THINKING of heading to France this autumn? If so you probably have Les Landes on the brain and some Hossegor drainers invading your dreams.
Home to the European surf industry and a round of the ASP World Tour, most attention focuses on Hossegor, flanked by Seignosse and Capbreton making up a small part of the Côte d’Argent, a 145mi / 230km uninterrupted sandy beach, the longest in Europe. Set-up wise it is pretty simple so long as the sand conspires with you and the beach is impossible to miss. Turn left if you're heading north, right if you're going south. But finding that the pumping picturesque La Gravire you have seen everywhere is actually a shoredump due to lack of sand is not uncommon.
Picking up all available Atlantic ripples Hossegor can be a dream destination if you know what to expect and a rippy annoying crowded nightmare if you don't. Rivers, streams and what are known as 'baines' (refracted currents) break up the featureless beach allowing perfect but shifty sand formations.
This constant flux allows locals to escape the tourists and makes your best bet buying a local a beer and pumping them for info. Don't be alarmed if your local speaks with an Aussie accent, it isn't called Aussie-gor for nothing.
Best option is to bring or hire a car but if that proves impossible get on your bike and open up a whole stretch of the coastline.
Hossegor -- pleasure, imminent disaster and spectacle.
I spent all last summer and well into Novenber, its super busy during the French holidays although you still get a wave but come September its magic. I always stay at H20 and just love the place, will be back soon and cant recomend it enough.
we are going Hossegor way come early September - MSW's prediction is 5 star and 6 foot plus - yikes!
As dont surf often enough, solid 6ft is pushing it for us....where would u recommend to surf where it's more managable?
yes complete stranger, i wouldnt mind snuggling up in a camper van. just one thing though, are you a psychopathic lunatic ? if so i may give it a miss.
No shit sherlock (we even put their logo there to give you a clue) good news is we didn't invent the waves, fake the photos or make up the facts - always great to have Brittany sponsor the content though, the guys working there surf themselves and they know that on the good days (and the coast is blessed with plenty of those) waves like these hardly need an aggressive sales pitch to get you to want to travel...
If anyone's going get the night ferry, get pissed, get off the boat about 4-5am and be in the water for tea time then get pissed and get up and surf and get pissed and surf and get pissed. sorry just thinking out loud.Anyway all the French tourist should be back at work and the surf gets bigger and the crowds get smaller, not that it matters if you can walk fifteen minutes down the beach to get your own break.
true Ben, but you would beter serve your sponsor with a sales pitch of "HEADING to South-West France this Autumn? Noone is." Still, I suppose Ed is a surfer, not a marketing man. I have used Brittany ferries a lot and they are very cool. good rooms for a snooze and even have a disco. get a good meal as well. tried to sleep in my van on the parking level once but its not advisable. car alarms going off all night. let the clown pics on now, okay. look into my eyes.
Er...clearly you have never been to Indo? Clearly there are not a ton of amazing reefs, clearly it doesn't mention the fact that its DAMN expensive in Europe, and CLEARLY the article doesn't mention that for not much more than a ferry ticket in peak season, especially to Spain, plus some stupidly overpriced diesel/petrol, you can fly to Indo, spend a what a beer costs in France on a meal, massage (happy ending too!), and a nights accomidation. Clearly, there are not too many beaches in Indo, clearly its warmer in Indo than France peak season, and clearly the crowds of wanna be euro kooks in France clearly wouldnt DARE paddle out in Indo. Clearly, there are barrels in both places, but they are worlds apart. Clearly, you haven't visited both...
ahh chill out dude, and to honest theres lots of surfers, believe it or not who travel to surf destinations to get pissed, pay for sex and get bintang singlets. Think about it, if you just go to hoss for the surf and eat at home and buy beers from shops youll at most end up paying 50 euros a week, camp illegally and you can spend less. so your point is invalid especially seeing as at certain times in the year, flights are as little as 60 pounds return. so yes i agree, its a cheap indo.
As you said Im looking for the cheaper way to score france in autummm...
Is it possible to camp during october? what about weather?
Is it safe to leave your quiver on the tent(on a legal camping site) while you are surfing/drinking beer? Are any kind of lockers?
Anyone interested in sharing accomodation costs?
Cheers!
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