Wing foiling in Brittany

Anne Stevens was back in Brittany in 2026. A travelogue.

Since my last two holidays in Brittany, I’ve become hooked on surfing, particularly longboarding. I swapped my 8.0 board, which I’d hardly used up to that point, for a 9.2, and set off for Audierne full of enthusiasm.

Unlike in June, this time I got the impression that, at this time of year, a great many surfers from all sorts of different countries had rented a cottage or a flat. There were a striking number of surfers travelling by car.

My friend Cornelia from the Netherlands had also rented a cottage together with her surfer friend. On top of that, we went out on the water at a different spot almost every day, and I tended to look for a parking space there on the spur of the moment.

This meant we didn’t really get to chill out together next to our vans, but then again, that wasn’t why we’d travelled to Brittany. We only wanted one thing: surfing. Sure, I had no objection to the odd wing foil or windsurfing session, but the focus was very clearly on improving my surfing skills.

On the day I arrived, I’d already had my first few lovely rides in Penhors. The next day was set to bring wind, and because of the big white-water waves in Penhors, we decided on a wing foil session in Audierne.

Were we at the right spot? We were still pondering what to do when the first locals finally turned up. We headed out onto the water with the 4.5, the wind was gusty but enough for a nice session. In the dull, rainy weather, though, I really missed my beloved Breton colours.

Over the next few days, we had brilliant surfing conditions. Every day we found a spot with almost no wind, which was particularly important for Cornelia as a beginner. On some days, we could even have surfed in the morning and wing foiled in the afternoon, but we were all so knackered from surfing that, with just two exceptions, we stuck to just one session a day.

Even my bike stayed on the rack this time, and I didn’t have the energy for anything more than a few lovely walks along the coastal path and a couple of short strolls around town.

I wouldn’t have thought that surfing could be so exhausting. Then the wind came back into play, and instead of surfing, we headed back to Audierne for some wing foiling. And there they were, my beloved colours of Brittany, which made flying across the water on the 4.5 wing twice as much fun.

After wing foiling, I decided to check out a surfing spot I hadn’t been to before. As I looked out over the dune, I saw them – the masses of water forming into huge, towering waves, only to crash onto the beach with full force. Although the waves seemed to be up to 6 metres high, there were quite a few surfers out in the water. I could see for myself how some of the surfers were sucked up by the waves and then disappeared into the white water.

Just watching made me afraid of drowning, but I also saw quite a few good rides, some even through the tubes of the breaking waves. I hadn’t seen anything like that in Brittany before.

Over the following days, we were incredibly lucky again with brilliant surfing conditions, sunshine and, at times, blue skies. Okay, getting out on the water at zero degrees and before sunrise isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but on the plus side, it wasn’t too crowded at that time of day.

A storm front rolled in and waves of up to eight metres were forecast; although I would have loved to watch that spectacle, it was time to say goodbye to Brittany. This storm front brought our run of good luck to an end, just as our holiday was drawing to a close. During my 13 days there, I had fifteen surfing sessions and two wing foil sessions – so 100 per cent time on the water. My surfing skills had clearly improved, and I was absolutely delighted with the fantastic wave conditions on the way back.

Saint-Malo was still on my bucket list for the return journey. I would have loved to see the metre-high waves crashing against the restaurants for which the town is famous. Unfortunately, the tide wasn’t right, and the Grande Marée wasn’t forecast until the following week. After a leisurely stroll through the very, very beautiful old town, I made my way across the stunning long sandy beach towards the surf spot.

There were some properly big and chaotically breaking waves out there, but the many windsurfers were clearly having fun despite the huge white-water rollers. A lone kitesurfer was making his way across the water, and a few wing foilers were flying a little further west over the choppy sea.

The kilometre-long sandy beach and the varied row of houses along the long promenade provide a beautiful backdrop for this special surf spot. However, parking spaces close to the spot are in short supply here.

With this highlight, the trip drew to a close. It was lovely.

November 13, 2026 © WING DAILY  |  text: Anne Stevens  |  photos/graphics: Anne Stevens  |  translation: DE