Pagham Beach
Arriving at Pagham and then driving through
the mishmash of properties one wonders whether you have taken a
wrong turn. It's only when you arrive at the car park and find
you don't have to pay that you really start to appreciate this
spot!
But PLEASE NOTE that the speed limit is 10mph and the residents
have the authority to close the road if this is abused - do obey
this, otherwise this location will be off limits!!
Going back in time, windsurfers from Worthing started to sail
at Pagham & Selsey when the wind blew from the NE, as Pevensey
was too far to drive....what many of them missed out on was the
classic sailing to be had when the wind blows from the prevailing
SW!
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Pagham Harbour: yellow = spits |
Although driving down to Pagham is much the same as having your
teeth pulled, you wonder if you are ever going to arrive - similar
to Hayling & Wittering - once you get there things take on a
much more pleasant aspect.
For a start, Pagham is not cursed with thousands of day trippers,
if they did come down in droves there's a distinct lack of commercialism,
plus the sea is not family friendly for bathing, it's damn right
dangerous!
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The only other group of "activists" are the "twitchers",
as Pagham harbour, which only when you arrive at high tide on springs
will you appreciate the full extent is, is a major nature reserve.
So keep your cool and don't have a go if their dogs walk, or piss
over your kites - they are a formidable majority and no one wants
a repeat of Hayling and more restrictions being introduced which
recently was on the cards at Pagham.
If you agree or disagree with these comments you know where to
click! |
Have not seen images of windsurfers like this for a long while....probaly
from Windsurf Magazine!. |
| So in much the same way as the windsurfers discovered what Pagham
has to offer so are the kiters, hardly surprising as many kiters
were, and still are windsurfers. As the wind starts to get up to
around 30mph, so the kites will disappear and more windsurfers will
take to the waves, a happy medium.
As you can see from the attached images, the wind was only 12mph
or so from the SE, quite a few kiters, but not one windsurfer to
be seen.
When people rave about Pagham, they really do mean it, many of
the windsurfers that sail here are some of the best in the SE,
it's probably the closest we can get to Kimmerdidge in these
parts.
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Kites on the beach looking towards Pagham & Bognor
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You only have to look at the above map to work out
why, the prevailing wind being South Westerly, the spits and sand
bars throwing up the swell into good sets, if you can't work it
out, you're probably not ready for this type of sailing!
Also unlike other locations in the area a NW is DEAD offshore.
Pagham is definitely not a beginners, or even an intermediates
location, if it goes wrong here you can end up in a bit of a mess.
DO not feel tempted to sail near the harbour mouth, as when the
harbour floods or ebbs there is quite a current. |
This is where you DO not want to end up - Harbour Mouth |
Surf building on the "banks" even in light wind |
So apart from the currents in and around
the harbour mouth, what else to look out for?
Low tide at Pagham, unlike the vast majority of South Coast locations
is not pleasant, beds of shells have a habit of trashing skin, boards,
fins and they just love kites!
And low springs, it's a case of no sailing at all. As well as the long
walk out you also have about a quarter of a mile of ankle depth water
to negotiate, plus further shallows and rocks all over the place.
Although there are not many man made sea defenses, the ones that do
exist are made by mother nature and are quite formidable if you get caught
out by them. So be careful at low tide when sailing near the bars and
spits. It's not really a problem as most people that sail here no what
to expect. It's been a few years since I visited here and was amazed
at how the bars & spits had increased in size and height! I've been
reliably informed that the shingle that forms these bars is made up of
shingle that was originally dumped at Selsey in shoring up the beaches
from flooding and has been pulled away from Selsey by the longshore drift
and dumped at Pagham
These are spits built up by the various currents |
The long walk from the carpark to the sailing area |
If you do break some kit the nearest local shop is in
Bognor "Surf Hog" though not too sure as to their exact product
lines - if you need something, and are not a local, ring first, as it
may well only be six miles to Bognor, finding your way out of Pagham
to Bognor is not as easy as it sounds!
Coming back to Pagham after having been to quite a few locations you
really understand why this spot is a favourite to so many people, it
feels natural, so many locations on the South Coast are contrived, the
total absence of pay n'display is just an example of why Pagham feels
good. I suppose it reminds you of some of the more wild and exposed beaches
in other parts of the country, the nearest to the South Coast being the
Southern side of the Isle of Wight.
If you want to add your own comments see the link at the top of this
page.
Feb 2003
Surf Hog in Bognor |
Light wind day, but with some surf over the bars |
South Coast Beach Breaks
Hover over any red dot for details
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