• Home
  • La Gironde
  • Taking to the waters and all the joys of boardsports
*

Taking to the waters and all the joys of boardsports

Gironde means 126 km of beaches devoted to surfing, kitesurfing, bodyboarding, sand-yachting and sea kayaking.It also means great lakes and an inland sea – the Arcachon Basin – ideal for family sailing outings, 400 km of navigable waterways to be explored by pleasure boat, and rivers like the Ley...
More informations
Gironde means 126 km of beaches devoted to surfing, kitesurfing, bodyboarding, sand-yachting and sea kayaking.It also means great lakes and an inland sea – the Arcachon Basin – ideal for family sailing outings, 400 km of navigable waterways to be explored by pleasure boat, and rivers like the Leyre or the Isle to discover by canoe.
Reduce

Surfing

Although there are plenty of top-quality surf spots in Gironde, the Lacanau-Océan seaside resort in the Médoc region is the surfing destination par excellence. Champions of the sport gather there every year in August to take part in the “Soöruz Lacanau Pro”, an unmissable stage in the world tour.

Surfing has long been second nature here, with large numbers of clubs admitting children 6 years of age and upwards and organising lessons all year round for all ages and levels of skill.

The Lacanau Pro, a major stage in the Professional Surfing World Championship, takes place every year in August, attracting the finest international surfing stars to the Lacanau-Océan surf spot. It is Europe’s oldest professional surfing competition (since 1979) and the only competition of its level in France.

Heading for the islands

9 spits of land lie in the heart of the Gironde Estuary – the islands of Patiras, Bouchaud, Nouvelle, Fort Pâté, Verte, Nord, Cazeau, Margaux and Macau. The islands are preserved natural sites (Nouvelle and Bouchaud), and resource centres for agriculture (Patiras) and for fishing and viticulture (Margaux and Île Verte). A wide range of excursions is on the programme every summer, departing from the ports of Bordeaux, Bourg, Blaye and Pauillac.

Surfing the “mascaret”

During the spring tides (August and September), a long wave, the Mascaret, rolls up the Estuary for some 150 km at a speed of almost 30 km an hour.

An altogether remarkable sight, the breaker is an irresistible attraction to surfers bold enough to take it on, as well as to the spectators who flock to the ports of Cambes, Le Tourne and Langoiran on the Garonne, Blaye and Macau on the Gironde, and Saint-Pardon on the Dordogne

mascaretgironde.free.fr

Going with the flow

Down the Leyre by canoe

Nicknamed “the little Amazon” the Leyre makes its way through close to 100 km of forestland before flowing into the Arcachon Basin. For a few hours of rambling or a week’s worth of hiking through 100% natural surrounding.

parc-landes-de-gascogne.fr

Discovering Île aux Oiseaux by sea kayak

There are almost 300 species of birds on Gironde’s most famous island. And to get up close to them, there’s nothing to beat a sea kayak! arcakayakaventure.free.fr/index.htm