Saint-Michel-en-Greve has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it. straight-line distance
When it fills in
No daily onset. The wind belongs to the weather system, so a March or October front can be on at first light and gone by evening. The clock that matters here is the tide table, not the hour. Whether the bay picks up a usable afternoon sea breeze in settled summer weather is unconfirmed.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
synoptic
fills in: No daily onset. The wind belongs to the weather system, so a March or October front can be on at first light and gone by evening. The clock that matters here is the tide table, not the hour. Whether the bay picks up a usable afternoon sea breeze in settled summer weather is unconfirmed.
Typical strength
Take three to four knots off whatever the forecast shows. The bay sits behind the Tregor headlands and consistently underdelivers against the spots farther north, which leaves roughly 15-22 knots on a working SW day. Nothing is measured on the beach; the nearest station, Lannion airport about 20 km east, averages 9 knots over the year with mean gusts near 23 and a dominant WSW. That is a regional figure and not this bay's.
The quiver, in words
Size up here. For a 75-85 kg rider a 12 m is the everyday kite, a 14 m earns its place on the many marginal days, and a 9 m stays in the bag for the autumn fronts.Indicative: derived from the wind range and from the local habit of subtracting three to four knots from the forecast, not from a local size log.
Direction to shore
West-facing beach: SW, W and NW come in side-on to side-shore, and SW is the best of them.
Dominant direction
Every direction reportedly rides; the usual ones are SW, WSW, W, WNW and NW.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan60
- Feb68
- Mar, riders' month73
- Apr, riders' month59
- May, riders' month44
- Jun41
- Jul53
- Aug41
- Sep, riders' month50
- Oct, riders' month63
- Nov, riders' month74
- Dec68
per cent of the month at force 4 or more
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov.
- 14Jan11°
- 14Feb11°
- 14Mar11°
- 13Apr12°
- 11May14°
- 11Jun17°
- 11Jul18°
- 11Aug19°
- 12Sep18°
- 13Oct16°
- 15Nov14°
- 15Dec12°
avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Force 4+ | Knots | From | Air | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 60% | 13.6 kt | SW | 7.5°C | 10.8°C |
| Feb | 68% | 14.1 kt | WSW | 8.9°C | 10.5°C |
| Mar | 73% | 14 kt | SW | 9.4°C | 10.6°C |
| Apr | 59% | 13 kt | SSW | 10.6°C | 11.9°C |
| May | 44% | 11.1 kt | W | 13.4°C | 14°C |
| Jun | 41% | 10.7 kt | WSW | 15.8°C | 16.5°C |
| Jul | 53% | 11.3 kt | W | 17.4°C | 18.1°C |
| Aug | 41% | 11.3 kt | WNW | 18.1°C | 19.1°C |
| Sep | 50% | 12.1 kt | E | 16.4°C | 17.7°C |
| Oct | 63% | 12.6 kt | SSW | 14.5°C | 15.9°C |
| Nov | 74% | 15.2 kt | SW | 11.2°C | 13.8°C |
| Dec | 68% | 14.9 kt | SSW | 8.8°C | 11.9°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
bay
Standing depth
Knee-deep a long way out over the middle of the tide, which is why the school teaches straight off this beach and keeps its beginners standing. Deeper water is reached by boat rather than by wading.On a big low the water sits about a kilometre from the car park, and riding is off in the two hours either side of a high above coefficient 80.
Tides
Very tidal bay. Kiting works at all tides except two hours before and after high water on coefficients above 80; at low tide count on about a kilometre of walking with gear.
Temperature
17°C summer · 9.6°C winter
Wetsuit
Full wetsuit is recommended most of the year; summer water averages about 17 C and winter water about 9.6 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
1 school names this spot
On your own
Room to launch: Very large sandy tidal beach, but expect a long walk at low tide and manage space around school zones.
Somewhere else
No neighbour on record
No other spot in the atlas sits within reach of this one.
Rescue
Launch
Launch from the wide Saint-Michel-en-Grève / Lieue de Grève beach; a local school is based directly on the beach opposite the spot.
Space
Very large sandy tidal beach, but expect a long walk at low tide and manage space around school zones.
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Read the tide table first: skip the two hours either side of high water when the coefficient is above 80, and expect a walk of about a kilometre to the water at low tide.
- Rig well away from the Kite's Cool teaching zone; the beginners in the shallows are on radio and will not see you coming.
- Keep clear of the Croix de Mi-Lieue marker and its four yellow buoys.
- After heavy rain, check the mairie notices before driving out: the town shut bathing, surf and kite from 15 to 17 July 2026 on a sanitary alert.
- Bring a full suit even in August; the bay is about 17 C at best.
- Knock three to four knots off the forecast before you pick a kite. This bay gets less than the Tregor spots to the north, and that gap is the single most useful local fact.
- Riding alone: 196 reaches the coastguard from a landline, 112 from a mobile. The school's semi-rigid is out only when it has lessons on.
Getting there
Airport
Brest Bretagne Airport (BES) or Rennes (RNS); Brest is the closer road transfer.
Route
From Brest Airport: 75.3 km drive, about 56 minutes, or bus/train/bus options via Brest and Morlaix taking about 3 h 34 min. By road: east from Brest on the N12, then from Morlaix toward Lannion via Plestin-les-Grèves.
Transfer
56 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
Beach-facing gites at Saint-Michel-en-Grève, and more rooms in Plestin-les-Grèves about 10 minutes away.
No-wind days
Walk the Lieue de Grève and GR34 toward Lannion, visit the Cote de Granit Rose, Pointe du Dourven, Lannion, Locquirec or local beaches.
Photos
FAQ
When is the best time to go?
March to May and September to November are listed as the best months, though the local school operates from 1 March to 31 December.
Is it suitable for beginners?
The bay is repeatedly described as a safe beginner spot, with shallow water, fine sand and no rocks in the school teaching area.
What is the wind like?
All directions can work, with southwest, west-southwest, west and northwest reported as usual and southwest rated best, though wind is often a little weaker than spots farther north in Trégor.
Are there rules, permits or restricted zones?
Kiting is possible at all tides except two hours before and after high tides above coefficient 80; the beach was also temporarily closed to bathing, surf and kitesurf for three days in July 2026 for sanitary reasons before reopening.
Last updated: August 2026