Map › France › La Tranche-sur-Mer (Vendée) › Banc du Bucheron
Nouvelle-Aquitaine · Ile de Re, Charente-Maritime · Les Portes-en-Ré
Banc du Bucheron
also known as Banc du Bûcheron, Trousse-Chemise, Banc des Bucherons, Plage de Trousse-Chemise
Nearby La Tranche-sur-Mer 13 km · La Faute-sur-Mer - Pointe d'Arcay 17 km · Rivedoux Plage Nord 19 km · Le Veillon 27 km · Plage de Plaisance 29 km · Aytre Plage 30 km · Plage de la Gautrelle 31 km · Boyardville 34 km · Chatelaillon-Plage 35 km · Bretignolles-sur-Mer - Plage des Dunes 2 50 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
Summer thermals come up in the early afternoon; no bank-specific timing is published.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: Summer thermals come up in the early afternoon; no bank-specific timing is published.
Typical strength
Sessions happen in roughly 12-25 kt. Monthly means run from 9 kt in June to 13 kt in November and December, and across the year only about 36 percent of days reach the 12-35 kt band, so this is a spot you wait for rather than plan around. Evenings score marginally better than mornings. Modelled statistics for the area, with no measurement on the bank itself.
Also on record
11.3
The quiver, in words
Indicative, read off the wind range rather than from a local report. A 75-85 kg rider takes 11-12 m at 15-18 kt, which covers most of what the season offers, 9-10 m from 18 kt up, and 7-9 m in the autumn and winter blows.The walk in over the sand is long enough that most people carry one kite and choose it from the forecast before leaving the car.
Direction to shore
East and north-sector winds bring you back toward the beach, which is what makes them the safe choice. NW works farther out or with more water in, but the forest shadows it close inshore.
Dominant direction
E, NE or N: the safe directions, all pushing you back toward shore. SE and NW get an occasional mention; NW is shadowed close inshore by the forest.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan88
- Feb78
- Mar94
- Apr91
- May94
- Jun90
- Jul91
- Aug83
- Sep93
- Oct88
- Nov97
- Dec91
per cent of the month at force 4 or more
- 19Jan10°
- 18Feb9°
- 20Mar10°
- 18Apr13°
- 17May16°
- 15Jun19°
- 16Jul19°
- 16Aug21°
- 17Sep20°
- 19Oct19°
- 23Nov15°
- 20Dec11°
avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Force 4+ | Knots | From | Air | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 88% | 19.1 kt | WSW | 7.9°C | 9.7°C |
| Feb | 78% | 18 kt | W | 9°C | 9.2°C |
| Mar | 94% | 19.7 kt | S | 10.4°C | 10.3°C |
| Apr | 91% | 18.2 kt | WSW | 11.9°C | 13.1°C |
| May | 94% | 16.5 kt | NE | 15.5°C | 15.8°C |
| Jun | 90% | 15.3 kt | W | 18.2°C | 18.9°C |
| Jul | 91% | 15.7 kt | WNW | 19.3°C | 19.1°C |
| Aug | 83% | 15.6 kt | NW | 20°C | 20.7°C |
| Sep | 93% | 17 kt | WNW | 18.6°C | 20.3°C |
| Oct | 88% | 19.2 kt | SW | 17.1°C | 18.7°C |
| Nov | 97% | 22.8 kt | W | 13.3°C | 14.7°C |
| Dec | 91% | 20.4 kt | WSW | 9.5°C | 11°C |
modelled
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.
ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024
The water
Type
sea
Standing depth
Very shallow around the bank on the ebb and at low water; when it is fully out there is barely any water on the inside.
Tides
Everything depends on the tide. The bank shows for roughly a three-hour window around low water, and the falling tide into low is when to be on it.
Temperature
20°C summer · 9°C winter
Wetsuit
About 20 C in August and about 9 C in February (La Rochelle averages; nothing bank-specific): shorty or light fullsuit in summer, thick neoprene in winter.
Currents
Strong current along the bank and through the Fier d'Ars entrance. It is dangerous on the ebb and around the turn of the tide.
Your level
The scene
What riders come here for
Launch and rules
three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you
With a school or a boat
7 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: Large on the uncovered sandbank, but launch space disappears as the bank covers and the usable window is short.
Somewhere else
La Tranche-sur-Mer, 13 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
VHF channel 16
Launch
Access from Trousse-Chemise / Plage de la Loge / Les Portes-en-Ré parking, then walk through the pine/dune access and onto the exposed bank when the tide permits.
Space
Large on the uncovered sandbank, but launch space disappears as the bank covers and the usable window is short.
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Time it for the low-tide window, about three hours, and walk off before the bank covers; the water comes back quickly.
- Stay between the bank and the beach unless you know the current; the ebb through the Fier d'Ars runs toward open water.
- Pick an east, NE or north day, which bring you back to the beach; in NW stay outside the forest's wind shadow.
- Park at Trousse-Chemise / Plage de la Loge and expect a long walk over sand through the pines, so bring one kite.
- Without a car, bus 150 runs from La Rochelle to all 10 island villages year-round, with lines 151 and 152 added in summer; budget about 120 minutes from the airport.
- Water is around 20 C in August and 9 C in February: a shorty or light fullsuit in summer, thick neoprene in winter.
Getting there
Airport
La Rochelle - Île de Ré Airport (LRH)
Route
Reach Les Portes-en-Ré at the far end of Île de Ré, then use the Trousse-Chemise / Plage de la Loge access. Bus line 150 serves all 10 island villages year-round from La Rochelle, with extra summer lines 151 and 152.
Transfer
120 min
Cost level
high
Staying
Les Portes-en-Ré, Ars-en-Ré, La Couarde-sur-Mer and Saint-Martin-de-Ré offer island hotels, campsites, holiday rentals and guesthouses; La Rochelle is farther but possible with a car.
No-wind days
Cycling, Trousse-Chemise beach and forest, Lilleau des Niges nature reserve, salt marshes, villages of Ars-en-Ré and Les Portes-en-Ré, sailing and seafood.
FAQ
Is Banc du Bucheron suitable for beginners?
Some guides call it beginner-friendly for its shallow flat water, but the strong tidal current and short access window make unsupervised beginner use questionable.
What is the wind like at Banc du Bucheron?
East, northeast and north winds are preferred because they push riders back toward the beach; the average recorded wind is around 11.3 knots.
What hazards are there at Banc du Bucheron?
A strong current runs along the sandbank, especially on falling tide near the Fier d'Ars entrance, and the water rises quickly once the tide turns.
Are there rules or restricted zones at Banc du Bucheron?
The sandbank is free to access and open every day all year, with no kite-specific municipal rule verified.
Last updated: August 2026