Map › Greece › Lefkada - Agios Ioannis › Wooden Bridge
Ionie · Lefkada lagoon, north of Lefkada · Aetolia-Acarnania Regional Unit · Lefkada Town
Wooden Bridge
also known as Cleopatra Beach, The Bridge, Xylini Gefyra, Wooden Bridge-Little Church, The Church
Nearby Agios Ioannis (Lefkada) 5 km · Agios Ioannis (Milos Beach) 6 km · straight-line distance
On the clock
13:00 · 18:00
Mornings are calm - that is SUP time, not kite time. The thermal builds from around midday and holds through the afternoon, roughly 13:00 to 18:00, then falls away toward sunset.
The marks are the clock times the record names, laid on a 24-hour day. The bar between the first and the last covers those hours; it is not a promise of wind.
The wind
locals call it Maistro
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
thermal
fills in: Mornings are calm - that is SUP time, not kite time. The thermal builds from around midday and holds through the afternoon, roughly 13:00 to 18:00, then falls away toward sunset.
Typical strength
12-24
Also on record
15-20
The quiver, in words
9-12 m is the working range for the thermal here. A 75-85 kg rider takes the 12 m while the Maistro is still building through the early afternoon, drops to 9 m once it is properly in, and needs a 7 m only on the rare hard day at the top of the 24-knot range.
Dominant direction
SW, W, NW
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan10
- Feb12
- Mar13
- Apr23
- May11
- Jun, riders' month8
- Jul, riders' month18
- Aug, riders' month11
- Sep, riders' month10
- Oct6
- Nov15
- Dec8
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
- 10%Jan17°
- 12%Feb16°
- 13%Mar16°
- 23%Apr18°
- 11%May20°
- 8%Jun25°
- 18%Jul27°
- 11%Aug28°
- 10%Sep27°
- 6%Oct24°
- 15%Nov21°
- 8%Dec18°
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 | 10% | 26% | 16% | 7.5 kt | ENE | 12:00 | 10.3°C | 17°C | 62 |
| Feb | 12% | 26% | 19% | 8.9 kt | WNW | 16:00 | 11°C | 16.3°C | 57 |
| Mar | 13% | 26% | 18% | 9.8 kt | W | 17:00 | 12.2°C | 16.3°C | 62 |
| Apr | 23% | 45% | 30% | 10.5 kt | WNW | 16:00 | 16.1°C | 17.6°C | 60 |
| May | 11% | 27% | 21% | 9.5 kt | WNW | 16:00 | 20.4°C | 20.1°C | 62 |
| Jun | 8% | 28% | 15% | 9.8 kt | WNW | 16:00 | 26°C | 24.8°C | 60 |
| Jul | 18% | 39% | 23% | 10.3 kt | W | 15:00 | 29.2°C | 27.3°C | 62 |
| Aug | 11% | 45% | 27% | 10.6 kt | W | 16:00 | 28.3°C | 27.8°C | 62 |
| Sep | 10% | 38% | 23% | 10.1 kt | WNW | 17:00 | 24°C | 26.5°C | 60 |
| Oct | 6% | 10% | 8% | 8.3 kt | WNW | 16:00 | 20.7°C | 23.8°C | 62 |
| Nov | 15% | 20% | 17% | 8.7 kt | ENE | 12:00 | 15.8°C | 21.4°C | 60 |
| Dec | 8% | 15% | 10% | 7 kt | ENE | 11:00 | 12.7°C | 18.4°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
lagoon
Standing depth
Waist to chest for about a kilometre, roughly 1 to 1.5 m, with several sections under 90 cm sitting over rock. That inconsistency is the reason foiling here is a bad idea unless someone has shown you the deep lines.
Tides
No meaningful tidal dependence on record for riding; lagoon water level details not published.
Temperature
26.6°C summer · 15°C winter
Wetsuit
Warm-water gear or shorty in peak summer; long neoprene is listed and is sensible outside high summer.
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
5 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: medium
Somewhere else
Agios Ioannis (Lefkada), 5 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Park on the roadside dirt area about 400 m back from the water, walk in and cross the wooden pedestrian bridge to a narrow pebbly shore. The small church farther downwind is where advanced riders finish the run; the water in front of it is flatter and shallower still.
Space
medium
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Carry water, food and repair gear; nothing is sold at the beach.
- Leave nothing visible in the car at the roadside parking, where break-ins are reported.
- Wear booties: pebbles on the walk in, shallow rock in the lagoon.
- Ride the middle of the day, when the Maistro has built and before it drops toward sunset.
- Do not drift far downwind into the adjacent lagoon areas, where the angle turns offshore or side-offshore.
- Take Agios Nikolaos instead if you want a sandy, more forgiving setup.
- Bring a 12 m and a 9 m; that pair covers almost every day the thermal delivers.
Getting there
Airport
Aktion / Preveza Airport (PVK)
Route
Drive from Aktion/Preveza Airport across the causeway and floating bridge toward Lefkada Town, then continue just across the bridge to the mainland-side Wooden Bridge access.
Transfer
25 min
Cost level
reasonable
Staying
Best based in Lefkada Town, Agios Ioannis/Frini or northern Lefkada; apartments, villas, hotels and camps are listed nearby, but the beach itself has no permanent accommodation.
No-wind days
West-coast Lefkada beaches, SUP in the calm mornings, Nidri biking/hiking/SUP tours, wineries, Lefkada Town and nearby islands by boat.
Photos
FAQ
When is the best time to kite at Wooden Bridge?
The Maistro thermal is most reliable from June to mid-September, usually building from midday and peaking in the afternoon.
Is Wooden Bridge suitable for beginners?
Most detailed sources rate it intermediate to advanced because the lagoon is narrow, busy and has shallow rocks, though supervised beginners can use it with caution.
What is the wind like at Wooden Bridge?
The thermal Maistro blows mostly side-shore to side-onshore from the southwest to northwest, typically 12-24 knots.
Are there rules or protected areas at Wooden Bridge?
The spot lies inside a Natura 2000 protected area, and free camping is reported as forbidden.
What hazards should riders know about at Wooden Bridge?
Several sections of the lagoon are under 90 cm deep with shallow rocks and reef barriers, and car break-ins have been reported at the roadside parking.
Last updated: August 2026