We were planning a vacation to the South of France and would be staying at a vineyard near Bordeaux. One of our British cousins, who we would be meeting there, had expressed interest in a road trip to the massive Dune du Pilat, as despite her frequent trips to visit a friend in the region, she had never been to the dune. It sounded like a perfect Footpaths outing. We were staying north of Bordeaux and east of the Gironde estuary, depicted with the wine glass on the map below. We opted to cross the estuary on a ferry at Blaye to get to Dune du Pilat, marked with a green hiker on the map, to avoid dealing with miserable traffic in Bordeaux.
Dune du Pilat is the largest sand dune in Europe, reaching over 300 feet in height. The sand of the dune originated in the streams of the Pyrenees Mountains on the border between France and Spain, and was delivered to the Atlantic, where northward coastal currents, prevailing winds from the west, and the obstructive shape of the Arachon Bay leads to the sands continued deposition. It is a popular tourist destination with over 2 million visitors per year. Luckily, on the day of our visit, the car park was less than half full, despite fair weather.
Leaving the parking lot, a crowded trail of boardwalk and concrete features educational signs and even a film, in French with English subtitles, that tell the natural history of the dunes. To our surprise there was also a collection of cafes and souvenir shops teaming with visitors.
At the end of the developed trail the test begins as the hardscape gives way to loose sand and the crowd thins out. Most visitors abandoned their shoes in an attempt to better handle the forgiving sands. I continued to wear mine, which I think was the right decision.
After a slogging through the soft sand at the base of the dune, one encounters a fabricated staircase that climbs the steep face. It is installed seasonally, from spring to fall, to make it easier for visitors to climb the slope.
The staircase is removed in October as winter storms would bury the structure in shifting sand. As it was, sections of the stairs were covered with up to 2 inches of sand.
As I climbed and looked south I could see the sharp demarcation between the massive dune and its forest backdrop.
The stairs end at a sub-summit, which gives one a beautiful view onto Arcachon Bay, a barrier island, and the Atlantic Ocean, as seen in the title photo and below. For perspective, the trees at the base of the dune near the shore are full size pine trees.
This is the end of the climb for many visitors, but to the south is a less steep ascent to the full crest,
where many stopped to enjoy additional vistas.
Atop the dune, one is exposed to strong westerly winds which made wearing a ball cap impossible, and added a little chill. The dune is 500 meters (1640 feet) wide and extends south for 2.7 kilometers (1.7 miles), with only a few people walking the crest on the day of our visit.
Despite the overcast day, the views from the top of the dune were outstanding.
Looking inland, to the east, one could appreciate the surrounding forest.
This view allowed us to understand the extent of damage caused by a large forest fire that occurred in July of 2022, when just under 15,000 acres burned over 10 days. As the result of climate change, the region had experienced drought like conditions and temperatures of 104 degrees Fahrenheit. The fire damage is evidenced by the leafless trees beyond the forest in the in the photo below. We had driven through this devastated landscape, which included destroyed vacation resorts and campgrounds, on our way to the preserve.
As for nature, over 140 plants have been identified on the dunes. The plant diversity primarily occurs along the edge where the dune meets the forest. I could see islands of trees between some of the dune and the sea, but did not venture down to study them. During the hike I was able to appreciate a few species of trees. The primary tree of the surrounding forest was Maritime Pine.
It had a dramatic bark whose plates had a sheen, looking as if they had been shellacked.
Interestingly, it had the widest needles of any pine that I have ever seen, which I described as “linguine-like” to the photographer.
Its large cones were eight inches long.
Also noted was English Oak, which, surprisingly,occurs across most of Europe and Western Asia. In mainland Europe it is more often referred to as Pedunculated Oak.
The steep incline of the dune allowed me to study the canopy of the oaks arising below me. The most unique feature of them was the long stem of its acorns, the “peduncle” that gives them their other name – “Pedunculated Oak”. The battle-worn appearance of the late season oak leaves in this photo is not surprising given the fact that over 2000 animals, especially insects, utilize the English Oak during some part of their life cycle.
A final tree that we noted was Common Hawthorn, which were full of marble-sized fruit, that are much larger than hawthorn fruit seen in the U.S.
One of the more interesting concepts about the dune ecosystem is that the dune landscape is very dynamic. While it is generally thought that large items in geography are static, that is not the case with sand dunes. Dunes, of course, are composed of small particles of sand that are indeed very mobile, and at any moment, some sand is being added to the dune, while other particles are leaving the dune. So the dune itself is ever changing. The Dune du Pilat is creeping inland at about 3 feet per year and as it does, it buries the large trees on the edge of the forest.
With their roots buried ever deeper, the trees eventually succumb, as did this cluster of trees.
In summary, our road trip to the Dune du Pilat was an excellent outing. The dune-forest ecosystem was interesting to study and ponder. A transitional grass and shrub zone was not present here as is commonly seen in other oceanside landscapes. I particularly enjoyed seeing the Maritime Pine and its many unique qualities. In an ideal world we would have had more time to walk the length of the dune, but we had to catch the ferry back to Blaye, as there were some delightful blends of Merlot and Cabernet Franc back at the vineyard awaiting our return.
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Photo credits to Peggy Juengling Burns, Patrick Burns, Patty Burns, Kevin Burns, Karen Rockell, and JoAnne Thomason.
Overview:
Location – Route de Biscarrosse RD 218 33115 Pyla-sur-Mer.
Trail Conditions – the trail from the parking area is concrete and boardwalk, but it eventually becomes lose sand.
Print Map Link – none.
Facilities – nice restrooms in the cafe area ahead of the dune.
Benches – many noted along the trail before the dune climb. None after the stairs.
Picnic Tables – in other parts of the park.
Kids – kids 6 and over should be able to climb the stairs.
Dogs – allowed while on a leash, although I do not recall seeing any.
Suggested Paired Hikes – none
Links:
https://www.bordeaux-tourism.co.uk/must-sees-around-bordeaux/pilat-dune