Map › France › La Chambrette & Bonne Anse › La Chambrette

Nouvelle-Aquitaine · Estuaire de la Gironde, Gironde · Gironde · Le Verdon-sur-Mer

La Chambrette

also known as Plage de la Chambrette, Le Verdon, Le Verdon-sur-Mer - Plage de la Chambrette

advanced onlylow 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 Bonne Anse 19 km · straight-line distance

SeasonJan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Nov, Decthe months riders and schools name How windy22.8 knotssynoptic LaunchGenerally lightly used, but the available beach is reduced at some tides.access rules on record, below Waterestuary17-24°C in summer · 13 things riders flag LevelIntermediate to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools2named at this spot From the airport90 minBordeaux-Merignac (BOD)

When it fills in

No daily rhythm to wait for. The east-to-northeast setup that makes this bay work is a weather-system wind, in or out for the whole day, so the forecast decides the session and not the hour; there is no thermal here to fill in the afternoon.

La Chambrette is a small sandy bay on the Gironde estuary at Le Verdon-sur-Mer, facing the river rather than the open Atlantic, and it only works in one sector: east, north or northeast, side-shore to side-on.

On those days the dike keeps the chop out and the water is flat; on every other day drive on to the ocean beaches or south to the Hourtin lake. The catch is the same dike.

In a NNW wind you drift toward the southeast dike and the concrete landing stage, and there is a stronger current out by the estuary channel, so this is not a first-season spot.

Launch space on the sand shrinks at some tides; accounts disagree, one giving two hours either side of high water, the other only that the beach gets smaller, unconfirmed either way. November to April is the season quoted for it, with a reported average of 22.8 knots, unconfirmed.

In July and August it is a supervised family bathing beach, so read the signs and do what the lifeguards say. Rules specific to kites are unknown; nothing like the Hourtin lake zoning is published.

The wind

Direction

cross-onE

Kite sizes

567891011121314

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

synoptic

fills in: No daily rhythm to wait for. The east-to-northeast setup that makes this bay work is a weather-system wind, in or out for the whole day, so the forecast decides the session and not the hour; there is no thermal here to fill in the afternoon.

Typical strength

22.8 knots, reportedly; methodology unconfirmed.

Flat and sheltered when the orientation works; the spot is orientation-sensitive and exposed to drift hazards in NNW wind.

No official season window; November to April is the range quoted for the spot, unconfirmed.

The quiver, in words

Indicative only, with no local wind record to work from: for a 75-85 kg rider a 9 m and a 12 m cover most usable east-to-northeast days, and a 7 m for a hard easterly. Nothing spot-specific is published.

Direction to shore

The usable east-to-north wind range is described as side-shore to side-on depending on conditions.

Dominant direction

E, N, NE

Forecast

Month by month

Jan, riders' month60
Feb, riders' month54
Mar, riders' month68
Apr, riders' month64
May63
Jun42
Jul47
Aug47
Sep50
Oct63
Nov, riders' month62
Dec, riders' month61

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

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

13Jan10°
13Feb10°
14Mar11°
13Apr14°
12May17°
11Jun21°
11Jul22°
11Aug23°
12Sep22°
13Oct19°
15Nov15°
14Dec11°

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

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	60%	13 kt	NE	7.8°C	10.1°C
Feb	54%	12.9 kt	WSW	9°C	10.1°C
Mar	68%	13.6 kt	S	11°C	11.4°C
Apr	64%	13.1 kt	W	12.6°C	14.1°C
May	63%	12 kt	NW	16.3°C	17.1°C
Jun	42%	10.9 kt	NNW	19.6°C	20.5°C
Jul	47%	11.1 kt	NW	20.8°C	22.2°C
Aug	47%	11.4 kt	NNW	21.7°C	23.2°C
Sep	50%	11.6 kt	WSW	19.1°C	21.5°C
Oct	63%	13.3 kt	WSW	17.2°C	19.1°C
Nov	62%	14.9 kt	W	12.7°C	14.8°C
Dec	61%	13.5 kt	ENE	9.1°C	11.4°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

estuary

Standing depth

Reportedly standing depth at high tide and partly at low tide; unconfirmed locally.

Tides

Big estuary tides, and they run the launch: the sand shrinks as the water rises, so how much beach you have depends on the height on the day. Reportedly it works best from two hours before to two hours after high water, with low water shallower and more technical to get out through; unconfirmed locally.

Temperature

17-24°C summer · 8-15°C winter

Wetsuit

Shorty or light full suit in warm summer conditions; full suit and colder-water gear in winter.

Currents

Estuary current is possible and reportedly stronger near the channel; the specific local warning is drift toward the southeast dike or the concrete landing stage in NNW wind.

10–23°C water

Small sandy estuary bay with calm, flat water and few waves compared with the ocean beaches. A dike protects the bay from chop.

Your level

not for beginners hereintermediateadvanced

Rated intermediate and advanced here. The launch shrinks with the tide and a NNW drift puts you on the dike or the landing stage; beginner-friendly claims exist but no school supervision at the spot is on record.

The scene

What riders come here for

freerideflat waterprotected water

Quiet estuary beach for kiters when the rare east-to-northeast setup lines up, but also a family bathing beach in summer.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

2 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: Generally lightly used, but the available beach is reduced at some tides.

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Bonne Anse, 19 km

Bonne Anse

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

Rescue

No kite-specific rescue. The beach has lifeguard supervision through the summer bathing season and nothing outside it, so from autumn to spring, which is the season the spot actually works, there is nobody watching the water.

Launch

Sandy beach launch inside the small bay at Plage de la Chambrette, Le Verdon-sur-Mer.

Space

Generally lightly used, but the available beach is reduced at some tides.

Hazards riders report 13

Possible drift toward the southeast digue or concrete landing stage in NNW wind
Reduced launch at some tides
Reduced launch area depending on tide
Possible drift toward the southeast dike or concrete landing stage in NNW wind
Possible stronger current near the estuary channel
Shared family/summer bathing beach with supervised swimming season
Possible drift toward the southeast dike or the concrete landing stage in NNW wind
Launch area reduced depending on the tide
Possible stronger current out near the estuary channel
Shared family bathing beach with supervised swimming in summer
Wind shadow can form on the launch beach in a north wind
Shallower, more technical water to get out through at low tide
Rail crossing on foot between the parking and the sand

Rules & access

2026: the commune publishes no kite-specific order for Plage de la Chambrette, and no local restriction on kiting at this beach has been found. The summer 7pm kite curfew that circulates attached to this spot belongs to Lacanau Ocean, not here. What does apply is the bathing season: the beach is lifeguard-supervised through the summer, so keep off the marked swimming zone and do what the lifeguards tell you.

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

Rider tips

Come only for E to NE wind; this is a fallback for that sector, not an all-wind spot.
Look at the tide and how much sand is left before you rig; the launch shrinks at some tides.
Skip NNW days: the drift is straight onto the southeast dike and the concrete landing stage.
In summer, rig away from the supervised bathing area and follow the lifeguards' instructions.
Coming from Charente-Maritime, take the Royan-Le Verdon ferry; it lands at Port Bloc, next to the spot.
Ignore the 7pm summer kite curfew you will see listed for this beach. It belongs to the Lacanau ocean spots; nothing of the sort is published for Le Verdon.
The spot's season is November to April, which is exactly when the beach is unsupervised. Bring someone, and a phone in a case.

Getting there

Airport

Bordeaux-Merignac (BOD)

Route

Drive from Bordeaux toward the northern Medoc and Le Verdon-sur-Mer, or take TER rail from Bordeaux to Le Verdon. From the Charente-Maritime side, the Royan-Le Verdon ferry crosses the Gironde estuary to Port Bloc near the spot.

Transfer

90 min

Staying

Le Verdon-sur-Mer, Soulac-sur-Mer and nearby Medoc campsites/holiday rentals serve the beach area.

No-wind days

Family swimming at Plage de la Chambrette · Walk the pontoon toward Port Medoc · local listings lighthouse · Take the Royan-Le Verdon ferry · Cycle La Velodyssee · Surf or beach walk at the ocean beaches around Le Verdon and Soulac

Photos

Plage de la Chambrette Verdon-sur-Mer - panoramio (1) — graffiteck, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at La Chambrette?

November to April is cited for this spot, when east to northeast wind is more likely.

Is La Chambrette suitable for beginners?

It is best treated as an intermediate and advanced spot: the local club flags reduced launch space at some tides and a drift hazard toward the dike, without a specific beginner recommendation.

What is the wind like?

The spot only works in east, north and northeast wind; the bay is protected by a dike, giving flatter water when the orientation lines up.

What hazards should I know about?

In NNW wind, riders can drift toward the southeast dike or a concrete landing stage, and the sandy launch area shrinks depending on tide.

Last updated: August 2026