More than 140 miles of sand dunes stretch along the Atlantic coast of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, a rich ecosystem that includes vast maritime pine forest. Indeed, the coastline is one immense length of gorgeously soft sand beach, broken only by the inlet to Arcachon Bay, 40 miles west of Bordeaux. But there is so much more than magnificent dunes to discover along the Médoc-Atlantique.
At the Hourtin dunes and marshes nature reserve, 40 miles north-west of Bordeaux, you can discover not only the dune ridge and pine forest, but marshy meadows, lakes – and a much quieter, off-the-tourist-trail experience. There are self-guided hikes along waymarked trails, including boardwalks above the vegetation, in addition to guided walks from the reserve visitor centre with expert naturalists. Both help visitors appreciate this extensive and important ecosystem without causing sustained damage to it.
