Snowy Car Park

I was particularly keen to paddle from Lepe and head up the Beaulieu River as I had heard reports of a Seal being sighted by paddlers last weekend. Arriving at the car park I was greeted by a beautiful snowy scene with relatively calm waters despite a cold F4 Northerly wind.

Snow Covered IOW

I worked my way up the edge of the Nature Reserve that forms a spit on the southern side of the River. I saw all manner of birds but no sign of the seal. Passing the Beaulieu Sailing Club and then on past the Royal Southampton Yacht Club Gins clubhouse weaving my way through the moored yachts. The wind was funnelling down the small valley that surrounds the river and my face felt the full effects. I deployed one of my christmas present – a buff in the fabulous Welsh Dragon fabric. Pulling this up around my face provided welcome relief from the biting wind.

Beaulieu River

Still no sign of the seal so I decided to work my way back along the other edge of the river which winds its way the edge of mud flats which appear at low tide. The wind assisted my progress as I paddled against the tide. To the west the Sun was beginning to set and bathing the river in a golden glow.

Reaching the River entrance where the Solent opens up I gave up on any thoughts of meeting the Seal and stopped for a final time to take some shots of the Sun setting. As I did so, the kayak drifted across the River Entrance taking me out into the Solent. Suddenly to my right I noticed a black blob. I looked carefully sure it was yet another bird bobbing on the water. Then the blob disappeared from sight. I scanned the surface and a minute or so later it appeared again, this time closer to me. i had accidentally found the Seal.

Seal

At one point I heard a splash and just behind me and looking round caught a glimpse of a dark shadow under the boat before seeing the Seal appear on the opposite side of the kayak. This time I just managed to capture one shot of the Seal, albeit not particularly clear and at a distance. How I longed for Mark Rainsley’s superb 600mm lens!

Sunset Over Solent

A simply stunning short paddle in idyllic conditions and one to be remembered for a long time to come.

Sunset Over Snowy Lepe

Kitted Up For Winter Paddle

Watching Sunset

The nice weather and good tides brought out the paddlers this weekend with Lepe Beach being the favoured launch point. Having previously only met a couple other paddlers at the beach I was really suprised to pull in to the car park and find a whole row of cars with padded roof bars, j-bars and uprights.

The New Forest Canoe Club were just launching on a trip to Newtown Creek, Lymington and back. Hamble Canoe Club had only recently departed for the Beaulieu River and a couple of keen ladies were setting off for Bucklers Hard.

Peter - SOT off Cowes

I opted to cross to the Isle of Wight by Gunnard then fight the tide up to Cowes. Stopping on the Sea front for a coffee and the much needed chocolate I watched a sit on top kayak work it’s way towards me. The paddler, Peter, stopped for a chat and we spent an enjoyable few minutes comparing kit, experiences and common paddling acquaintances.

He had caught the Sea Kayaking bug when attending one of Owen Burson’s courses at IOW Sea Kayaking. He had nothing but praise for Owen and the team and decided to take up paddling. His family had stumped up the money for a christmas present and he had picked up a second hand sit on top, paddles and other equipment from Island Kayaks – the shop part of IOW Sea Kayaking.

Strip built Sea Kayak

My return to Lepe was a quick affair. I aimed off at the Calshot chimneys and threaded my way through the plethora of sailing boats enjoying the wind. The tide was moving fast allowing me to ferry glide across the 2.5 mile stretch between Cowes & Lepe landing on the beach as the Ladies I had watched launch earlier returned from Bucklers Hard.

We spent an enjoyable half hour trading stories and experiences, along with some delicious ‘Indian Sweets’. Penny, one of the ladies had a wealth of paddling experience and some fantastic stories. We swapped contact details – and if you are reading Penny – the link to the Sea Kayak With Gordon Brown DVD should be on the right of this webpage: hugely recommended!

Hamble Canoe Club

I started loading up the boat and looking out to the Western Solent saw Hamble Canoe Club returning, led by a beautiful strip built wooden sea kayak.

All in all a fantastic days paddle, enhanced by the opportunity to meet so many other paddlers and chewing the fat on this fantastic pastime of ours.

As the main shipping channel runs between Calshot and Cowes this is a difficult crossing point due to the large volume of traffic that uses this stretch of the Solent. From large oil tankers to ferries and fast cats, as well as a large number of sailing boats.

Lepe to Gurnard offers a less busy route, with clear views as you cross at 90 degrees to chanel. It is then a short hop along the coast to Cowes.

The actual crossing is quick – 30 minutes on my return journey – as long as you pick the right state of tide and weather conditions. I left just after the second high tide with the plan of aiming off on the return journey if the tide dictated.

Paddling out I used the cardinal mark off Lepe as a waypoint and took a minute or too holding position here to check for any large traffic on the horizon. Satisfied all was clear I headed straight for Gurnard. There is a nice, small beach with a Cafe at Gurnard which provided a pitstop for a cup of tea and a chat with a couple paddling sit on top kayaks. Then on along the coast into Cowes.

I didn’t stop at Cowes, just paddled around and enjoyed the sights and sounds before paddling back around the coast towards Gurnard. Once clear of the shipping lanes and with a clear view of the traffic I aimed directly for Lepe and 30 minutes later was enjoying a cuppa on the beach.

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Route:
Outward:
Lepe (Grid: 456 985) to Gurnard (Grid: 477 958) to Cowes (Grid: 496 962 )

Return:
Reverse of outward route.

Coastal Forecast:
Pressure – 1013 mB F
Temp max/min – 26/17 degrees C
Wind speed – F3 becoming F3-4
Wind direction – E
Max gust in knots – 16 becoming 20
Sea state – Slight
Visibility – Very good becoming Good

Lepe Beach is a popular, Hampshire County Council run, country park which offers a superb launch point for Sea Kayakers providing the start to four possible routes. Facilities include a slipway, car parking, toilet facilities, a cafe/kiosk for food & drinks, children’s playground as well a tourist information centre. Lepe Beach is also home to ‘Solent Rescue‘, and independent lifeboat organisation covering 20% of the solent area.

With car parking less than a metre from the water at high tide, Lepe is a superb place to start a paddle. Sitting opposite the Isle of Wight, a few hundred feet from the entrance to the Beaulieu River you are given a number of options for a route, depending on the tide, time and wind.

Facilities

• Cafe & take away kiosk
• Tourist information centre
• Pay and Display Car Park (accepts coins)

Possible Routes

One option is to head the 2km or so west along the shore into the mouth of the Beaulieu River. From here, you can either continue along the coast to Lymington or head up the river, past Bucklers Hard and into the heart of Beaulieu itself.

If you head East along the coast, you soon reach Calshot Spit and can either cross Southampton water to continue along the coast to Gosport or head up the Hamble Estuary. Alternatively sticking to the shore takes you up Southampton water towards Hythe marina.

For the more experienced paddler, with good understanding of tides, wind and an appreciation of how busy the Solent gets, Lepe offers the chance to paddle across to the Isle of Wight.

During the summer months, the car park is open from 7am until dusk. However, it is possible to park outside the gates of the car parks should you wish to be out longer.

Location

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