Les Petites Dalles

The region’s top spot in a north-easterly, with cross-shore starboard tack jumping over a clean reef-break. It starts working a couple of hours after high tide, but be careful at low water when the reef's barely submerged – just remember where the deep water channel is! The beach (pebbles at high water, sand at low) is framed by Normandy’s trademark chalk cliffs – beautiful, if dangerous with broken kit or a lack of experience. Gusty, cross-offshore south-westerly is OK too, although Fécamp is definitely the better bet.