuary and the bars off Buddon Ness carry strong streams. Stay east of both.
Sources
Where this record came from, and how confident we are in it.
- Windfinder — Carnoustie
Checked 2026-09-07 · coordinates, wind
- UK Windsurfing beach guide — Carnoustie
Checked 2026-09-23 · wind
Verify locally. Coordinates 56.4993, -2.7065. Conditions, access arrangements and beach rules change; check them on the day before you rely on anything on this page.