justal

You never know, if enough people subscribe I might be able to get some go-faster stripes for it!!! Al.

Plenty of info on the beaches in Wales here: Kiting beach guide in Wales. As others have said you can't beat Borth and Ynyslas if heading out this way. Al.

Just checked the historic data from the weather station here at Ynyslas, and the wind was gusting to 21 knots in the estuary on the 26th. Ivor, the Katabatic wind can be quite a phenomenon to behold, but he doesn't tend to work quite so well at this time of year as it is driven mainly by a temperature gradient between the land and sea... He therefore tends to be at his best in the early spring. Northerlies aren;t great though as Ivor needsa fair bit of easterly in it to really work. Blowing a hoolie here at the moment though! Al.

Blowing its tits off here at Borth at the mo.... Off to the beach now. Al.

I run one here in Borth and Ynyslas: http://www.forces-of-nature.co.uk/dbdriven/home/weather_station.php I do charge an annual subscription of £20 to access it though to cover the running costs as I don't need the data myself as I'm lucky enough to be able to look out the window to see what the wind is doing on the beach! Al.

I don't agree with that. Having done both, I can say that kitesurfing was much easier to learn than windsurfing. It took me years to get to the stage where I could windsurf in waves and then many more years before I was even thinking about going for loops etc. Whereas I was up and riding kitesurfing within a couple of sessions and jumping etc. came pretty quickly after that. You progress much quicker in kitesurfing than anyone will windsurfing which is why so many people choose to kitesurf rather than windsurf. As someone else has pointed out you also need different kit to learn on when windsurfing and then gradually progress to smaller boards, so the kit in your garage might not be suitable for a beginner anyway. Al.

In theory the tide 'could' affect the sea breeze in a number of ways, but it certainly doesn't cause a sea breeze as this is purely an effect of the temperature gradient between the land and sea. Air rises over the hotter land (on a hot summers day) so cooler air from over the sea is sucked in to take its place creating a sea-breeze. Large tides can affect this breeze through friction. If a large body of water is moving in an opposing direction to the flow of the wind friction will be generated between the two, slowing the wind down to a certain extent. It is unlikely that anyone on the beach would really notice this though. Also tides can move large quantities of cold or warm water around which will change the temperature over the surface of the sea which in turns affects the temperature gradient between the land and sea and therefore affects the strength of the sea-breeze. Tides can have an effect but they certainly aren't 'brought by an incoming tide' as metal_snapper originally stated. More interesting to me are katabatic winds, and we have a perfect example of one here in Ynyslas, Wales.. He even has a name, Ivor, and has been blowing for the last couple of weeks so I have been on the water loads lately! He hit 50 knots yesterday and today looks like another good day on the beach with plenty of kiters about. Al.

UK Beachguide.... Should give you some ideas.

I use an Ice Hockey helmet with face guard.... Works like a charm and looks pretty agressive too!.. Al.

I have the same problem with my mighty mouse.... I usually put a whole load of nail-varnish remover onto some cotton wall and then give the roller ball a good clean with it. leave the mouse to dry for ten minutes and all should be OK... It sometimes help to hold the mouse upside down and move the ball around vigorously as you clean it to so that any bits of dust etc in there get worked out. The nail varnish remover helps clean it but also evaporates really quickly so doesn't ruin any of the electrical components.... Don't blame me if it breaks things though as it works for me!!! Al.

Borth Borth Borth Also enjoy Traigh Lingeigh on North Uist if you really want to get away from it all! Al.

Wind isn't looking great this week, so if you want to get some I recommend getting there early on Weds.... First light is best, if Ivor comes out to play he usually peaks around 8am. Tides aren't great for Weds morning though, but at least they are only little tides so it should be possible to get on the water even at low tide... I'll be out first thing if the wind turns up. Al.

Take a look at Forces-of-Nature for all the info on Ynyslas... Loads of friendly kiters there and as Dan said, if 'ivor' the local katabatic wind kicks in it can be the windiest place on earth!!!... Well, the windiest in Wales at least. Quite often it an be 30 knots in a NE in the estuary whereas just a mile down the road it is only 10 knots. Ivor has to be seen to be believed. Al.

Cheers... It is quite exposed there, is there a weather station there? All other stations around there seem to be showing max gusts of c. 50mph for today, so it would be good to see the actual stats from the Needles.. Or was there some guy stood there with a handheld anemometer! He'd have trouble staying on the ground in 100mph winds! Al.

I wasn't looking at xcweather (which does show gust speed), I was looking at the raw data from the actual weather stations, all of which show the current wind speed, average wind speed and the MAX gust speed... the figures I quoted were all maximum gusts. Al.

Nice and sunny here at the moment and still blowing at 50 knots plus!! Al.

Where did the 99mph reading come from?? I can't see anything that high on the Met Office rolling archive and the Isle of Wight weather station has recorded a max gust of 51mph so far today... It's blowing a hoolie here in Wales too... The weather station here in Borth has registered 57.4 knots (66mph) and Aberporth Bouy has clocked 67 knots (77mph). Time to go out and play! Al.

Check out Forces-of-Nature Al.

Things have calmed down considerably here in Borth now.... It seems like ages since there was any decent wind.. A mad thing to say after its been blowing a hoolie for a month, but once the wind goes we just can't wait to get it back... Maybe over Xmas? I'm a little worried as to why Neil and Col want some 'young blood' in the massif though......... Al.

Just to let you know that a weather station has been set up especially for people who kite on the beaches of West Wales, or more specifically Borth Ynyslas and Aberdovey. The station is located just behind the beach at Ynyslas and is accessible via the Forces-of-Nature website. Updated at minute intervals 24 hours a day it will provide you with up to the minute details on exactly what the wind is doing (along with the temperture, pressure, rainfall etc. etc.). It also provides access to numerous graphs and charts showing you what has been happening over the past few hours / days and the max and minimum readings for each day, month, year and all time. The weather station was set up at the request of the kitesurfers who use the beach here but travel from the Midlands. There is a small annual subscription needed to access the data which will help cover the setup and costs (hopefully) and keep the station running. Here's a direct link to the Borth and Ynyslas Weather Station. Al.

I'm trying to use mine up....then I have an excuse for not being able to get to work and can spend all day on the beach!!! Al.

During term time I did bits of gardening and cleaning for little old ladies in and around Aberystwyth. During the summer holidays I was a lifeguard on the beaches of North Devon and during the easter and Xmas holidays I was a delivery driver for a data storage company in Bristol. The rest of the time I spent my hard earned cash on new toys and beer, spent loads of time on the beach and then fitted in a few lectures around that little lot Al.

There are a few... Although there have been restictions on some of the North Wales beaches... Black Rock Sands is probably your best bet. Al.

Glad you had a good time.... I was away last weekend so wouldn't have seen you on the beach... I don't think I missed too much though as everyone says there were only light winds... I think it did pick up on Sat evening for a little bit though which is probably when you managed to destroy a kite!. It has been pretty good here all week though with 25 knot + winds everyday and loads of kiters out yesterday.. It is windier again today (20 knots at the mo) but pouring with rain... Not a day for camping!!! Al.

Take a look at UK Beach Guide for a list of 'most' of the beaches in Wales from a kiters perspective. Al.w