Landes Surfing

The wide River Gironde divides the rocky coastline of northern France from the endless sands of Europe's longest beach to the south. Encompassing the départments of Gironde and Landes, the region of Aquitaine stretches in a straight line of sable from Pointe de Grave at the mouth of the Gironde to the long jetty at Boucau, flanking the mouth of the river Adour. This ?beach? is on an unrivalled scale, and while each coastal town has its own wave variation, these 230 sandy kilometres represent the best beachbreak barrels in Europe. Bordeaux surfers frequent the waves found at the end of irregular access roads through the pine forests including the consistent and earliest French pro contest venue of Lacanau. Long stretches of beach remain unridden as crowds stay close to the towns and car parks even in summer, when a 20min walk could be rewarded. South of the Basin d?Arcachon, the same applies down to Vieux-Boucau where crowds begin to increase along with the wave size.