Hattori Hansen

Hattori Hansen is a coastal soaring site on the French Atlantic dune belt, the same sand coast that runs down towards the far better known Dune du Pilat. The dune itself is the ridge: a west-facing wall of sand that switches on in SW, W and NW wind and lets a pilot run kilometres north or south above the beach. Launch height is barely 18 m, so nothing here depends on thermals — this is pure sea-breeze soaring, and the coast does the work.

Launch & conditions

Take-off is the crest of the dune beside a marked viewpoint, reached on foot. The wind builds through the day and regularly passes 35 km/h even under a clear summer sky, so the early slot is usually the manageable one.

Getting there & local rules

Park in the southern car park among the trees. A footpath leads west; after roughly 50 m turn south onto the nature trail, which climbs onto the dune and reaches the viewpoint and launch about 400 m along.

Local rules & hazards

Top landings are not tolerated here. Wardens and police ticket pilots who put down on the dunes, and unlike Pyla there is no ground handling on the sand. Land on the beach instead, well clear of the zones marked by black-and-yellow triangular signs, and away from bathers. The dune vegetation is protected — stay on the path.

Check conditions before you fly

A forecast for the valley is not a forecast for the launch. Before heading to Hattori Hansen, read the wind and thermals for the site itself, confirm the day's rules with the local club, and remember the standing rule — when in doubt, don't launch. In the free OutDare app you can open Hattori Hansen with a 7-day forecast built from high-resolution weather models, see who else has been flying, and get there with offline maps.