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Pays de la Loire · Vendée - La Barre-de-Monts / Fromentine · Vendée · Fromentine

Fromentine - Plage de la Grande Cote

also known as Plage de la Grande Cote, La Grande Cote, Grande Côte, Fromentine Grande Côte

beginner-friendlyhigh crowds
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Nearby Barbatre - Plage des Boucholeurs 2 km · Le Gois - La Digue 5 km · Saint-Jean-de-Monts - Plage de la Daviere 10 km · Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie - Grande Plage 28 km · Saint-Brevin - Les Rochelets 37 km · Saint-Brevin - Le Pointeau 39 km · Bretignolles-sur-Mer - Plage des Dunes 2 40 km · straight-line distance

SeasonJan, Feb, Mar, Oct, Nov, Decthe months riders and schools nameHow windyunder Typical strength, belowmixedLaunchWide sand at low tide; on big coefficients high tide can leave no room to land or set a kite down.access rules on record, belowWaterocean beach / tidal sandbanks19.5°C in summer · 9 things riders flagLevelBeginner to intermediatewith a caveat, in the Level sectionSchools5named at this spotFrom the airport60 minNantes Atlantique Airport (NTE)

When it fills in

April to July the usable wind is frequently a NW thermal, so the afternoon is the better bet on those days; that timing is indicative and no local onset has been measured. From autumn through early spring the wind is frontal and can blow at any hour.

Grande Cote is the Atlantic beach at Fromentine, on the mainland side of the Noirmoutier bridge, and it is a tide spot before it is a wind spot.
Around low water the sandbanks trap flat basins where you can stand; the window is roughly 2h either side of low tide, 3h either side if you are learning, and on the biggest coefficients high tide turns the water to chop and leaves no beach to land on.
Wind works from S round to NNO, with W the best direction and NW, W, SW and S the sectors that get ridden most; October to March is the wind season, though the schools run spring to autumn and people ride all year.
It suits riders fresh out of lessons and freeride, freestyle, foil and wing; the only waves are on the left in W or SW swell, and they are not the point here.
The current is what to respect: the flood pushes you toward the bridge, the ebb toward Notre-Dame-de-Monts, the bridge and Ile d'Yeu ferry channel are off limits, and gear lost in the goulet can end up a long way out.
A 2025 La Barre-de-Monts order allows kitesurfing year-round outside the regulated bathing areas and puts kite deployment in a marked zone between the Grande Cote access and the Bois Vinet turret; in summer that means the zone on the right, shared with a lot of other people.

The wind

Direction

beachwater
onshoreS to NNO

Kite sizes

4567891011121314

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

mixed

fills in: April to July the usable wind is frequently a NW thermal, so the afternoon is the better bet on those days; that timing is indicative and no local onset has been measured. From autumn through early spring the wind is frontal and can blow at any hour.

Typical strength

24

Synoptic Atlantic wind with a sea-breeze push on top. It blows often, and within the area there is a launch for a full 360 degrees of direction, but no reliable normal knot range for this exact beach has been published.
October to March is the main wind season. April to July the wind is often thermal out of the NW; the rest of the year it is frontal. Schools run mid-March to mid-November and locals ride year-round. No monthly wind figures exist for this exact beach.

The quiver, in words

Indicative, worked from the usual wind rather than measured on this beach: around 20-25 knots a 75-85 kg rider is on 7-9 m, the lighter spring and summer sea-breeze days want 10-12 m, and the winter fronts that push past 30 knots take 5-7 m.Local schools stop teaching above 35 knots, which is a fair marker for the top of the usable range.

Direction to shore

The beach faces the Atlantic, so the best direction, W, is onshore, and NW and SW come in cross-on from either side. That reading comes from the beach orientation and the usual local directions, not from an official chart.

Dominant direction

S to NNO; NW, W, SW and S are especially cited, with W the best direction.

Forecast

Next three days, from Windfinder · full forecast

Month by month

  1. Jan, riders' month61
  2. Feb, riders' month58
  3. Mar, riders' month73
  4. Apr64
  5. May70
  6. Jun60
  7. Jul71
  8. Aug60
  9. Sep59
  10. Oct, riders' month65
  11. Nov, riders' month71
  12. Dec, riders' month76

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.

  1. 14Jan10°
  2. 14Feb10°
  3. 15Mar11°
  4. 14Apr13°
  5. 13May16°
  6. 12Jun20°
  7. 13Jul20°
  8. 12Aug21°
  9. 13Sep20°
  10. 14Oct18°
  11. 17Nov14°
  12. 15Dec11°

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

MonthForce 4+KnotsFromAirWater
Jan61%14.2 ktWSW7.2°C9.7°C
Feb58%13.9 ktW8.7°C9.7°C
Mar73%14.7 ktSW10.2°C10.6°C
Apr64%13.5 ktNE11.7°C13.1°C
May70%12.6 ktNE15.6°C16.4°C
Jun60%12 ktWSW18.8°C19.9°C
Jul71%12.7 ktNW19.9°C20.3°C
Aug60%12.1 ktW20.5°C21.4°C
Sep59%12.8 ktWSW18.1°C19.7°C
Oct65%13.9 ktSW16°C17.8°C
Nov71%16.7 ktW12°C13.8°C
Dec76%15.3 ktENE8.6°C10.8°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

ocean beach / tidal sandbanks

Standing depth

At lower tide the sandbanks leave flat basins you can stand in, and low water is the state to use if you are learning; beginner lessons run on those banks in roughly a metre of water. How deep it actually is on the day depends on the tide and the coefficient.

Tides

Tide-sensitive Atlantic spot. Rideable at all tides except high water on big coefficients, but the sandbank basins want low tide: the best window is 2h before to 2h after low water, and beginners can stretch that to about 3h before to 3h after.

Temperature

19.5°C summer · 9.2°C winter

Wetsuit

Full wetsuit most of the year. Summer water around La Barre-de-Monts/Noirmoutier is around 19-20 C; winter/late-winter water is around 9-10 C, requiring a thicker winter suit, boots and often gloves.

Currents

The current gets strong on large coefficients: the flood pushes toward the bridge and north, the ebb toward Notre-Dame-de-Monts and south. Gear lost in the Fromentine goulet or the bridge channel can be carried far offshore depending on the tide.

10–21°C water
Flat sandbank basins are the main attraction at lower tide. Water turns rougher, with wave/chop, at high tide, and waves can appear to the left with west or southwest swell.

Your level

beginnerintermediatenot for advanceds here
The schools teach on the Fromentine and Noirmoutier sandbanks, and Grande Cote is where you go once the lessons are done. If you are new, ride low tide, skip the big coefficients and stay away from the bridge and the channel.

The scene

What riders come here for

freeridefreestylefoilwingfoillearninglandkite at low tide
Local school and freeride beach, and a busy one; in summer you share it with bathers and the regulated zones.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

5 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: Wide sand at low tide; on big coefficients high tide can leave no room to land or set a kite down.

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Barbatre - Plage des Boucholeurs, 2 km

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

Rescue

Lifeguard post, toilets and parking at the beach. Schools keep permanent contact with pupils through radio helmets and use boat support; no public rescue service for independent riders has been confirmed.

Launch

Sandy beach launch from the Grande Cote sector at Fromentine. The reserved kite takeoff area is to the right of the beach access when heading toward the bridge; the 2025 La Barre-de-Monts order defines a kite wing-deployment area between the Grande Cote access and the Bois Vinet turret.

Space

Wide sand at low tide; on big coefficients high tide can leave no room to land or set a kite down.

Hazards riders report 9

  • high tide can reduce usable beach and create choppy water
  • check sandbanks and tidal range before launching
  • Strong tidal current on large coefficients.
  • Flood tide can push toward the bridge/north; ebb tide can push toward Notre-Dame-de-Monts/south.
  • Navigation is forbidden in the Fromentine bridge/ferry channel.
  • Rocks to the right toward the bridge can uncover at low tide.
  • High tide on large coefficients can remove usable launch/landing space.
  • Spot can be very busy.
  • Bathers and beach users have priority in summer regulated areas.
Rules & access
2025: the La Barre-de-Monts beach order allows kitesurfing year-round along the commune's coast outside the regulated bathing and channel areas, and requires kites to be deployed in the marked zone on Fromentine ocean beach between the Grande Cote access and the Bois Vinet turret. In summer the kite zone is the one on the right, and navigation in the Ile d'Yeu ferry channel is strictly forbidden. The 15 May to 15 September kite ban that applies on Noirmoutier covers Luzeronde and Les Sableaux, not Grande Cote.

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

Rider tips

  • Ride the low-tide window, about 2h either side of low water; if you are learning, stretch it to 3h either side and no further.
  • Check the coefficient before you rig: a big one means strong current and, at high tide, no beach to land on.
  • Stay out of the bridge and Ile d'Yeu ferry channel; the flood pushes you north toward the bridge, the ebb south toward Notre-Dame-de-Monts.
  • In summer, rig in the kite zone to the right of the beach access, on the bridge side, and keep out of the bathing area.
  • Rocks uncover at low tide on the right toward the bridge; look before you ride that side.
  • Ask at one of the schools how the sandbanks are lying this year before your first session.

Getting there

Airport

Nantes Atlantique Airport (NTE)

Route

Drive from Nantes toward Noirmoutier/Fromentine: about 70 km from Nantes to Pays de Saint Jean de Monts. Regional coach 13 runs year-round from Nantes TGV station via Fromentine and Noirmoutier. About 62 km and roughly 1 hour by car from Nantes airport to La Barre-de-Monts/Fromentine.

Transfer

60 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Seasonal hotels, campsites and holiday rentals in Fromentine, La Barre-de-Monts, Barbatre and the wider Noirmoutier/Saint-Jean-de-Monts coast.

No-wind days

Ile d'Yeu ferry from Fromentine, Noirmoutier by bridge, Passage du Gois at safe low-tide windows, Pays de Monts forest walks and cycling, Biotopia, Le Daviaud, marais Breton Vendeen and beach activities.

Photos

Kite surf - panoramio
andre oortgijs, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

When is the best time to kitesurf at Fromentine?

October to March is listed as the best windy season, though local schools operate mainly spring through autumn.

Is Fromentine suitable for beginners?

Yes, local schools use the sandbank basins for learning, recommending low tide and avoidance of the bridge/ferry channel and large tidal coefficients.

How does the tide affect Fromentine?

Flat sandbank basins form at lower tide and are the main attraction; conditions get rougher near high tide, especially on large coefficients, which can leave no room to land.

Are there rules at Fromentine?

A 2025 municipal order authorizes kitesurf year-round on the commune's coastline outside regulated bathing/channel areas, and defines a specific wing-deployment zone between the Grande Cote access and the Bois Vinet turret.

Are there hazards at Fromentine?

Strong current on large tidal coefficients, a forbidden bridge/ferry channel, and rocks toward the bridge that can uncover at low tide are reported.

Also in season in OctoberBassin d'ArcachonCamargueCamargue - Grau-du-RoiCamargue - Port-Saint-LouisCorsica - Bonifacio

Last updated: August 2026