The biggest sand castle in Europe. (Dune of Pilat (France))

Member Name: apuskiduski

Product:	Dune of Pilat (France)
Date:	18/06/09 (248 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Spectacular views, free to go up, steps provided, good carpark and facilities nearby.

Disadvantages: Climbing up sand is tiring, very hot in summer.

This review is about sand. Lots of sand. So, if you are eremikophobic, turn away now!!

The lots of sand to which I refer is the biggest pile of sand I've ever seen - the Dune du Pilat. Or could that be Pyla? The dune is located near Pyla-sur Mer, so Dune du Pyla is often used, and both are accepted in these days of dumming down, but officially the correct name is the Dune du Pilat.

Bet you didn't think France had any major sand dunes. I never associated France with vast desert scenes either, but it has the biggest sand dune in Europe, measuring, for all those figures people, 3km long (North to South) and 500m wide (West to East). It varies in height, according to when you go and what you read, between 100m and 117m above sea level. There's a massive 60,000,000 cubic metres of sand buried beneath the surface of this baby ( according to Wikipedia) and when you climb it you really will be "King of the (sand) Castle"

It was formed partly by the westerly winds, whose actions pick up and transport the sand from a giant sand bank, the Bank of Arguin, just off the coast and deposit it on the 'beach'. It grows at a quite remarkable 1-4m a year (3-13 ft) and provides a home for a variety of plant life, including convolvulus, sea holly, gilly flowers and of course beachgrass. It's come a long way since it was measured at 35m (114ft) high in 1855.

I've been to a couple of sand dunes in the Canary Islands, one in Gran Canaria and the other in Fuerteventura. Neither of these can hold a candle to Pilat in terms of sheer size, stature and spectacular views when you reach the top. But where exactly is it?

=======
Location
=======
Pilat is situated about 60km west of Bordeaux and 8km south of the Arcachon Basin - more of which later.

It's quite easy to find from Bordeaux, taking the E70 towards Arcachon, Exit 22 to Biscarosse on the A660, then the N250 and the D259. Google maps is a great help however, or better still a Satnav, which we have yet to invest in!!

You could go without Satnav, however, because as you approach the coast, a colossal mountain of sand looms up out of the pine forest that you're travelling through. If, as in our car, you have kids in the back, don't think of playing 'the first to spot the sand dune gets a Euro', as everyone will win it at the same time. There's nothing difficult about spotting this one.

=================
Climbing the Dune
=================

We parked in a large pay and display car park, with an attached picnic area and camp site, so there were lots of facilities nearby including toilets/showers, cafes, restaurants and gift shops - all selling objects made of sand believe it or not. We managed to acquire Petunia, a sand cow as my eldest has a passion for all things vache. It weighed a ton!

My advice is to save the buying for the return journey as it's a long way up 117m of sand.

Through a very pleasant shaded area a footpath leads to where the forest meets the sand, and the full height of the dune is appreciated, with a few dropped jaws on the day I visited I have to say.

Thankfully for some of the people I saw climbing, who were decidedly unfit, there was a flight of steps attached to the dune. I really think this should go on one of those "How do they do that?" programmes, because this dune is constantly moving inland at around 7m a year according to some sources. At least it's moving in the right direction I suppose.

The pine forest that surrounds it had to be planted to try to halt the speed of the dune moving and it seems to be doing a fairly good job at the moment. But how the steps manage to cope with the shifting nature of the sand amazed me.

There were eight of us who climbed Pilat on one of the sunniest, clearest days of the summer last year (four oldies and four young spritely teenage girls). None of us knew what to expect as we were all new to the area but when we reached the top, I can honestly say it was the most magnificent, breathtaking view I had ever seen and I mean ever.

I'm a very spiritual person and there's nothing that makes my heart bounce more than a spectacular landscape or a view from a mountain top. The view here was so good I remember giving God 10 out of 10 on this particular day. I was totally blown away, and I suppose I could have been, literally, as the wind does whip up a bit on the top.

When you finally reach the top - the steps are the best way to get up - you acquire commanding views of the majestic Atlantic Ocean ahead of you, the Foret de la Test to your left and behind you and the strange triangular shaped Arcachon Basin with Cap Ferret on the opposite side of its 'mouth' to your right. And, as it was crystal clear that day, we were also amazed to see the Pyrenees far off in the distance along the Silver Coast to the South.

We sat there, on this mountain of millions of cubic metres of sand, and realised we'd forgotten our buckets and spades! What a letdown. But we had brought everything else we could have carried in a couple of little backpacks. We had taken plenty of water, suncream, sunhats and sunglasses - without any of these our visit would have been unbearable.

Us old girls sat at the top sunbathing on our towels, listening to everyone puffing and panting as they climbed up the Eastern side of the dune. They obviously hadn't seen the steps. The hubbies and the young kids decided that they wanted to roll down the western face which slopes more gently down to the Atlantic shore. So they did. They had the best time a kid could have - and the girls enjoyed it too!!

Climbing back up was a little more difficult for them though and it was only then that the teenagers became the moaners, especially the one in jeans!!

While we were there I had time to have a really good look around with my binoculars and I wasn't looking for fit French men either!!

The view of the bay of Arcachon and the Bank of Arguin is so outstanding that Yann Arthus-Bertrand used an aerial photo of it in his book The Earth from Above, which contains some other spectacular awe-inspiring natural wonders.

The Arcachon Basin, and particularly the Parc Ornithologique du Teich, is a haven for tens of thousands of birds all year round, but in summer patient twitchers might delight in a rare sighting of the bluethroat if they are lucky - don't ask me what one is - a friend of mine was beside himself as he'd seen one there two years ago!

There are lots of more common species there including over 1000 couples of common heron; some migratory birds such as the greylag goose and the spoonbill as well as winter visitors such as the teal and dunlin. Botanists will love it too!

One really strange feature of the Basin is the huts or houses on stilts in the middle of the water. Presumably used by fishermen, they obviously need a boat to reach as they are so far from the water's edge. I suppose it could be like an extreme French shed!

We noticed lots of small boats criss-crossing the Basin. There are a few ferries and motor cruises that provide a regular service, Transbassin is a public ferry( not sure if it takes cars though) that sails between Arcachon to Cap Ferret saving you 62kms or one and a half hour's drive around the basin if you have a rushed itinerary.

There are some other smaller boats, called pinasses that are quite speedy and are brilliantly designed to navigate the water at its shallowest. The sandbanks are often covered up by shallow water when the tide goes out. The Basin loses three quarters of its 370 million cubic metres of water at low tide, so navigating the sandbanks is quite a tricky occupation.

Another amazing sight was the yachts in the basin. There are obviously lots of sailing schools, or outdoor activity centres nearby where sailing was a very popular activity.

Some people, on jet skis had left the calm of the basin and powered their way up to the sand banks of Arguin for a walkabout, somehow mooring up the jet ski for a while. I would have been worried the tide would come in and separate me from the jet ski, if I'm honest. But in the hour we sat there, nothing much seemed to happen to the sandbank.

After our lovely adventure on Europe's highest sand dune, we had to leave and head back down to the car. There was no option of going down the stairs for the kids. They'd rolled down the other side, so they were going to do the same or break out into a run, on this side. I, being the wimp that I am, went down the stairs and regretted it. I was going to climb them again and roll down after they'd all survived, but time was marching on and we had to be off on our next adventure in Mimizan, a pleasant 2 hour drive through the forest, South, along the coast.

To say we only paid a few Euros for parking the car, in the shade, with public toilets on hand, I think the Dune was one of the highlights of my fab fortnight in France last year. I had been thrilled with the culture and beauty of Bordeaux, but for the sheer power of nature and spectacular seascape I will always be grateful that we decided to visit. If you are in Aquitaine, in the Gironde, make the time to see this amazing feat of nature. You'll always be pleased you did, especially if you catch a sunset there!

For some spectacular pics of the dune: http://www.worldphotolocations.com/ and search for France and Dune du Pilat

Summary: Dune know what you're missing?