Newhaven Cliffs paragliding site and weather forecast

When the wind is wrong for Newhaven Cliffs

The nearest site we have rated for each wind direction Newhaven Cliffs doesn't cover.

Site briefing highlights

Short extracts from Southern Hang Gliding Club and ParaglidingEarth. Read the full guide before you fly.

Hazards and cautions

• Most of the site is a vertical cliff. The wave-cut platform ('Black Rock') is deeply eroded chalk covered in algae — near impossible to walk on safely, let alone land on; several pilots have broken limbs trying. Various objects protrude from the cliff — do not snag a wing. In light winds, remember the need to clear the cliff edge in front of take-off — you are launching over a hole in the ground behind a vertical cliff. Do not fly over areas with no bottom landing: if there is insufficient lift to soar you will have very little time to set up a bottom landing, and in marginal winds, if you are at the fort when the lift fails, you may not reach the bottom-landing area.
• The Brighton run — consider the state of the tide (tables at tidetimes.org.uk/newhaven-tide-times). Take it seriously: a water landing is usually fatal, landings on the black rock often break bones, and if the lift dies there is very little time to set up, with long stretches of no good landing even at low tide. Because of the high accident rate beyond the permanent beach, pilots flying there must be skilled at rapid set-up for an accurate landing and able to judge conditions — hence the recommended minimum ratings beyond the beach: PG — Pilot, or CP + 10 hours in the previous 12 months; HG — Pilot. The airflow at Brighton Marina is very turbulent — do not fly above or beyond the eastern arm. In high summer the bottom-landing area can be too crowded with beachgoers to land safely.
• Airflow: There is rotor behind the cliff for almost its full extent — the land immediately behind the main south-west cliff slopes down away from the cliff, often generating a very large rotor; do not allow yourself to get blown back into it. Rotor can also occur at the base of the cliff, especially in bayed regions. In south-westerlies you will usually meet a big reduction in lift and a head-wind when penetrating along the last part of the south face before going round the corner to the main cliff, and there may be rotor immediately behind the southerly point between the two take-offs. In wind with an easterly component there may be no lift beyond the point, a strong venturi at the point, and no available landing. The airflow at Brighton Marina is very turbulent.
• As at Beachy Head, the lift here depends on the air being cooler than the sea rather than on wind strength alone — a warm-air/cool-sea day (common June-July, when the Channel lags the land) can leave the lift shallow and marginal even in a promising wind, cutting short your options on the Brighton run. Check the site's live air-vs-sea temperature reading above before you commit.
• Exact launch
• Launch GPS
• 50.78206, 0.05014
• Members also see the gate / padlock code (where a site has one), the Safety Officer’s contact, and the downloadable guide (PDF).

Check current site guidance

• Southern Hang Gliding Club — site guide
• Southern Hang Gliding Club — club home
• ParaglidingEarth site record

Paragliding sites near Newhaven Cliffs