Groningen, Netherlands
May · 18% rideableSchildmeer
What it's actually like
The Schildmeer is a lake near Steendam in the province of Groningen, with a surf beach on Roegeweg. Visit Groningen, the provincial tourist board, calls it a perfect surfing beach, thanks to a spacious car park, a wide grassy access area and a sheltered location, and suits it to wing foilers, wind foilers and windsurfers with fins. Surfcenter Experience sits right beside the beach.
November to February are the windiest months in the record, and even then it is about one day in two at best. November and January clear 12 knots for three daylight hours on just under half of their days, December on more than four in ten and February on four in ten. March to September sit between about one day in seven and three in ten. The mean over those rideable hours is 15 to 17 knots. In December and January the share of windy days holds through the day; in spring and summer it builds into the afternoon, from under one in ten at 8am in April to about a quarter by mid-afternoon. This is an inland lake: pick your days and it can still deliver a proper winter sesh.
Groningen Airport Eelde is about 34 km by road, around 37 minutes, and Groningen station about 31 km.
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Your month
When it's good
12 kt+ for 3+ daylight hours · kite
May · 18%. 6 rideable days in 31, 1.2 hours a day over 12 kt. Go elsewhere.
At a glance
Is it for you?
Geek analysis
May in the record
18% of days clear 12 kt for three daylight hours or more.
In May the wind most often sits at 8 to 11 kt (40% of daylight hours). No daylight hour is over 12 kt on at least half the days. The best hour is 6pm, on 14% of days. See both charts in the full report
No weather station near enough to check these figures against.
May on the record
The month's own figures, not the year's average.
Take it with you
The full Schildmeer report
Seven sections over six pages, built from the same record as this page. A PDF you can read on the plane.
When it gets busy
Crowds
WindChaser has no crowd count for the Schildmeer yet. The Surfcenter teaches on the lake on Friday evenings and Saturdays from April to October.
On the water
What May usually does
May sits outside the best months here. 18% of days clear 12 kt for three daylight hours or more.
Your playground
Launches & safety
Conditions change. Check local rules and conditions before you ride.
- Launch
- Hazard
- Parking
- School
- Stay
- Webcam
- Approximate
Local intel
Getting there & on the ground
Stay, schools & kit
Who works this beach
All 3 stays near Schildmeer on one page