Hornsea seafront slipway
A slipway on Hornsea's South Promenade, giving small-craft access to the North Sea on the Holderness coast, roughly midway between Bridlington and Withernsea. It is entirely separate from Hornsea Mere, the freshwater lake a mile inland where paddleboards are not permitted.
The Holderness coast here is heavily engineered against erosion: the groynes trap sediment moving south along the shore, holding a wide beach at Hornsea itself but starving the coast beyond it. Longbeach Leisure Park, immediately south of the launch, already sits downdrift of these defences and loses beach material as a result, and the same pattern of accelerated erosion recurs further south at Mappleton and Withernsea.
Underneath, the beach and low cliffs are built on glacial boulder clay, roughly seventy per cent mud with the rest sand and larger boulders and pebbles, soft enough that it erodes quickly wherever it is left unprotected.
The boathouse beside the compound belongs to Hornsea Inshore Rescue, an independent lifeboat charity that has crewed the town's inshore rescue boat with volunteers since 1994, receiving no funding from government or the RNLI. It runs the boat-launch office, yard and cafe on the council's behalf, and donates the launch's profits back to the rescue service.
Nearby
Cafe inside the council-run Hornsea Hub community and leisure centre, around a third of a mile from the launch.
WebsiteSeafront cafe near Sands Lane, close to the boat compound.
Touring caravan, motorhome and camping pitches open to the public year-round, at Sea View House, Mappleton, Hornsea, HU18 1XR, about two miles south of the launch.
WebsiteConditions to check
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