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Surf spot guide Β· Pays de la Loire, France
Long mellow right wrapping around the Pointe du Groin du Cou on an uneven reef and sand bottom.
Le Phare is a right-hander that breaks along the tip of the Pointe du Groin du Cou, where incoming SW to NW swells wrap around the headland and unwind into extended walls running parallel to the shoreline. The bottom is a mix of uneven reef and sand, producing a wave that is slopey and well-covered rather than hollow β rides build progressively and can stretch to 200-500m on a good day, making it a genuine long-wave spot in a region not short of quality beach breaks. The wave needs size to perform: solid SW groundswell is the benchmark, and any northerly component in the wind will do the job offshore. Timing is critical β rocks scattered through the lineup make this spot genuinely hazardous below mid tide, and it comes into its own as the tide pushes toward high. The swell wraps best on bigger, stormy pulses that might close out exposed beaches further north, which partly explains why it draws a crowd when conditions cooperate. Longboarders are well represented in the water when it fires, drawn by the length and mellow character of the rides. A lateral current runs along the break during longer sessions, so paddling back against it is a losing battle β the accepted approach is to walk the beach back to your entry point. Campervan parking is available nearby for those timing the tides overnight.
Swells wrap the Pointe du Groin du Cou into two-hundred-metre walls of unbroken reform.
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The break draws a consistent crowd when conditions are right, with longboarders and intermediates making up much of the lineup. Its infrequent nature means sessions can feel busy relative to the wave count on offer.
Mellow long-wall escape
Pays de la Loire
Long, mellow right-hander peeling from the pier at La Tranche sur Mer on stormy W-NW swells.
Pays de la Loire
Hollow, powerful beachbreak peaks along Longeville's coast, ranging from workable walls at Les Conches to raw sandbars at Bud-Bud.
Nouvelle Aquitaine
Powerful reef peak on Γle de RΓ© delivering a punchy left and softer high-tide right over a shallow rock ledge.
+9 MORE βOnly paddle out at mid to high tide β exposed reef at lower levels makes entry and surfing genuinely hazardous
After long rides, walk back up the beach rather than paddling against the lateral sweep
Best on large SW groundswell that has wrapped around the headland β the bigger and more westerly the swell, the longer the walls
Any northerly component in the wind keeps conditions clean
Campervan parking is legal overnight near the break, useful for catching the right tide window at dawn
HAZARDS Β· KNOW BEFORE YOU PADDLE
Free car park and roadside parking available near the break. Campervan overnight parking is permitted legally at the site. Entry to the water is tide-dependent β access over rocks at lower stages of the tide.
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