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wind/kitesurfing nr bristol?
shawn - 1-3-2005 at 12:43

My other half is badgering me to move to Bristol (fancy new job) - but i've no idea what it's like for windsurfing around there and what the best places are - do any of u lot know what it's like around that area? I'm hoping u'll reply and tell me it's madly windy, regularly with mast high waves and idyllic beaches.......

justal - 1-3-2005 at 12:55

There are quite a few Bristol based windsurfer lurking on this site... And its not a bad plac to be based. Closest spot is Weston Super Mare. Only sailable at high tide but can be prety good. Its also only a short hop across the Severn to several S.Wales spots such as the Portcawl area (lots of options there) or even The Gower.

The S. Coast especially Portland/Overcombe is only about a 2 hour drive as well. Similarly Exmouth area only takes a couple of hours to get to, as does North Devon and spots like Saunton Sands.

Basically you have a fairly good choice of locations within 2 hours so shold be able to pick somewhere decent given the forecast. There are also quite a few windsurfers in Bristol that you will be able to hook up with.. MartinF on this site knows most of them and has quite a bit to do with the Bristol Nomads windsurf club.

I used to live in Bristol myself as well..... All the locations listed above are covered in more detail in the Beachguide

Al

shawn - 2-3-2005 at 08:34

Cheers Al - Great answer!! Very handy. Looks like I shall be giving it some more serious thought.

Wes - 3-3-2005 at 10:22

I'm Bath based, and just wanted to say that Al has got it spot on. There are plenty of locations within the 2hr limit (its my limit, any longer and the sport gets too expensive!) that will suit any standard.
Night life is pretty damn good in Bristol to!

kelvin - 3-3-2005 at 15:21

most definatly !
cant be any worst than Manchester .

MartinF - 6-3-2005 at 16:39

quote:
Originally posted by shawn
do any of u lot know what it's like around that area? I'm hoping u'll reply and tell me it's madly windy, regularly with mast high waves and idyllic beaches.......


I shalln't repeat what Al said 'cos there's not much I can add. However - just want to put Weston in perspective...

As Al says, it's only sailable a couple of hours either side of high tide (think Southport). BUT, the sea at WSM is like chocolate soup - not dirty in particular, but the Severn Estuary is VERY, VERY muddy. Don't let the colour of the water put you off: It can be a great place to sail.

Take a look at our locations guide on the Bristol Nomads website: www.bristolnomads.org.uk. Take a look at the events page, too. There's a whole bunch of us sail WSM & places further afield. We're always happy to see new faces.