Normandy may well be most known for its World War II heritage or its deliciously rich gastronomy, or even its ties to Impressionism, but it is also a haven for laid-back and easy watersports.  

The region’s long beaches, fairly calm waves but steady winds make it an ideal destination to try out water-based activities for all ages and fitness levels. I tried some out for you and found that Normandy is perfect for fun in the sun and the swell for the whole family.

Aquatic walking or longe-côte

It was a slightly grey day in Dieppe when I surveyed the large ferry leaving the port from the pebbly beach. A slight breeze picked up and I shivered at the idea of heading into the water that reflected the colour of the sky. But I was immediately put to shame when I spotted a group of silver-haired bathers trudging out of the sea, tousling their wet hair and dabbing towels over their bathing suits. A trio detached themselves from the group and trudged towards us in their water shoes. 

Françoise, 73, is the President of the Marche Aquatique Dieppoise club who gathers every single day of the year to “hike” in the sea. The sport was first invented in Dunkerque in 2005 and the first clubs began to appear in 2009. Now, the sport is affiliated with the national hiking federation. Françoise said a jovial “on y va”, giggling at our grimaces, and marched us down to the shoreline. Equipped with just a bathing suit or a short wetsuit, amateurs of marche aquatique must wear shoes. “And we sometimes wear woolly hats in the winter”, Françoise’s friend, Patrice confided before winking and trotting into the sea. To our surprise, the water felt warmer than the air and we headed in until the waves lapped at our upper belly. Françoise demonstrated the correct movement – making an exaggerated step forward, bending the knee as your foot hits the bottom, you then use you arms to pull the water back and propel yourself forward. 

Heart rates quickly rose and I thoroughly enjoyed the exercise which, with the water resistance, proved to be vigorous but low-impact. The retired trio showed us a couple of combos and suddenly we were almost dancing in the water, moving to the rhythm of Françoise’s counting. We walked the length of Dieppe’s beach and back, chatting all the while and marveling at the benefits we were already feeling from the session. 

For information on how to join a water hike, head to the club’s Facebook page. 

Sand-yachting or char à voile 

Down the coast, in Asnelles, the beach – also known as Omaha beach – at low tide is a never ending expanse of hard, compact sand. A steady breeze rushes along the coastline. Perfect conditions, in short, for sand-yachting, a very popular sport in France, known as char à voile (literally ‘a sail-chariot’). 

My group and I headed out onto the flat beach with Hélène, our instructor. Shaped like small, roughly triangular canoes, with a mast at its front end, the chars sit on three wheels. Once you’re seated, almost lying down and you have a rope to pull the sail tight or give slack. The tighter you pull, the faster you go. A lever down the side of your leg acts as a hand break once you’ve slowed down to an almost complete stop and another lever at your feet allows you to turn: push down on your right foot to turn right, and your left foot to go left. 

A little apprehensive at first, I soon loved the feeling of the pressure of the wind filling my sail and the speed I reached by tightening the rope. Spurred on by the little adrenaline rush, our group enjoyed going round the course Hélène had set for us and we couldn’t help the huge grins spreading on our faces as we whizzed and raced around the beach. 

The instructors at the Asnelles club are literal stars: only later did we find out that Hélène had been European champion a few years back and the club director is the 2012 world champion, François Garnavault. Amateurs of the sport are hoping to make sand-yachting an Olympic discipline. 

Book a 1h30 session in Asnelles with www.charavoile-asnelles.fr. Groups are welcome. 

Surfing 

While the French surf spots are mostly down in the south-west, a decent but not too rough a swell crashes against the Hatainville beach near Barneville-Carterêts and we were booked in for a lesson there with Vana surf school. True to the surfer dudes’ vibes, Vana surf school operates out of a truck, parked just behind the nature reserve. We met up with Konrad, who lived up to said vibe and kitted us out and headed out to the water – a small trek across another flat, never-ending beach (where was my sand yacht!).  

The weather was beautiful and the waves were small but it was perfect for us beginners. I’d had two bad previous experiences attempting to surf in Lacanau in France and Cornwall in the UK and I was looking forward to another try. Konrad’s clear and patient instructions were very helpful and we soon got in the water. I loved every second of it: the tame waves were perfect for me to get used to the board and not be afraid of the speed. A few of us even stood up in the two hour-long lesson but the highlight was seeing a pod of dolphins playing just beyond the wave line. 

Konrad and his colleague can offer lessons from April 1 to November 30 in Spanish, English and German and kids from the age of 7 can sign up for a lesson. You can also rent wetsuits and boards from them. Find out more here: www.vanasurfnormandie.fr.