Nearby Petite Mer de Gavres 19 km · Plage de Kerhillio 32 km · Plage de Sainte-Barbe 33 km · Plage des Sables Blancs 36 km · Isthme de Penthievre 38 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
The summer west breeze is a thermal and an afternoon one: it builds through the afternoon at roughly 15-18 knots and dies with the heat. Outside summer the wind is depression-driven and turns up whenever the system does, night or day. The thermal figures are a south Brittany pattern rather than a measurement at this beach.
The wind
locals call it Bretagne south-coast westerlies and summer thermal breeze
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: The summer west breeze is a thermal and an afternoon one: it builds through the afternoon at roughly 15-18 knots and dies with the heat. Outside summer the wind is depression-driven and turns up whenever the system does, night or day. The thermal figures are a south Brittany pattern rather than a measurement at this beach.
Typical strength
South Brittany depression systems from S through NW blow 15 to more than 30 kt; a La Falaise-specific range has not been published.
Also on record
The nearest station, Lorient South Brittany Airport, averages around 10 kt from WSW over the year on observations through 2026; that is an airport number, not the beach.
The quiver, in words
No local table exists. On the summer west thermal at 15-18 knots a 75-85 kg rider is on 10 to 12 m; the south-sector depression days that run 20 to over 30 knots take that down to 7 to 9 m. Indicative sizes worked from the spot's own wind ranges, not measured here.
Direction to shore
A summer west thermal is side-shore at La Falaise; SW, S and SE are also working directions.
Dominant direction
SW, S, SE
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan35
- Feb33
- Mar40
- Apr35
- May27
- Jun13
- Jul21
- Aug10
- Sep23
- Oct27
- Nov37
- Dec40
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
- 35%Jan11°
- 33%Feb10°
- 40%Mar11°
- 35%Apr12°
- 27%May15°
- 13%Jun17°
- 21%Jul16°
- 10%Aug18°
- 23%Sep18°
- 27%Oct17°
- 37%Nov15°
- 40%Dec12°
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | From | Peaks at | Air | Water | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35% | 56% | 48% | 12.9 kt | SW | 14:00 | 7.1°C | 11.1°C | 62 |
| Feb | 33% | 42% | 40% | 11.6 kt | SW | 14:00 | 8.8°C | 10.4°C | 57 |
| Mar | 40% | 68% | 53% | 13.7 kt | WSW | 15:00 | 9.7°C | 11.1°C | 62 |
| Apr | 35% | 53% | 47% | 12.1 kt | SW | 15:00 | 11.1°C | 12.3°C | 60 |
| May | 27% | 56% | 45% | 11.4 kt | NE | 15:00 | 14.4°C | 14.9°C | 62 |
| Jun | 13% | 38% | 27% | 10.7 kt | WSW | 16:00 | 17.6°C | 17.1°C | 60 |
| Jul | 21% | 55% | 35% | 11.3 kt | WSW | 15:00 | 18.6°C | 16.3°C | 62 |
| Aug | 10% | 31% | 23% | 10.2 kt | WSW | 15:00 | 19.2°C | 17.6°C | 62 |
| Sep | 23% | 38% | 27% | 10.9 kt | WSW | 15:00 | 17°C | 17.8°C | 60 |
| Oct | 27% | 42% | 34% | 11.3 kt | WSW | 15:00 | 14.7°C | 16.9°C | 62 |
| Nov | 37% | 50% | 43% | 12.6 kt | WSW | 13:00 | 11.5°C | 14.7°C | 60 |
| Dec | 40% | 65% | 56% | 12.9 kt | WNW | 15:00 | 8.5°C | 12.2°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
ocean
Standing depth
Banks and channels, not an even shelf. The beach runs about 800 m with sandbanks marked offshore, and the gaps between them are baïnes: pools that fill on the flood and drain back seaward hard enough to carry a swimmer out.You can find standing depth on a bank at low water and lose it a few steps later in the channel behind it. No depth in metres has been published, and bathing is banned outright at the Laïta end where the baïne currents form.
Tides
Usable at all tides. High tide reportedly leaves more beach and a clearer takeoff than Fort-Bloqué next door.
Temperature
18°C summer · 10°C winter
Wetsuit
About 18 C in August and about 10-11 C in late winter (Lorient and Belle-Ile readings, there is no gauge on the beach): a 3/2 or 4/3 in summer, a 5/4 or 5/3 with accessories in winter.
Currents
Two things move water here. The Laïta empties at the north-west end of the beach and the current at the river exit is the one riders get warned about.Separately, the sandbank pattern along the same end generates baïnes strong enough to carry swimmers out, which is why bathing is prohibited there and why warning boards stand on that stretch — 13 of them as of 2017, reading 'baignades interdites, courants violents'. The banks and channels are most defined from low to mid 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
No school names this spot
Nobody has been recorded teaching or running a boat here.
On your own
Room to launch: large
Somewhere else
Petite Mer de Gavres, 19 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
The kite launch sits at the north end of the beach, out towards the Laïta point, clear of the flagged bathing area that the lifeguards watch in the southern section in summer. About 800 m of sand with banks marked offshore.Usable at every tide; high water gives more beach and a cleaner takeoff than Fort-Bloqué does, and low to mid tide is when the banks and the surf are best defined.Stairs over the dune are the only way down, which also rules the beach out for anyone with limited mobility, and there are two free car parks either side of the main entrance.
Space
large
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Give the Laïta mouth a wide berth; the current at the river exit is the reason the beach is flagged dangerous.
- Come on summer afternoons when the west thermal is onshore at Fort-Bloqué; at La Falaise it is side-shore.
- Ask the Guidel Kite Club or a school about the rock on the left and the current line before your first launch.
- Launch at high tide if you can; there is more beach and less traffic in the takeoff area than at Fort-Bloqué.
- Do not mix up La Falaise with the 'bassine' at Bas Pouldu, where kites are banned in July and August.
- Rig at the north end by the Laïta point. The lifeguarded, flagged section is the southern half and kites stay out of it round the clock from 1 July to 31 August.
- Since August 2026 riding into a zone closed by municipal order is a fineable offence in France, up to 450 euros, not just bad form.
- The only way onto the sand is a flight of steps over the dune, so plan the carry.
Getting there
Airport
Lorient South Brittany Airport
Route
La Falaise is at Guidel-Plages by the Laïta mouth, west of Lorient. Public transport to the beach and the transfer time from Lorient airport are unconfirmed; drive.
Staying
Stay in Guidel-Plages, Guidel, Le Pouldu/Clohars-Carnoët or Lorient; no source gave kite-specific lodging for La Falaise.
No-wind days
Surf at Guidel beaches, sailing/kayak from the summer nautical base, walking the Laïta/Guidel coast, Lorient and Port-Louis visits.
Photos
FAQ
When is the best time to kite at Plage de la Falaise?
The spot works in SW, S and SE wind, with a summer west thermal that is more side-shore here than at nearby Fort-Bloqué. A local school operates from February to November.
Is Plage de la Falaise suitable for beginners?
Independent beginners should avoid it; river-mouth currents, wave exposure and a known rock make it better suited to riders using local school guidance.
What are the water conditions like?
It is a large sandy Atlantic beach usable at all tides, with more space and a clearer takeoff at high tide than at Fort-Bloqué, though currents run strong at the Laïta mouth.
What hazards should riders know about at Plage de la Falaise?
The main hazards are the current at the Laïta river mouth and a rock on the left side of the beach, both flagged by local sources.
Are there kite schools nearby?
Several schools operate in the area, including Atlantic Wind Academy, Ty Kite Skol and Guidel Kite Club.
Last updated: August 2026