Kite Area guide
Viana do Castelo, Northern Portugal Coast
Viana do Castelo's Cabedelo is the coast's best-known kite beach, with two distinct halves inside one estuary.
When to kite
Best months: March, April, May, June, July, August, September.
About this Kite Area
Praia do Cabedelo sits at the mouth of the Lima river below Viana do Castelo, and it splits neatly in two. The north end is protected, with waist-deep water ideal for beginners. Rodanho, on the south side, takes stronger onshore wind and more swell, with waves breaking over a sandy bottom.
The Nortada blows from the north-west to north at 15 to 25 knots, onshore to cross-onshore, with afternoon thermals adding up to half again. An alternative south-westerly, the Suestada, gives cross-shore conditions more often outside the main season.
The peak runs May to September, with June and July windy on around two days in three, and April and October as shoulder months. Water sits at 14 to 20°C year-round, so a 3/4 mm wetsuit is standard and a windbreaker is welcome on the beach.