Dune du Pyla is a 110 meter high sand dune located in the Bay of Biscay on the West coast of France 10 Km from the picturesque town of Arcachon and a 70km drive from Bordeaux. Its a spot that ASCENT PARAGLIDING has now been running skills & control courses at for 5 years and we love it and can’t get enough of it!
The vibe, the consistency, the progression it offers clients and those views!
The dune is situated between the Atlantic in the West and a large pine forest to the East. The dune itself is 2,500 meters long and is about 600 meters wide. At this time of year the dune gets a consistent sea breeze which comes on at about 11 am, generated from the warming of the large flat lands to the East of the dune.
Dune du Pyla is the best site in Europe for developing essential ground handling skills and techniques because of the soft terrain and the large open dune. A week’s flying at the dune is comparable to a year’s worth of UK flying in terms improving your glider control. It is truly a paraglider’s playground and a very fun place to fly.
Dune du Pyla is also very family friendly, so if you would like to come with your family they will have plenty to do while you go flying!
The surrounding area
Dune du Pyla is located in the Bay of Biscay and has many beautiful towns in the vicinity. If, in the unlikely event it isn’t flyable on one of the days, there are many activities and enjoyable ways to spend the day in the area if chilling out at the pool or on the beach doesn’t suit you.
Arcachon has many museums and cultural attractions. It also has some of the finest oyster restaurants, that won’t break the bank. Serving the oysters’ from the local farms out in the bay. Activities on offer range from bike rentals, quad biking through the pine forests, go karting, kayaking and also wine tasting from the local vineyards.
Bordeaux is 65km away. So should you wish to take a day trip to the beautiful city, that could be a great way to spend the day.
Launch sites
Depending on the conditions you can either launch from the steeper middle section in the center of the dune or pick a spot anywhere on the large dune.
Landing
Pick your spot. The open nature of the dune means you can land in most places, but be respectful of the sun bathers and avoid landing in amongst them.
Pilot experience
The trip is open to all and anyone looking to improve on their glider control and flying. It doesn’t matter if you have 100 plus hours or 2 hours. You’ll definitely learn some new tricks, brush up on old ones and go home a better pilot with a big smile on your face at the end of the week. Pilots will need to be C.P rated.
The tuition
Whether you want to improve on your;
- Inflation and deflation techniques
- Work on your pitch and roll control, while soaring
- Improve your kiting and ground handling skills
- Or try more advanced techniques like the cobra launch
The tuition can be tailored to your requirements.
What’s the flying like? Watch this video to see for yourself.
Other than fellow pilots, there are no obstacles anywhere on the large dune, so it’s ideal for soaring close and improving your terrain matching skills and playing in the silky smooth dynamic lift.
The center of the dune is best for soaring due to its steeper profile. You can easily stay up here all day should you wish to.
The south of the dune has a series of bowls with lots of obstacles in it to play with for the experienced pilot, but the whole dune offers some of the most relaxed and fun flying you will find anywhere in Europe.
Accommodation
Chalets book up very very early at Dune Du Plya so if you wish to stay in a chalet you must make your booking 3 months in advance in order to guarantee a chalet
Accommodation will be in the campsite just behind the dune. The walk to launch will be no more that 5 minutes walk from your bed.
Numbers permitting you will be staying in a Luxury mobile home. These sleep 6 but that would be 6 very close friends. I will be assigning 3 people per cabin so everyone gets their own space and has their own room and a good night’s sleep.
Floor plan of accommodation.
If you wish to share a room or you wish to bring your family and combine a flying holiday with a family holiday please contact me to discuss details.
If you do not wish to stay pay extra for a chalet and wish to camp the camp site has lots of idyllic pitches in the forest or over looking the dunes. Camping at the dune is all part of the experience and we generally camp as we love it!.
The campsite is excellent with a large swimming pool, bar, on site restaurant which does an excellent “fruit de mer”, mini supermarket and activity center for children.
There is also very good public transport should you wish to explore the local area.
Getting there
The closest airport is Bordeaux, which is 65 km from the dune. You can get a train to Arcachon where we will be able to organize collection from. Alternatively take a cheap rental car from Bordeaux airport if you wish to be mobile.
Cost
£595pp for the week camping. If you wish to stay in a chalet there is a £120pp extra charge.
Family discount available if renting a whole chalet please contact to discuss.
I look forward to hearing from you.
