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Arcachon, moving around

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As the afternoon draws to a close in Arcachon, the thing to do is to drive or cycle 8km south, through the resorts of Moulleau, Pyla-sur-mer and Pyla plage.. In the pine trees, there’s a pay car park where you can leave your vehicle and beyond that, the awesome, terrible, extraordinary sight of the Moby Dick of the dunes: the DUNE DU PILAT. At more than 1000 meters the highest pile of sand in Europe, at 2.7 km the longest, and near to 200 m the widest. Scientists have found that Pilat began to form 8,000 years ago, and more or less reached its present dimensions in the 17th century. Like all dunes, it’s a constant state of flux, and every year it inches about 5 meters, consuming the pines and forcing the campsites and cafes at its rim to move a bit further inland. A wooden stair with 190 steps helps you to get to the top of the steep behemoth for and unforgettable view---especially at sunset. Often included in the sundown view are schools of bottlenose dolphins and porpoises, who like to frolic just offshore.

South of the sand monster there’s le Petit Nice Beach, and beyond that a naturist beach, both with lifeguards and snack-bars.

Around the basin of Arcachon there are ten “communes”, picturesque little ports with wooden oyster shacks, beaches, a river delta and a bird sanctuary, and a score of rather more commercial amusements waiting to be savored around the rim of the basin. Try at least to cross the water the traditional way, in a “pinasse”---promenades are offered from the ports of Arcachon, Ares, Andernos and Lege-Cap-Feret.

East of Arcachon, pines line the basin at La Teste de Buch. Its name recalls the captals de Buch who lorded it over the basin in the middle Ages, although in these days pine resin rather than oysters were the cash crop. La Tete has some handsome houses dating back to the 18th century, and includes in its municipal boundaries not only the dune du Pilat and a race track but also the LAC DE CAZAUX, the second largest in France.