Lac de Naussac - Le Mas d'Armand has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it. straight-line distance
When it fills in
Afternoon on thermal summer days; exact onset hour unconfirmed.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: Afternoon on thermal summer days; exact onset hour unconfirmed.
Typical strength
No usable measurement. The only weather record on the lake itself, running February 2014 to February 2017 before the station stopped reporting, averaged about 4 knots with north prevailing. That is the profile of a lake needing a front, not of a place with a daily wind. Riders wait for a NW gradient day or a fine-weather afternoon thermal; the strength on those days has never been recorded.
Thermal or synoptic
thermal and frontal
The quiver, in words
Nobody publishes sizes for this lake. Two things set the sizing here. The wind is a frontal or thermal NW rather than a dependable trade, so days cluster at the light end; and the lake sits at about 950 m, where thinner air takes a few percent off what any given kite delivers.A 75-85 kg rider realistically packs 12 m and 9 m and adds a foil for the light afternoons; anything under 8 m would rarely leave the bag. Indicative, derived from the altitude and the lake's light-wind record, not from measured local sessions.
Direction to shore
The bank at Le Mas d'Armand faces roughly north-west, and the open water runs away from it to the north-west for about 7 km. That makes the NW everyone comes for a straight onshore wind with the longest clean fetch the lake has, and it pushes you back onto your own bank rather than out into it.North sits some 55 degrees off that line: side-onshore on paper, but it arrives over the shoreline and the trees, which is why it feels broken and badly placed here. Read off the shoreline and the lake outline, not from a local measurement.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan31
- Feb25
- Mar37
- Apr, riders' month42
- May, riders' month23
- Jun, riders' month25
- Jul, riders' month21
- Aug, riders' month31
- Sep, riders' month33
- Oct27
- Nov27
- Dec23
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
- 31%Jan
- 25%Feb
- 37%Mar
- 42%Apr
- 23%May
- 25%Jun
- 21%Jul
- 31%Aug
- 33%Sep
- 27%Oct
- 27%Nov
- 23%Dec
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · season highlighted
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | From | Peaks at | Air | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31% | 47% | 44% | 11 kt | NNW | 14:00 | 1.3°C | 62 |
| Feb | 25% | 39% | 30% | 10.5 kt | N | 15:00 | 3.2°C | 57 |
| Mar | 37% | 61% | 53% | 13.2 kt | SSE | 15:00 | 4.9°C | 62 |
| Apr | 42% | 65% | 52% | 13.2 kt | SSE | 16:00 | 7°C | 60 |
| May | 23% | 39% | 32% | 10.8 kt | SSE | 16:00 | 11.5°C | 62 |
| Jun | 25% | 55% | 35% | 11.6 kt | SSE | 15:00 | 16.3°C | 60 |
| Jul | 21% | 45% | 31% | 10.7 kt | SSE | 16:00 | 19°C | 62 |
| Aug | 31% | 50% | 44% | 11.2 kt | SSE | 16:00 | 19.1°C | 62 |
| Sep | 33% | 52% | 43% | 11.7 kt | SSE | 14:00 | 14°C | 60 |
| Oct | 27% | 42% | 39% | 11.2 kt | SSE | 16:00 | 12.4°C | 62 |
| Nov | 27% | 38% | 33% | 10.6 kt | SSE | 14:00 | 6°C | 60 |
| Dec | 23% | 39% | 32% | 8.6 kt | NW | 15:00 | 2.6°C | 62 |
modelled
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal. A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. 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.
High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024
The water
Type
freshwater reservoir
Standing depth
No standing-depth zone confirmed. The entry is coarse sand and gravel; wear water shoes at low lake level.
Tides
No tide. It is a dam reservoir, roughly 7 km on its long north-west to south-east axis and 1,050 ha in total, that fills through late winter and spring and is drawn down from mid-summer into autumn. The waterline and the length of the walk-in move through the season, and at low level the entry is coarse sand and gravel.
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
1 school names this spot
On your own
Room to launch: Large open meadow for rigging, with a few trees near the launch.
Somewhere else
No neighbour on record
No other spot in the atlas sits within reach of this one.
Rescue
Launch
Launch on the south-east arm of the lake at Le Mas d'Armand, off the D34 towards Rocles, a short way past the Base Nautique de Naussac. Rig on the large open meadow, then walk in over coarse sand and gravel. The open water runs away to the north-west, which is where the useful wind comes from.
Space
Large open meadow for rigging, with a few trees near the launch.
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Bring water shoes at low lake level: the entry is coarse sand and gravel.
- Park angled at Le Mas d'Armand and leave the track clear; spaces are few.
- Ride it on NW. On a north day the wind at this access is disturbed and badly oriented.
- Give the swimmers off the nautical base a wide berth in July and August.
- Keep away from the wooded nature-reserve edge; there is no confirmed rescue on this lake.
Getting there
Airport
Le Puy-Loudes Airport (LPY); Lyon-Saint Exupéry (LYS) for a larger international airport
Route
From Le Puy-en-Velay follow Mende/Langogne on the N88, then signs to Lac de Naussac and the nautical base; from the base take the D34 toward Rocles/Florac for about 500 m and turn right at Le Mas d'Armand.
Transfer
55 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
Hotels and campsites in Langogne, plus lake tourism lodging around Lac de Naussac; kite packages unconfirmed.
No-wind days
Supervised beach, sailing, windsurfing, canoeing, fishing, hiking and Langogne/Lozere sightseeing.
Photos
FAQ
When is the best time to kite at Lac de Naussac?
The kitesurf season runs from mid-April to the end of September, with the cleanest sessions in northwest wind that runs the length of the lake.
Is Le Mas d'Armand suitable for beginners?
No, an intermediate level and autonomous riding are recommended because of trees near the launch, limited parking and variable lake levels.
What is the wind like at this spot?
Northwest is the cleanest direction, running down the length of the lake, while north wind can be disturbed and poorly oriented at this access.
Are there rules or restrictions?
As of 2026 the spot is FFVL-labelled with a kitesurf season from mid-April to end September, and parking must be angled with vehicle access kept clear.
Is there a kite school nearby?
Yes, Loz'air operates near Lac de Naussac.
Last updated: August 2026