Stokes Bay
Gosport's shingle beach on the Solent shipping channel — easy access, deep water, big rigging area.
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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
- Shingle beach with a large grass and hardstanding area behind, shared with the sailing club.
- Wind
- ESE · SE · SSE · S · SSW · SW · WSW · W · WNW 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.
- The main Solent shipping channel runs past this beach. Naval vessels out of Portsmouth have exclusion zones around them that are enforced.
- Deep water immediately, so it is not a learning beach despite the easy access.
- Big grass and hardstanding area behind the beach makes rigging easy — one of the better setups in the Solent.
Conditions
- Best
- Works
- Offshore
- Works in
- ESE, SE, SSE, S, SSW, SW, WSW, W, WNW
- Best in
- SE, SW
- Offshore (careful)
- N, NNE, NE, ENE, E, NNW
- Wind quality
- moderate
- Water
- Choppy
- Depth
- deep
- Best tide
- Any state
- Spring range
- 4.1 m
Sea breeze · May–Aug
- Beginner
- Workable
- Intermediate
- Good
- Advanced
- Good
Hazards
Most serious first. The level is in words as well as colour.
- high
shipping Directly on the main Solent shipping channel with heavy commercial and naval traffic out of Portsmouth.
- medium
current The Solent stream runs steadily along the shore.
- medium
shore break Steep shingle with a dump at high water.
Access & rules
- Launch
- Shingle beach with a large grass and hardstanding area behind, shared with the sailing club.
- Permit
- Not required
- Insurance
- Third-party liability expected
- Tuition
- Permitted
- Facilities
- toilets, cafe, slipway, rigging area
Parking
- Stokes Bay car parks
paid
Safety
Who is around if it goes wrong. None of it makes the water safe.
- Lifeguards
- None
- RNLI
- Gosport & Fareham
- Nearest A&E
- Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth (~25 min)
- Water quality
- Designated bathing water — good
The spot
Stokes Bay is about as convenient as Solent kitesurfing gets: park a few metres from the water, rig on grass or hardstanding, and launch straight into a south-westerly with the Isle of Wight in front of you.
The water is deep close in, which rules it out as a learning beach, and the main Solent shipping channel runs directly past. Commercial and Royal Navy traffic out of Portsmouth is constant, and naval vessels carry enforced exclusion zones. It is a good, straightforward spot for a competent rider who reads the water.
Nearby alternatives
Other launches around Gosport & Lee-on-the-Solent, with different conditions.
- Hill Head
A quieter Solent option than Stokes Bay, with sand at lower tides.
Sources
Where this record came from, and how confident we are in it.
- Windfinder — Stokes Bay Sailing Club
Checked 2026-09-07 · coordinates, wind
- UK Windsurfing beach guide — Stokes Bay
Checked 2026-09-23 · wind
- Extreme Kites forum — Stokes Bay
Checked 2026-09-23 · wind
Verify locally. Coordinates 50.7829, -1.1576. Conditions, access arrangements and beach rules change; check them on the day before you rely on anything on this page.