RHOSNEIGR, ANGLESEA
WRITTEN BY TOM MURSELL
Rhosneigr… “Rhossy” One of, if not the best big air kitesurfing spots in the UK is situated on the south west coast on the isle of Anglesey. Its deep water, big swell and funnelling southerly wind makes for an extraordinary combination for boosting big air and sending massive tricks. On a big day, it is not for the faint hearted.
Not only does Rhosneigr offer brilliant twin tip conditions, but the foiling opportunity for wings and kite is also massive. With flatter water at the north of the bay, leading to starvation island. Its deep water makes it perfect for long masts at any tidal state.
For those that like waves with the foil, head south in the bay for rolling sets with large intervals.
WIND DIRECTION
Rhosneigr will work on anything from S around to NW, though it works best on S with a running swell.
FORECAST
Similar to most of the UK’s wind patterns, Rhosneigr is consistently inconsistent. There are days with no wind and days with 50 knots. This massively varies, although these big storms tend to come through in the autumn, there have definitely been some notable cranking days in the summer. Check the forecast before your trip, the big days are definitely worth the wait.
RAF Valley is situated next to the kite spot, they have a live wind meter, however, it has a 1-hour delay. So do consider this when choosing your kite! https://www.windfinder.com/report/rhosneigr_valley
The local kite and watersports shop, FunSport, have a webcam to check the swell. https://www.funsportonline.co.uk/web-cam/
TIDES / CONDITIONS
Fortunately, Rhosneigr can be ridden at any tidal state. From our personal experience, Mid tide is the most optimum for clean kickers and swell, with space for rigging too.
At high tide, there is considerably less beach and rigging space becomes tight especially if its busy. We recommend going to the south of the beach near FunSport as this will have more space, and then ride down wind to the waves from there.
During mid tide, a river appears which cuts the beach, which can be a problem if you land your kite at the north end of the beach by the dunes as it can be tricky to walk through.
HAZARDS
A strong rip in the southern end of the beach
Rocks which only appear at mid to low tide. Google earth can depict where these are. Rocks which cannot be seen at high tide. We would definitely recommend making an effort to see these rocks in the flesh before riding, as they are a major hazard and can cause injury to you or your equipment.
Beware of the wind shadow when launching at high tide near Glan Y Mor road, ensure to launch towards the sea to mitigate any risk of accidents.
PARKING
Parking in Rhosneigr is the spark of many debates between locals and beach users. Glan Y Mor road and Beach Road have limited parking spots. These tend to fill up very quickly in the morning.
Second best, is the grass parking spot at the Glan Y Mor road. The unwritten rule of parking here is to park round the edges and leave gaps so people can get out and also use the middle grass for gear packing.
Note that if your planning to stay overnight in a van / motorhome, please don’t park on Glan Y Mor road as this is upsetting to locals and has caused disputes. We don’t want to cause a problem with vans in Rhosneigr and get them frowned upon. Keep our sport in good light!
There is parking restrictions from 1200 to 0800 for campervans and motorhomes.
Another option is the pay and display car park, 500m from the end of Glan Y Mor road. They also have public toilets here which are open throughout the day.