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Pevensey Bay

A quiet shingle beach between Eastbourne and Bexhill, with a serious groyne field and a heavy high-tide dump.

Pevensey Bay · East SussexDirections

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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
Steep shingle bank with sand appearing at lower tides.
Wind
NE · ENE · E · ESE · SE · SSE · S · SSW · SW winds work here.
Tide
Low to mid tide exposes sand and covers the groyne field is at its safest.

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.

  • Steep shingle means deep water fast and a nasty shore dump at the top of the tide.
  • The groyne field is extensive. Low to mid tide only, really.
  • Much quieter than Brighton or Camber, and the parking is easier.

Conditions

NESW
  • Best
  • Works
  • Offshore
Works in
NE, ENE, E, ESE, SE, SSE, S, SSW, SW
Best in
S, SSW, SW
Offshore (careful)
N, WSW, W, WNW, NW, NNW
Wind quality
moderate
Water
Choppy
Depth
deep
Best tide
Low to mid
Spring range
6.2 m

Tide rule

Low to mid tide exposes sand and covers the groyne field is at its safest.

Sea breeze · May–Aug

Beginner
Workable
Intermediate
Good
Advanced
Good

Hazards

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

  • high

    groynes Extensive groyne field, submerged at high water.

  • medium

    shore break Steep shingle produces a heavy dump at high tide.

Access & rules

Launch
Steep shingle bank with sand appearing at lower tides.
Permit
Not required
Insurance
Third-party liability expected
Tuition
Permitted
Facilities
toilets, cafe, pub

Parking

  • Beachlands / Pevensey Bay roadside

    mixed

Safety

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

Lifeguards
None
RNLI
Eastbourne RNLI
Nearest A&E
Eastbourne DGH, Eastbourne (~15 min)
Water quality
Designated bathing water — excellent

The spot

Pevensey Bay is the stretch of shingle-and-sand between Eastbourne and Bexhill. It is far quieter than the Brighton and Lancing beaches to the west, and parking is easy, which is most of its appeal.

The beach shelves steeply, so the water gets deep quickly and the shore break at high tide is genuinely heavy. An extensive groyne field runs the length of the bay and vanishes under the water on the flood. Low to mid tide is the sensible window.

Sources

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

Confidence: low · 1 independent source · status needs-review · updated 2026-09-07

Verify locally. Coordinates 50.8097, 0.3498. Conditions, access arrangements and beach rules change; check them on the day before you rely on anything on this page.