Isle of Wight, England

Ryde put-in

Launch — A concrete access point cuts through the seawall onto the upper beach above the high-water mark, where the ground is a mix of soft sand and shingle that shifts with the weather. Isle of Wight Council owns and maintains the access; its own public-slipway register rates it as not suitable for boat launching, a classification aimed at trailered and motorised craft rather than a paddleboard carried down to the water.

Parking — On-street parking runs along Springvale Road immediately behind the seawall, free where unrestricted; a pay-and-display car park in the adjoining Puckpool Park is the nearest formal alternative. Further car parks along the Esplanade towards Ryde (Appley, 122 spaces; Quay Road, 230; Lower St Thomas Street, 56) add capacity, at a longer walk.

Access — The public highway runs immediately alongside the beach; access to the sand is via gaps in the seawall, each fitted with handrails. These gaps are closed off at high tide to keep shingle from washing onto the road. On foot, it's roughly a 30-minute walk from Ryde railway station, or a short walk from the number 8 bus to Seaview.

Season — During the summer season the council litter-picks the beach daily and clears seaweed, taking it to local farms for compost.

Regulations — This stretch of the Solent lies within the Dockyard Port of Portsmouth, regulated by the King's Harbour Master under the Dockyard Port of Portsmouth Order 2005; no specific launch fee, permit or registration for unpowered craft is published. Dogs are not permitted on the beach at Springvale. The water and adjoining sandflats fall within the Solent and Southampton Water Special Protection Area and Ramsar site, and the Ryde Sands and Wootton Creek SSSI.

This slipway is at Springvale, on the Solent shore between Puckpool Park and Seaview, well east of Ryde town itself. The shingle-and-sand beach looks out across the Solent to Portsmouth and the Spinnaker Tower, and The Boathouse pub sits at the Puckpool end.

East of Ryde, the coast is fronted by Ryde Sands, the most extensive stretch of sandflats in the Solent; at its widest, near Appley, the sandbanks reach almost two kilometres out. The whole stretch from Ryde to Nettlestone Point sits in a relatively sheltered, low-energy pocket of the Solent, out of the stronger south-easterly waves that reach the coast further along. At low tide the sand dries out over a wide area, so getting back to open water from the seawall can mean a long walk across exposed sand.

The water beyond is part of the Dockyard Port of Portsmouth, one of the busiest harbours in the country, where the King's Harbour Master regulates a mix of naval, commercial and recreational traffic and around 3,500 recreational boats are licensed to moor. Immediately west of the launch, the earthworks of Puckpool Battery, a Palmerston-era fort built in the 1860s to guard the approaches to Portsmouth, are still visible from the water.

The sandflats and shallows here are part of the Solent and Southampton Water Special Protection Area and Ramsar site, and of the Ryde Sands and Wootton Creek SSSI; Ryde Sands is the principal wintering site on the Isle of Wight for Sanderling, a small wading bird that feeds and roosts along the tideline through the winter months.

Nearby

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Appley Beach Cafe & Bar

OSM-tagged cafe on Appley Lane, about 50 metres from the launch.

Whitefield Forest Touring Park

Family-run touring site in woodland, taking tents, motorhomes and caravans; open to the general public, about 3km from the launch.

Website

Conditions to check

Shallow or rocky

Ryde Sands, immediately offshore, is the most extensive area of sandflats in the Solent; at its widest, near Appley, the sandbanks extend up to two kilometres out.

Source

Boat traffic

This stretch lies within the Dockyard Port of Portsmouth, a busy commercial and naval harbour where around 3,500 recreational vessels are licensed to moor.

Source

Limited exit

At low tide, the sandflats immediately offshore dry out over a wide area, so returning to open water from the seawall can mean a long walk across exposed sand.

Source

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