Hossegor: The Surf of La Gravière and the Sea Lake
Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France
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Gravière Surfer
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300
XP
+100 France
= 400 total
1 day
Hossegor: The Surf of La Gravière and the Sea Lake
300 + 100 XP
Hossegor took its name from its lake: the commune of Soorts added 'Hossegor' to its name in 1913. The lake is a remnant of the old mouth of the Adour, which was moved from Capbreton to Bayonne, and it is a sea lake — the tide runs in and out of it through the Hossegor canal to the Boucarot pass. Napoleon III ordered the canal by decree from Biarritz on 12 October 1868, so that the tidal flow would scour the sand out of the harbour; the work stopped for a year in the war of 1870, and in the end a big tide and a violent storm finished cutting it through on 11 March 1876. The lake is up to 2,300 metres long and 300 wide. On the ocean side is La Gravière, the surf spot the town is known for.
Required Activities
1
of 5
Stand on the dune above La Gravière at low tide and watch a set come in: the wave stands up over a sandbank close in and lands in shallow water, which is why this is one of the best-known breaks on the coast and no place for a family swim. Count how many of the line-up actually come out of a wave standing up before you decide whether to paddle out
2
of 5
Walk the whole 2.3 km length of the sea lake at low water, when it has drained almost dry and you can read the channels in the mud, then come back to the same spot near high water and see the same ground under the sea — this is salt water arriving and leaving through a canal, not a river
3
of 5
Find the canal to the Boucarot pass, finished by a storm on 11 March 1876
4
of 5
Walk the ocean front from the dunes to the sea-wall promenade and find La Grande Vague, Dominique Antony's wall painting standing over the dune works, then turn inland and pick out the néo-basque villas built in a single terraced row — the 1920s seafront that made this resort
5
of 5
Find the oyster beds laid out in the lake, then eat a dozen of them at one of the cabins at the south-east corner where the lake's own oysters are served, and taste for the salt the tide brings in through the canal
Stand on the dune above La Gravière at low tide and watch a set come in: the wave stands up over a sandbank close in and lands in shallow water, which is why this is one of the best-known breaks on the coast and no place for a family swim. Count how many of the line-up actually come out of a wave standing up before you decide whether to paddle out
Walk the whole 2.3 km length of the sea lake at low water, when it has drained almost dry and you can read the channels in the mud, then come back to the same spot near high water and see the same ground under the sea — this is salt water arriving and leaving through a canal, not a river
Find the canal to the Boucarot pass, finished by a storm on 11 March 1876
Walk the ocean front from the dunes to the sea-wall promenade and find La Grande Vague, Dominique Antony's wall painting standing over the dune works, then turn inland and pick out the néo-basque villas built in a single terraced row — the 1920s seafront that made this resort
Find the oyster beds laid out in the lake, then eat a dozen of them at one of the cabins at the south-east corner where the lake's own oysters are served, and taste for the salt the tide brings in through the canal
Before you go
La Gravière is a shore-break wave that lands in shallow water and it is only lifeguarded from 4 July to 30 August, 11am to 7pm; the commune's Plage Sud is covered far longer, 4 April to 25 October. Outside those windows there is nobody watching and the emergency number is 112. The autumn swell that makes La Gravière famous arrives after the lifeguards have gone, so if you come for the surf in September or October, watch it rather than paddle out unless you surf a heavy beach break; a family swim belongs on the lake or on a supervised beach.
On the lake, the Plage des Chênes-Lièges is the one with the longest cover — lifeguarded from the end of May to late September, afternoons outside high summer and 11am to 7pm in July and August. The Plage du Parc, the Plage du Rey and the Plage Blanche are watched in July and August only, afternoons. The lake drains almost completely at low tide, so check the state of the water before you plan a swim, and remember the oyster beds are working ground, not a play area.
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About Nouvelle-Aquitaine
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Challenge Location
XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
300 XP
France country bonus
+100 XP
Potential total
400 XP
Country bonus earned on completion of your first challenge in France.
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