Landable Beaches UK & Ireland
 

Hi All

Someone has come up with a query, of any known landable beaches, in the UK & Ireland.

Any ( serious ) suggestions.

Regards Martin Burney

Not a private flying sort of answer but Loganair used to operate a Shorts 360 from a beach at Barra in the Western Isles.

Actually Barra is in Pooleys and seems eminently useable (I've not tried). From memory it says something like "check tide-tables, no overnight parking".

There's a 1-4 mile section of beach a few miles north of Blackpool that are are shown on the chart as a microlight strip. I've flown from there and it was great fun and would have no problems landing most light aircraft on it - the local microlight club at Brook Farm (Lancashire Microlights I think) should be able to give you details and permission.

I've flown off Ardrossan Beach, which is betweeen Saltcoats and Largs on the West Coast of Scotland. Not officially listed as a landing site, but the locals seemed to have no problem with me flying from there.

P

Barra
 

Cuople of guys from Moray Flying Club at Kinloss have been down to Barra a few times, and report the surface and the welcome to be just fine.

Very valid point about the tide times, though. Call ahead for sure....

Bear 555

Does it have to be take-off-able too?:p
If not try any pebble beach on the south coast..!

Let's try *not* to refer to Chris Linton here, guys!! :p :D

I recall flights been undertaken from Southport Beach
years ago. Never seen it in any of the official guides though

Thanks CB:D

My passengers still ask if they need to bring a bucket and spade with them!!!!

:ugh:

Ditto with Southport. When I was a lad, ;) used to watch a Pa28 land on the beach. I can't remember to much, it was a long time ago but I think there used to be a Land-rover nearby overseeing things.

The RAF train C130 crews for sand landings at Pendine!

I've seen a couple of aircraft land at Brandon Bay on the Dingle peninsula in Ireland.

I think Ainsdale (Southport) is marked on the 1/4 mill.
Watched a C172 perform pleasure flights about 8 yrs ago.

Going flying for a few days in Scotland next month, hopefully...in something with non-whirly wings. Hoping to land on Barra, a longtime ambition, so if I do...I'll report back....

I landed at Barra last month in a Reims Rocket. It posed no particular problems apart from needing to have the conviction that the parts of the runway covered by patches of shallow water (maybe 10 or 15 mm deep) are actually firm. There are three runways all pointing towards the tower (AFIS) and marked by single posts at each seaward end. The take-off run seemed to be similar to soft grass. I felt it was important to use the soft field techniques as the Rocket has a lot of weight on a small nose wheel.

No overnight parking may be the official line, but there is a slipway allowing the aircraft to be pushed/taxied off the beach and above the high water mark. Check when you PPR. There is no avgas.

The aircraft needed a good hose down afterwards and sand is still appearing in odd places.

I believe thatb the sand caused problems with retractable landing gear on the larger Loganairs (Shorts?), so Twin Otters are now used.

Barra was definitely the highlight of an excellent long weekend -- you'll love it, Whirly.

I also have a very distant memory of a pleasure flight in a five-seater biplane from Southport beach when I was about ten years old. It either cost half-a-crown or five shillings.

AA

There is another strip approx 30nm north of Barra and 10nm north of Benbecula called Sollas.

On the half-mill' it appears to be on land but on the quarter-mill' it is shown as on the beach.

The airstrip on Southport beach is now closed (ever since the new sea wall caused the beach to grow some rather grotty grass) but i hear that some enlightened locals are seeking to re-instate it a bit further south.

The entire beach from Crosby up to nth Southport (hesketh bank) has been used at some time or other for nearly a 100 years but there are many soft sand patches which preclude use today without a thorough survey.

Barra is a great airport.

5mins walk over the dunes and your looking at the Atlantic.

If you go to the Barra flyin Oban have a power washer all set up so if you nip across for some fuel they will not only wash your plane down for you but also give you a jammy dodger and cup of tea while they do it.

MJ

MJ, Can you tell me when the Barra fly-in is?

I have relatives at Knott End, on Morecambe Bay just east of Fleetwood, who say the sands just to the north of them are regularly used by light aircraft - several times a year. They're called Preesall Sands, and I presume someone at Blackpool would be able to give you a heads-up. Apparently the only drawback is that the tide comes in very fast indeed.

Been looking for some details but can't find anything


If you give Paul Keegan a ring on 01631-710384.

He has his finger on the pulse of the West coast.

He also runs Oban so if you are worried about getting your plane washed down he might be able to help out.

MJ