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Old Hunstanton

The east coast's only west-facing resort beach — half a mile of sand at low water and warm lagoons on the flood.

Hunstanton · NorfolkDirections

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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
Down the concrete slipway and bear left, passing over the first groynes. Only launch once you and the water are clear of the groyne.
Wind
SW · WSW · W · WNW · NW · NNW · N winds work here.
Tide
The tide retreats around half a mile. Shallow flat lagoons form as it comes back in — that is the window.

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.

  • Stay well away from the cliffs at high tide. They generate enormous updrafts and this is the classic Hunstanton accident.
  • Launch down the concrete slipway and bear left past the first groynes — and only put the kite up once you and the water are clear of them.
  • The tide retreats about half a mile. The lagoons form on the way back in, which is when the spot is at its best.
  • West-facing, which is nearly unique on the east coast and means the prevailing south-westerly is cross-shore rather than offshore.
  • Hunstanton Sailing Club and the local watersports centre are the practical points of contact for current beach etiquette.

Conditions

NESW
  • Best
  • Works
  • Offshore
Works in
SW, WSW, W, WNW, NW, NNW, N
Best in
W, WNW, NW
Offshore (careful)
ENE, E, ESE, SE, SSE, S
Wind quality
clean
Water
Flat to choppy
Depth
standing
Best tide
Low to mid
Spring range
6.5 m

West-facing on the east coast — a genuinely unusual aspect that catches the prevailing south-westerly cross-shore.

Tide rule

The tide retreats around half a mile. Shallow flat lagoons form as it comes back in — that is the window. At high tide there can be small waves. Stay well away from the cliffs at high water — they generate huge updrafts.

Sea breeze · May–Aug

Typically fills around 12:00.

The Wash and the flat Norfolk hinterland generate a useful afternoon breeze.

Beginner
Ideal
Intermediate
Ideal
Advanced
Good

Hazards

Most serious first. The level is in words as well as colour.

  • high

    wind shadow The famous striped cliffs generate huge updrafts at high tide. Riders have been lofted here — stay well off them.

  • high

    groynes Groynes near the slipway. Only launch once you and the water are clear of them.

  • medium

    tidal cutoff The tide goes out half a mile and comes back across flat sand.

  • medium

    crowds Busy resort beach in summer.

Access & rules

Launch
Down the concrete slipway and bear left, passing over the first groynes. Only launch once you and the water are clear of the groyne.
Self launch
Fine once you are past the groynes and out on the open sand.
Permit
Not required
Insurance
Third-party liability via BKSA or RYA is the local expectation.
Tuition
Permitted
Facilities
toilets, cafe, shop, pub, slipway

Parking

  • Old Hunstanton beach car park

    paid

  • Hunstanton main promenade

    paid

Safety

Who is around if it goes wrong. None of it makes the water safe.

Lifeguards
Seasonal cover on the main Hunstanton beach.
RNLI
Hunstanton RNLI
Nearest A&E
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn (~30 min)
Water quality
Designated bathing water — excellent

The spot

Old Hunstanton is the best beginner and progression water in eastern England, and it owes that to an unusual accident of geography: it faces west, across The Wash, which on the east coast is close to unique. The prevailing south-westerly therefore arrives cross-shore rather than offshore.

The tide retreats about half a mile to expose a huge area of sand, and as it floods back in it forms shallow flat lagoons. That is the window. At high water there can be small waves, and the beach is considerably less useful.

The cliffs are the hazard that matters. Hunstanton's famous striped cliffs generate enormous updrafts at high tide and riders have been lofted by them — stay well off. At the launch, go down the concrete slipway and bear left past the first groynes, putting the kite up only once you and the water are clear of them.

Links & local

Webcams

Clubs, forums & groups

Schools & shops nearby

  • Hunstanton Watersports · kite school, watersports shop · ~1 km

    Local school and shop; the main source of current beach information.

Nearby alternatives

Other launches around Hunstanton, with different conditions.

Sources

Where this record came from, and how confident we are in it.

Confidence: high · 3 independent sources · status published · updated 2026-09-07

Verify locally. Coordinates 52.9531, 0.4932. Conditions, access arrangements and beach rules change; check them on the day before you rely on anything on this page.