Moliets is situated in the south of France, in Les Landes, in between of Biarritz and Bordeaux, right on the Atlantic Ocean. It is about a half hour away from Hossegor and just a little more than one hour from the Spanish boarder.
Everybody who doesn’t have anything to do with surfing will probably never have heard of this place, but everybody who does knows that it is the centre of surfcamps in France. That’s how I landed there as well, as a participant in a German Surfcamp on the Atlantic coast. Today there are surfcamps from Spain, Belgium, England, the Netherlands, France and Germany situated in Moliets, turning the beach into a huge learning centre for the surfsport and the town of Moliets into a fun, international melting pot.
Moliets is known for its endless-looking sand beach. So even if it might be very crowded at some places because of all the surf schools you can always walk a little further and you’ll find yourself pretty much “alone” on the beach. Also a highlight is the river “courant d’huchet” that flows here at the beach into the ocean. It is part of the typical “Moliets Beach postcard view”. It’s impressive how this river changes, depending on the tides, but also over the years. If it is for example high tide the river can reach chin height, which might force you to swim to come to the other side of the beach. Than some hours later it can be just ankle-high again. Every year when I come to Moliets again the river is situated somewhere else than it was the year before, as the river bed moves always a little bit throughout the year.
As you can assume from all the surfcamps being there, Moliets gets some good waves. It is a beach break, which means there are no rocks in the water, which makes it also a great place for beginners. In summer they are most of the times a little bit smaller, offering great conditions for a first surf experience. On some days although, especially in Autumn the waves can get pretty big and wild, which is more something for advanced surfers (still the whitewater stays good for beginners). And if you are really lucky, you might see days in Moliets that look a little bit like you are on the shore of Hawaii: sun, blue water and barrels, which make a surfer’s heart beat faster.
One of my favourites things about Moliets are definitely the sunrises and sunsets. At this place I have seen some of the greatest ever! In the morning we sometimes go surfing before breakfast, which is one of the best things, to see the sun rising from your surfboard. The sun in Moliets rises over the pine tree woods behind the beach, which puts the water, the river and the air in special light and a wonderful atmosphere. There is no relaxing and better way to start the day! The sunsets in Moliets are at least just as beautiful. As it is situated on the west coast of France the sun sets over the ocean, which leads on clear days to spectacular sunsets. Then the whole sky is coloured in red, orange and yellow and the sun sinks into the ocean like a big glowing ball. Also here, in my opinion, the best way to enjoy this magical time is on a surfboard in the water. But also on the beach it is a great experience, as many people, especially often groups from the surfcamps gather here to celebrate the end of the day together. There are sometimes people playing the guitar, singing or even doing yoga. Whatever you do, there is always a great atmosphere during sunset at Moliets plage.
Next to surfing you can do plenty of other stuff like on every regular beach...collecting sea shells, talking long beach walks, going for a swim, playing beach volleyball or just relax in the sun. For the swimmers there is a special bathing zone, where lifeguards supervise the water. The rest of the beach is reserved to the surfers, as it is too dangerous to swim because often strong currents occur. Close to the river there is an exit that leads to the camping space where all the surfcamps are situated. On the other side of the beach, close to the bathing zone, there is another exit leading to the promenade with plenty of shops and restaurants.
Something you should know is that some things are forbidden at the beach, which often leads to problems between visitors and the authorities. For example during the evening, many of us like to have a beer while enjoying sunset, but drinking in public is forbidden in France, so if you do so, be careful to not get caught (although the police doesn’t really come often to the beach at night anyways.. ). Also forbidden and definitely more controlled are bonfires. They often fly with helicopters over the beach and check it, and as I heard just sitting at a bonfire can lead to a big fine. During the day you should also just swim in the bathing zone, as swimming at the other parts of the beach is not only forbidden, but also perilous.
So if you like surfing, or want to get into this amazing sport, Moliets is definitely the perfect place for you. A lot of fun surfcamps and people, a beautiful beach and good waves.
