Map › France › Hauts-de-France — Cayeux-sur-Mer - Brighton to Fort-Mahon-Plage › Cayeux-sur-Mer - Brighton

Hauts-de-France · Somme, south Baie de Somme · Somme · Cayeux-sur-Mer

Cayeux-sur-Mer - Brighton

also known as Phare de Brighton, Cayeux-sur-Mer, La Moliere, Brighton Beach

beginner-friendlymedium crowds

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

Wind
- Month by month
Forecast
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
- Rescue
Hazards
Rules & access
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Nearby Le Crotoy 8 km · Fort-Mahon-Plage 16 km · Berck-sur-Mer (Grande Plage) 24 km · Stella-Plage 32 km · straight-line distance

SeasonJan, Feb, Mar, Oct, Nov, Decthe months riders and schools name How windy8.5-11 ktsynoptic Launchlargeaccess rules on record, below Watersea20.3°C in summer · 6 things riders flag LevelBeginner to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools3named at this spot From the airportno transfer time publishedParis-Beauvais (BVA)

When it fills in

No daily thermal build. The wind is synoptic and can be in at any hour; what fixes the time of the session is the low-water window, not the clock.

Brighton is the kite beach south of Cayeux-sur-Mer, under the Brighton lighthouse (Phare de Brighton) by the hamlet of La Moliere, on the open Picardy coast at the south side of the Baie de Somme.

The wind is synoptic westerly: SW, W and NW are the directions that work, west arrives side-on, north is irregular, and E/NE reportedly does as a fallback compared with Le Crotoy.

October to March averages above 20.4 km/h (about 11 kt); March to October drops to about 15.7 km/h (about 8.5 kt), so the season is winter, in 6.8 C water. Tide decides the day.

Around low water, roughly 1.5 to 2 hours either side, the sandbanks dry out and the water behind them goes flat and shallow, which is when the schools go out; at high tide you launch off a galet ridge into chop and small waves, better for freeride and tricks than for a first lesson, and the passages between the banks carry real current.

Drive through La Molliere to the last roundabout, park at the barrier and carry everything over the pebbles. The 2026 summer kite ban covers the beach in front of the town at chemin des planches; whether it reaches the Brighton launch is unconfirmed, and no rescue arrangement for independent riders has been confirmed either.

The Pointe du Hourdel to the north is a protected area with seals on the banks; stay off it.

The wind

Direction

cross-on

Kite sizes

567891011121314

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

synoptic

fills in: No daily thermal build. The wind is synoptic and can be in at any hour; what fixes the time of the session is the low-water window, not the clock.

Typical strength

8.5-11 kt seasonal averages; the wind on a good day is a lot more than that and has to be read forecast by forecast.

Exposed coast with dominant westerlies; quality varies with tide, current and sea state.

Stronger wind is typically found October to March, with March to October lighter on average.

Also on record

Oct-Mar above 20.4 km/h (about 11 kt); Mar-Oct about 15.7 km/h (about 8.5 kt).

The quiver, in words

Indicative, with no local measurement: a 75-85 kg rider is on 7-9 m through the winter westerlies and 12 m or more on a light summer day, the range used across the Baie de Somme. Pick off the forecast, not off the season.

Direction to shore

West comes in side-on. South is the one to avoid; north is irregular.

Dominant direction

Mostly west. SW through W to NW are the directions to plan on; E/NE reportedly does as a fallback compared with Le Crotoy, and north winds are very irregular.

Forecast

Month by month

Jan, riders' month67
Feb, riders' month79
Mar, riders' month66
Apr62
May47
Jun47
Jul51
Aug51
Sep48
Oct, riders' month72
Nov, riders' month72
Dec, riders' month65

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Oct, Nov, Dec.

15Jan9°
16Feb8°
14Mar9°
14Apr11°
11May14°
11Jun18°
12Jul19°
12Aug20°
12Sep20°
13Oct17°
15Nov14°
15Dec10°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	67%	14.7 kt	WSW	5.7°C	8.9°C
Feb	79%	16.4 kt	WSW	7.7°C	8.3°C
Mar	66%	13.9 kt	SE	8.7°C	8.7°C
Apr	62%	13.8 kt	SW	10°C	10.7°C
May	47%	11.2 kt	WSW	13.4°C	14.3°C
Jun	47%	11.3 kt	W	16.6°C	17.5°C
Jul	51%	12.4 kt	W	18.4°C	19°C
Aug	51%	11.9 kt	W	19.1°C	20.3°C
Sep	48%	11.8 kt	SSW	17°C	19.5°C
Oct	72%	13.2 kt	SSW	14.2°C	17.3°C
Nov	72%	15.2 kt	SSW	9.8°C	13.6°C
Dec	65%	14.9 kt	SSW	6.8°C	10.4°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

Shallow learning water appears as banks form on the falling/lower tide; not standing-depth at all states.

Tides

Everything turns on the tide. Around low water, roughly 1.5 to 2 hours either side (reportedly up to about a 6 m maximum water height), the water flattens and the sandbanks dry out, the safest window for learning. Near high tide the waves and chop come back, which suits freeride and tricks.

Temperature

20.3°C summer · 6.8°C winter

Wetsuit

Cold Channel water; full wetsuit required most of the year.

Currents

Currents run hard through some of the passages between the banks; watch your drift.

8–20°C water

Open Picardy coast south of the Baie de Somme, with a galet beach at high tide and sand appearing as the tide drops.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced

Cayeux works for learning and regular practice, but the level rating is reportedly intermediate: beginners belong with a school on the low-tide banks, not alone at high water.

The scene

What riders come here for

learningfreeridefoilfreestyleflat water at lower tidesmall waves at high tide

A locals' freeride and freestyle beach with room to spare; the summer crowd problem is in front of the town, not at Brighton.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

3 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: large

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Le Crotoy, 8 km

Le Crotoy Fort-Mahon-Plage Berck-sur-Mer (Grande Plage)

Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.

Rescue

VHF channel 16

Nothing is arranged for kiters. No lifeguard post covers the Brighton/La Molliere beach and no club watch is recorded. Sea rescue is CROSS Gris-Nez, reached on 196 from a phone or VHF channel 16 (2026).

Launch

Drive through the hamlet of La Molliere to the last roundabout. A barrier stops cars there, so you park, carry the gear and cross the galet ridge to the sand.

Space

large

Rules & access

2026: kites are banned in summer on the town beach at the chemin des planches entrance, where the parasols and the swimmers are. The Brighton/La Molliere launch to the south reportedly carries no summer restriction, but the commune publishes no beach-police order online, so neither the extent of the ban nor the exemption can be checked against an official text. Riding is otherwise open except toward the protected Pointe du Hourdel.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Rider tips

Park at the barrier after the last roundabout in La Molliere and carry the gear over the galet ridge; sandals or booties for the pebbles.
Ride the low-tide window, roughly 1.5 to 2 hours either side of low water, for the flat banks; leave high tide to riders who want chop.
If you are learning, go with a school and stay on the exposed banks; the passages between them carry real current.
Keep well clear of the Pointe du Hourdel and the seal and bird resting areas to the north.
In summer launch at Brighton, not in front of the town at chemin des planches, where kites are banned in 2026.

Getting there

Airport

Paris-Beauvais (BVA)

Route

By road, the A16 or A28 to the Baie de Somme, then down the coast to Cayeux and the Brighton lighthouse. By rail, the Paris-Amiens-Boulogne line to Abbeville or Noyelles-sur-Mer, then Trans80 bus line 706 toward Cayeux. Beauvais-Tille airport connects by the A16.

Staying

Cayeux-sur-Mer and nearby Saint-Valery-sur-Somme have seaside accommodation; no kite-friendly lodging is published.

No-wind days

Baie de Somme railway · seal and bird watching from a distance · Saint-Valery-sur-Somme · Le Crotoy · cycling around the bay

Photos

Bord de mer,, 80410 Cayeux-sur-Mer, France - panoramio — 4net, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

When is the best time to kitesurf at Cayeux/Brighton?

Stronger wind is typically found from October to March, with lighter conditions from March to October.

Is Cayeux/Brighton suitable for beginners?

Yes, it is described as suitable for learning and regular practice, though the low-tide window and current require attention.

How does the tide affect the spot?

High tide brings waves, while falling or low tide smooths the water and exposes sandbanks, with the spot navigable from about two hours before to two hours after low tide.

Are there rules to check at Cayeux/Brighton?

Sources disagree: one reports the central Cayeux beach is closed to kitesurf in summer, while another lists no summer restriction specifically for Cayeux/Brighton, so current signage should be checked.

Last updated: August 2026