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It's that time of year when the whole of
the surfing world descends on the lush south west of France, so here's a rough guide of
what's up and down there.
Where?
The area we are talking about is from the
Gironde estuary in the north to the French/Spanish Border in the south,
incorporating the surfing hubs of Lacanau, Hossegor and Biarritz.
What sort of waves will I find?
Around Lacanau you’re looking at beachies
only, pretty mellow in small swells the Lacanau area tends to buckle under bigger
swells.
The Hossegor and Capbreton area is famous
for their grinding beachbreaks. The banks shift a lot so you have to be on it
to score but when this area pumps, you’ll be hard pressed to find better
beachbreaks anywhere else in the world.
The French Basque country stretches from Biarritz to the Spanish
border and as well as some good beachbreaks it has some excellent reefs like
Guetheray and Lafetania.
Where does the swell come from and when is
it best to go?
A deep water finger points straight at Hossegor
and funnels any swell out of the North Atlantic straight onto the beaches of
Hossegor and Capbreton, creating some of the best waves you’ll find anywhere in
the world. The whole coast picks up any swell from the Atlantic
with westerlies being best, the more north the swell and the beachbreaks tend
to get rippier.
As with anywhere, the autumn is prime time
with good weather and solid swell but South West France can pump at any time of
the year.
What else is there to do?
Miles and miles of cycle paths in the
forests to keep fit on. Snowboarding is only three hours away in the Pyrenees. The nightlife goes off in the summer, and the
food and wine of the region is insane. Sunbathing is very popular and some
girls even take their tops off, and some (mostly fat German men) take
everything off which is always amusing. Of course there are more contests and
pro surfers about so just watching other guys surfing between sessions is fun.
How do I get there and where do I stay?
Two options really; fly cheap with Ryanair
to Biarritz
from Stansted, rent a car and camp or rent an apartment, or take a ferry and
drive. Sleeping rough is being discouraged by local authorities but there are
zones where camper vans can park up cheap. If you want the real France experience,
just crash out on the beach in a sleeping bag with the dregs of a bottle of red
wine for company and fall asleep under the stars, then wake up with the early
morning light and stumble into the sea for a dawny.
Will I score uncrowded world class waves?
Possibly but unlikely - though seek and ye
shall find! The waves will be world class but with our sport being so popular,
chances are those dream sessions with just one mate will be few and far
between.
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