Map › France › La Tranche-sur-Mer (Vendée) › Plage de la Gautrelle
Nouvelle-Aquitaine · Ile d'Oleron, Charente-Maritime · Charente-Maritime · Saint-Georges-d'Oleron
Plage de la Gautrelle
also known as La Gautrelle
Nearby Plage de Plaisance 2 km · Boyardville 4 km · Chatelaillon-Plage 18 km · Aytre Plage 19 km · Rivedoux Plage Nord 19 km · Banc du Bucheron 31 km · La Faute-sur-Mer - Pointe d'Arcay 33 km · Bonne Anse 34 km · La Tranche-sur-Mer 42 km · Le Veillon 57 km · Bretignolles-sur-Mer - Plage des Dunes 2 80 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
A light NE thermal reportedly gives morning sessions on Oleron's east coast, La Gautrelle included; when it fades is unconfirmed.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: A light NE thermal reportedly gives morning sessions on Oleron's east coast, La Gautrelle included; when it fades is unconfirmed.
Typical strength
Nothing is measured on the beach. The nearest long-running station, at the exposed northwestern tip of the island, averages about 9 kt across the year with a dominant west, and La Gautrelle sits on the sheltered eastern side, so read that as a ceiling rather than a local figure. Sessions come from autumn and winter west-to-northwest fronts and from the light northeast thermal that shows up on summer mornings. Indicative, no local measurement.
Thermal or synoptic
thermal and synoptic
The quiver, in words
No local sizing is published. Indicative for a 75-85 kg rider: the light northeast thermal mornings are 13-15 m or foil territory, a 15-20 kt northwest sits at 10-12 m, and a front pushing 25 kt takes you to 7-9 m. Derived from the directions the beach works in, not from any measurement here.
Direction to shore
The beach faces northeast across the Pertuis toward Fort Boyard and Ile d'Aix. NE comes straight onshore and E arrives side-onshore, which is what makes the low tide teachable and also what puts the water at your back on the launch.NW crosses the Saumonards pine forest behind the sand and lands side-off and turbulent; WNW is the same wind broken up worse and is the one to skip.
Dominant direction
NW, E, NE
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan76
- Feb53
- Mar58
- Apr62
- May65
- Jun53
- Jul50
- Aug48
- Sep45
- Oct58
- Nov62
- Dec63
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
- 76%Jan10°
- 53%Feb9°
- 58%Mar11°
- 62%Apr14°
- 65%May17°
- 53%Jun20°
- 50%Jul21°
- 48%Aug22°
- 45%Sep21°
- 58%Oct19°
- 62%Nov15°
- 63%Dec11°
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 | 76% | 92% | 85% | 18.1 kt | SW | 14:00 | 7.8°C | 9.7°C | 62 |
| Feb | 53% | 70% | 61% | 15.9 kt | NW | 14:00 | 9°C | 9.3°C | 57 |
| Mar | 58% | 81% | 74% | 17.2 kt | WSW | 13:00 | 10.7°C | 10.7°C | 62 |
| Apr | 62% | 80% | 77% | 16.1 kt | W | 14:00 | 12.3°C | 13.7°C | 60 |
| May | 65% | 89% | 79% | 15.7 kt | NW | 15:00 | 16.1°C | 16.9°C | 62 |
| Jun | 53% | 80% | 73% | 14.6 kt | NW | 18:00 | 19.2°C | 20.4°C | 60 |
| Jul | 50% | 84% | 73% | 14.6 kt | NW | 17:00 | 20.5°C | 21.2°C | 62 |
| Aug | 48% | 76% | 66% | 14.5 kt | NW | 17:00 | 21.2°C | 22.3°C | 62 |
| Sep | 45% | 78% | 65% | 14.2 kt | W | 14:00 | 19°C | 21.1°C | 60 |
| Oct | 58% | 79% | 74% | 16.5 kt | SSW | 12:00 | 17.2°C | 18.7°C | 62 |
| Nov | 62% | 77% | 73% | 18.3 kt | W | 10:00 | 13°C | 14.5°C | 60 |
| Dec | 63% | 79% | 73% | 16.9 kt | NW | 11:00 | 9.4°C | 10.7°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
sea
Standing depth
At low tide anyone can ride it, given the right wind direction; how far out you can stand is unconfirmed.
Tides
Strongly tide-sensitive. At low tide the beach is well sheltered from the west-coast swell; at high tide a west swell that gets in builds a shorebreak.
Temperature
20.6°C summer · 9.7°C winter
Wetsuit
Use a full suit most of the year; summer water around La Rochelle averages about 20-21 C, while winter averages under 10 C.
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
4 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: Large sandy beach, but practical kite space is affected by summer bathers and high tide.
Somewhere else
Plage de Plaisance, 2 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Use the quieter left, northern side, away from the supervised bathing post. In summer that means a 400-600 m walk from the access to reach the free kite area.
Space
Large sandy beach, but practical kite space is affected by summer bathers and high tide.
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Talk to the lifeguard post or a local rider before you rig in July or August; the kite area is not marked on any published map.
- Budget a 400-600 m walk north from the main access in summer, with your gear, to get past the bathing zone.
- Ride the low tide, especially for a lesson; skip high tide when there is west swell, the shorebreak is the problem.
- Keep jumps and tricks well offshore; in summer the nearshore zone is full of walkers, bathers and beginners.
- Booties at low water: there are mussel and oyster rocks south of the post, dark slippery patches by the waterline and a nearly buried groyne.
Getting there
Airport
La Rochelle - Ile de Re Airport (LRH)
Route
Drive onto Oleron over the free bridge from Bourcefranc-le-Chapus, or take a train to La Rochelle, Rochefort or Surgeres and a bus from there. Regional buses serve the island, and an April-September boat runs from La Rochelle to Boyardville.
Transfer
70 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
Camping La Gautrelle is directly by the beach; otherwise holiday rentals and campsites around Boyardville and Saint-Georges-d'Oleron.
No-wind days
Beach walks, cycling in the Saumonards forest, Boyardville and Fort Boyard/Ile d'Aix boat trips, Port du Douhet, local oyster villages and La Rochelle day trips.
Photos
FAQ
When is the best time to kite at Plage de la Gautrelle?
Morning sessions catch a light northeast thermal on Oléron's sheltered east coast, and low tide gives the most protected conditions.
Is Plage de la Gautrelle good for beginners?
Yes, low tide is accessible to most levels when the wind direction is favorable, though high tide can bring shorebreak and the beach gets busy in summer.
What is the wind like?
Northwest, east and northeast are considered the favorable directions at this sheltered spot, including a light northeast morning thermal.
Are there rules or restricted zones?
Riders must avoid the supervised bathing zone and its 300 m offshore exclusion in season; no official municipal kite bylaw text was found for this beach.
What hazards are there at Plage de la Gautrelle?
High-tide shorebreak, mussel and oyster rocks south of the lifeguard post, and a nearly buried groyne visible at low tide are the main reported hazards.
Last updated: August 2026