Aquitaine Surf

Extending in the southwestern corner of France, from the Gironde estuary near Bordeaux to the north, and the Pyrenees mountains to the south, marking the border with Spain, Aquitaine enjoys superb surfing conditions distributed between the contiguous yet contrasting Silver Coast and Basque Coast. On the southern reaches of the Silver Coast, near Biarritz and the Basque Coast, Hossegor Surfcamp is the perfect place to enjoy the best surf in France at the world famous spots of Seignosse and Hossegor, venue of many surf contests such as the Quicksilver Pro and Rip Curl Pro. Biarritz, the famous turn-of-the-century seaside resort at the start of the Basque Coast, is the cradle of surf in Europe, as well as golf in continental Europe.

Aquitaine's Perigord region is known as "the cradle of humanity" for its many prehistoric sites, shelters and caves with engravings and paintings from the Cro-Magnon era, some 20.000 years ago. The most famous one are the Lascaux Caves. Aquitaine also has a very varied landscape and cultural background. A former Roman province, the destiny of Aquitaine would be tied to the English crown for over three centuries - the legendary English King Richard "the Lion-Heart" spent most if his life here. Aquitaine Natural landscapes range from Perigord's forests and groves, to the famous Bordeaux wine growing region, the extensive Landes forest, the miles long sandy beaches of the Silver Coast, and the green pastures of Bearn and the Basque Country, in the Pyrenees mountain range.

Hossegor Surfcamp

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France's Silver Coast is dotted with a string of fabulous surf spots such as Lacanau, Arcachon, Hossegor, Biscarosse, Capbreton and Boucau. This almost straight ruler on the Atlantic has a 160 miles uninterrupted sandy beach ideal for surfing and bordered by dunes and pine forests extending form the Gironde to the Adour estuary. From Easter to All Saint's Day, the coast has the best potential for surf, with good unridden barrels and steady swell anywhere in Europe.

The surfing quality of the wave is high due to the depth and funnel shape of the Bay of Biscay and the numerous small rivers and stream mouths dotting its length shape good sand breaks. Due to the changing winds and the huge tidal range, the waves can evolve with incredible speed. The sandbars orientation favour rights and lefts tend to be very hollow because of the consistent North to South undertow. But the good sand bars can be destroyed by the winter storms and the main surfing problem is the lack of shelter when the sea gets rough.

A top surfing destination, the Côte d'Argent (Silver Coast) is also a protected, sparsely populated shore and its 160 mile long beach is only interrupted by the string of tidal lakes doting the coast. At the heart of the coast, Arcachon is a turn of the century seaside resort located on the major tidal lake of the coast - a favourite windsurfing spot. This seaside resort is reputed for its oysters and the Dune du Pyla, Europe's highest sand dunes culminating at 118 metres (see picture) and perfect to try some sand boarding. Behind this sand bar and stretching inland from the Atlantic coast, the forest of the Landes (Moors) is a vast expense of pines, cork oaks, broom and heather. Late French President Mitterand favourite retreat, this region was once a sandy and marshy area, unhealthy and unfit for farming. But in the 18th century and under the leadership of Napoleon, the area was planted with pine trees to drain the soil and stop the progression of the sand dunes, creating one of the largest and richest forest in Europe. A perfect place for hiking, biking and riding.

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The Basque Coast covers the last stretch of coast before the Spanish border marked by the Pyrenees mountains, between the Adour and Bidasoa estuary (Hendaye). The Basque Coast is famous for the turn of the century seaside resort of Biarritz (see picture), founded by Napoleon III for his spanish wife the Empress Eugenia, and the cradle of surf and golf in continental Europe. Straddling across the border, from Bayonne in France to Bilbao in Spain, the Basque region has an original and specific culture with its own language, Euskera, and ancestral traditions reflected in Bayonne's popular summer festival, with its bullfights, Jai-alai and rugby matches.

The Basque Coast is the cradle of surf in Europe, a region rich in surf spots and surf culture. Famous surf spots include Lafitenia, Parlementia, Côte des Basques, Biarritz and Anglet. In complete contrast with the Silver Coast surfing background, the Basque Coast has a rocky shore formed by the last slopes of the Pyrenees mountains and variously oriented beaches, with some excellent and hollow reefs which hold huge swells for unforgetable surf sessions. Although many good surf spots are close to well populated towns - unlike the Silver Coast, the surfing crowd remain minimal for most of the year, except in August when it can get a bit crazy and surf localism rules at some spots.

The Basque Cost extends through the border into Spain to San Sebastian and Bilbao. The best surf spots in the region are the world famous Mundaka and the reputed Sopelana and Zarautz surf spots. You can perfectly combines a surf trip to the Basque Coast with excursions to the beautiful, mountainous hinterland and to the numerous historical cities and villages on both sides of the border. In winter, you can even combine surf inland snow boarding in the same day.

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