Looking at going to france for two weeks for the first time around lower west coast and looking for help on the windsurf scene there.Locations and conditions are my main interest, mainly freeride not large wave.Acomadation is not of much concern as stopping in campervan but if anybody has some good spots with beach access that would be great.thanks

I worked at a campsite on the big lake near Biscarosse summer 1999. Not much wind when I was there. Best you could hope for was a sea breeze which occasionally got up to planing strength. Then there's the sea as well, but never saw anyone windsurfing there (no wind). Very nice part of the world though, and quality surfing.

If you're not after waves then Arcachon is quite popular. It is near(ish) to Bordeaux - I don't know if that is far south enough. The wind funnels down an estuary, so the tide can be strong, but the wind seemed OK and there were always lots of people out when I went there (many years ago). We were in a camper van and there are great campsites all along that stretch of coast in the forests behind the Dune de Pila (spelling?).

Just north of Arcachon there are supposed to be lots of lakes, but I never made it to them. We headed south stopping every day somewhere different before hitting Biaritz. From Arcachon going south, the coast is pretty much wave sailing and surfing all the way - although we were there in August and there was bob all wind or waves!