Indeed it was a great trip report – thank you for taking the time to write it, twice! In return, I actually read it twice as I enjoyed it so much. You are a great inspiration @Vieke. Congratulations on your achievements! :-)
Vieke wrote:
You make me jealous with those beautiful pictures.
Now you’ll know, how I felt, when I read your fantastic trip report to Istanbul, so – sorry – you deserve it 
Jacko wrote:
In England there’s Morecambe bay, used once a year for a charity fly-in, and maybe some others.
Here, the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 confers access rights more or less wherever they can be exercised without interfering with the rights of others. Subject to rare local byelaws, that includes most empty beaches.
That is interesting. Here, we can hardly imagine something like that.
WilliamF wrote:
What you need to know about landing on beaches is simple:
a) The beach must face the ocean or sea. Otherwise the sand will be too soft. Anything on an estuary is a no go.
b) The beach need to be as flat as possible.
c) Always drag the wheels along it first to confirm it is hard enough to land on.
It seems that for the first time, you better take ‘a local’ with you for the tips and the tricks…
But I can see it right in front of me…landing on a beach with two or three planes, taking out the BBQ and fly back when the sun goes down… 
AeroPlus wrote:
And on taxiing out for a departure from Barra it is advised to to hold a position somewhere on the beach to do a runup. We did and got stuck twice in the sand. Keep rolling/moving and do any checks while rolling.
Those tips, they are really helpful!
You make me jealous with those beautiful pictures. The ‘Castle in the Sea’ looks nice. I really want to go to Barra and Sollas sometimes, but if there is something nice extra to see, that is a huge surplus. So they pull you higer, but I think there will be a lot of sand in your wheels after that. Were there a lot of planes or were you one of the few?
Do you recognize the 3 runways easy or is it just one big beach and you have to see yourself how to land?
Vieke,
You are to be congratulated, not only on your refusal to be dictated to, but on what I consider to be the best VFR trip report I have ever read (no offence Peter! :))
I only know of two beachstrips in Europe: Barra and Solas?
There has even been one in our own little country, only “for the occasion” of course.
Some images are at the bottom of http://www.decoussemaeker.be/debliedemaker/archief/2006-06/2006-06-03.htm
I am sure the organisers must have tried to repeat the feat, but could not get permission again.
And who knows if this gentleman has never landed a microlight on a beach?
WilliamF wrote:
The beach must face the ocean or sea. Otherwise the sand will be too soft. Anything on an estuary is a no go.
Actually, there are quite a few sand bars in the Solway Firth and Nith estuary which are fine, when the tide is right. There are also areas of what the locals call “sinking sand”.
Dragging the tyres is very wise, then maybe come back and look for water in the tracks, then if none, land in the tracks. Footsteps or motorcycle tyre tracks are a good sign. A pair of wellies stuck in the sand at the end of the footsteps is not so good. Sand needs moisture for liquefaction, so wet areas are suspect. Those little corrugations you see on the Brighouse Bay photo above are a reassuring sign. A smooth surface can be rock hard, or soup…
But it’s not an exact science. Sometimes you don’t know until you’re down to walking pace, and you suddenly get cold feet and a feeling that it’s not a good idea to stop. Jacko’s motto: better safe than sorry!
@Peter, no Mooney model is “funnier” to land. They are a lot more demanding in speed control and adjusting speeds between empty and full – that catches a lot of people out as brands C and P are a lot more tolerant of higher speeds. Crosswind tolerance is lower as well. But as long as speeds are respected it lands just fine. Try to force it down like a Piper and it just won’t happen. Either the lower ground stance will keep you in ground effect forever, or the undampened bounce will keep you in the air.
Thanks Peter,
Over here in Ireland there are lots of people who land on beaches. There is one marked on the chart in Kerry, called Inch Beach. There is a video of a guy taking off here.
What you need to know about landing on beaches is simple:
a) The beach must face the ocean or sea. Otherwise the sand will be too soft. Anything on an estuary is a no go.
b) The beach need to be as flat as possible.
c) Always drag the wheels along it first to confirm it is hard enough to land on.
I’ve landed my fair share of them back in the day, not anymore though. I’m too grown up and responsible etc etc :-)
William
