Wissant — Cap Gris-Nez

Wissant, the great wild bay of the strait, wedged between Cap Gris-Nez and Cap Blanc-Nez: reputedly the windiest spot in the North, where the venturi effect of the two capes adds two or three knots. A huge sand foreshore at low tide — which vanishes completely at high tide, the sea coming up against the dyke.

Wissant is the great listed bay of the Two Capes, arguably the prettiest spot on the Côte d'Opale and its windiest: between Cap Gris-Nez and Cap Blanc-Nez the wind funnels in and strengthens by two or three knots over the rest of the coast. The spot stays flat from 12 to 15 knots, then turns into a wave spot beyond. But everything here reads off the tide. The range is major (high waters up to about 9 metres) and the bay has two faces: at low tide, a huge sand foreshore where you rig in peace, away from the crowd — that's the spot's moment, ideally on a falling south-westerly; at high tide, the beach disappears, the sea beats the dyke, the waves break and the space shrinks to nothing. The currents are real and alternate with the tide: strong to the right on the flood, strong to the left on the ebb. In the background, the Strait of Dover holds some of the most powerful currents on our coast and one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world: drifting out from the bay is no small thing. The one wind to ban is the south-east, full offshore. In summer, a marked kite zone is set up to the right of the bathing area, towards Blanc-Nez. One last point: Wissant is an eroding coast, the dyke has given way in the past — the beach and its accesses can change from one season to the next.