Located in the southwest of France, Aquitaine extends from the estuary of the Gironde (near Bordeaux) to the estuary of the Bidasoa, forming a 250 km beach. In a single stroke.
In addition, the sands deposited by the Ocean currents Over millennia and the winds have built an impressive dune wall where we can find the highest dune in Europe. With their 117 meters high, the dune of Pyla It is the most visited natural site in Aquitaine.
Although it is true that its climbing, facilitated by a path conditioned for it, constitutes in a certain way a sporting feat, the panoramic of the Arcachon Bay, of the ocean and the forest that it offers us in its upper part, amply rewards the effort made.
But going back to the vastness of this 250 km long beach, comment that behind it a succession of ponds and lakes have been formed, favoring the growth of the vegetation, thus dressing the rounded profile of the dunes.
In the 19th century, to fight against the invasion of the sand and dry out the wetlands, the residents of the area began gigantic drainage and planting works. For this they chose a tree that withstands sand and high temperatures: the maritime pine. Today these trees form the largest forest in Europe, with a million hectares.
At the heart of this forest mass, the microclimate created by the waters of the Leyre It has given rise to a strange forest populated by giant ferns that can be visited on board a canoe.
Bordeaux and the Aquitaine Region of France (May 2024)
- Aquitaine
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