Information - Lepe

BACKGROUND

Parking

Parking charges are made all year round. Season tickets can be purchased for approx £30 from the Hampshire County Council. There is usually no difficulty in finding a space, but the car park can be full of sightseers on sunny summer afternoons. Overnight parking is not allowed.

Facilities

Toilets are available all year round (locked at night). There is a smart cafe/restaurant, an ice-cream shop and a souvenir shop !

Rigging

There is a small grassy area to rig on, set back inland from the car park, sheltered from the prevailing Westerly wind by the cafe. The beach has patches of smooth pebbles to rig on, too.

SAILING

Best Wind Directions

The best direction is just South of West, when the wind is coming straight down the Solent and not over the land. W, SW, S, SE and E are OK, but Southerly is usually gusty as it's come across the Isle of Wight. It can be very choppy in onshore winds. (The shoreline runs West to East).

Waves/Flat Water

It can be choppy at high tide. As the tide goes out, it can be fairly flat in the shallow water close in, up to a force 5. Further out (1/4 mile) it becomes quite choppy, rough in a force 5 or more.

Launching

Lepe can be sailed at all states of the tide, though at low tide it's a long walk out and back. The beach is shallow shelving, so the hard-packed gravel bottom at half tide has eaten many a good fin. The beach above the high water mark is a mixture of soft sand and gravel. There are bits of sand to sit on !

Currents/Tides

There is a strong current of about 7 knots which flows NE to SW as the tide goes out. This is OK in the prevailing W to SW wind, but is bad news when the tide is coming in (SW to NE). Keeping upwind can be difficult then and it can become serious if the wind drops. Don't go East of the shingle spit between Stone point and Stanshore Point as the current is very strong as the tide comes in. Opposing wind and tide obviously make it very choppy.

Hazards

The water is quite murky, as is the rest of the Solent, but seems safe. I've swallowed many gallons of it over the years with no apparent harm. There are hundreds of yachts out in the Summer, when the Solent is a bit like an aquatic M25. This is good for safety, but a good lookout is vital. About a mile out is a shipping lane, though the biggest ships take the Eastern part of the Solent, some ships use this. We sometimes sail to the Isle of Wight, which is just over 2 miles, I wouldn't recommend going alone.

In the summer, a lookout post is manned by volunteers who keep a fast rescue boat anchored near the beach. In the winter, there is the Calshot lifeboat about 3 miles away. A coastguard helicopter operates from Lee-on-Solent which is about 5 minutes flying time.

Sailing Standards

I wouldn't recommend Lepe for beginners, because of the strong currents. They are better off at nearby Calshot. Further out, Lepe is usually quite rough, so is only really suitable for those who can waterstart. Slalom boards are ideal up to a force 5, then wave/slaloms or wave boards are recommended. In the summer, Lepe is a lot less crowded than Calshot, so more experienced short-boarders often migrate there.

OTHER STUFF

Local Scenery

Lepe is right on the edge of the New Forest, so the scenery is very attractive. There is a good coastal walk. Quite a good place for families if the weather is good.

Walking

Mountain-biking in the New Forest, though bikes are only allowed on the forest tracks and not footpaths.

Pubs/Food

Various pubs, but nearest about 2 miles away in Langley. Smart cafe/restaurant on the beach.