La Dune du Pilat

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Known primarily for its remarkable size, this unique landscape is also notable for its beauty and diverse natural environment. La Dune du Pilat is Europe’s biggest sand dune and nestled between the Atlantic Ocean, an enormous pine forest, the Arcachon Bay and a peninsula!

Just under an hour's drive from Bordeaux, the dune is located at the entrance to the Archachon Bay.

Some data:

  • made up of 60 million cubic metres of sand
  • measures 100 to 115 metres in height depending on the year
  • 3 km long and 500m wide

Every year the dune shifts 1 to 5 metres eastward due to heavy winds and tides - slowly swallowing the pine forest at its feet.

Manmade stairs protrude from the dune to make the climb a little less daunting. If you are feeling energetic, you can scramble up the dune freestyle. 

The climb is worth the effort. Once at the top, you will be rewarded with sweeping views over the Cote D’Argent. The Atlantic Ocean laps the golden sand on one side of the dune and the Landes’ Forest lays like a lush green blanket on the other side. The contrast between the sand and the pine forest makes this dune a striking sight.

I studied in Bordeaux for 2 years and was a regular visitor to the dune with my friends. Of course, in those days, there were no stairs! I still vividly remember one very early morning, just coming out of a nightclub, when we decided to drive to the dune and watch the sunrise. Equipped with flasks of coffee and a few croissants, we climbed to the top and sat facing the sea… and we sat… when eventually one of us realised that the sun rises in the East and we were facing West! I should add, we were not studying geography!

We did eventually make it to the top to see a sunset and were not disappointed! Stunning!







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