Bassin d'Arcachon (5)

This is definitely the day we should have gone to the Dune de Pyla - it was cooler and somewhat overcast. But that made it quite pleasant for our boat trip round the bay - carefully chosen to depart as close as possible to high tide. The photos are far from the best, partly due to the haziness and partly due to the motion of the boat. We first went towards the île aux oiseaux (island of the birds) in the centre of the bay. Originally it was used as pasture for cattle and horses - but after severe storms in the eighteenth and late nineteenth centuries submerged the island and killed much of the livestock, it became used primarily for hunting and fishing. It had quite a lot of small buildings on it, used for leisure. The two most famous and picturesque are the "cabanes tchanquées" on their stilts. Both were built in the nineteen-fifties and one is still in the possession of the family of the original builder, the other is now owned by the state.
We then headed towards Cap Ferret peninsula and slowly sailed along it towards the tip. It was very interesting to see, from the sea, the other side of what we had seen from the road a couple of days previously - I think the restaurant with the "oyster tastings" sign was perhaps the same place as we had seen all the egrets. Unfortunately the amplification of the pilot's guided tour left a lot to be desired; his French was easy to understand but hard to hear.

Arcachon seafront

Whale fluke sculpture

Looking back towards one of the piers

Cap Ferret lighthouse

typical oyster-bed workboat

Life on the seafront

Floating dustbin

l'île aux oiseaux, cabanes tchanquées

l'île aux oiseaux

Bassin d'Arcachon (4)

With distinct lack of planning, we chose the hottest day of our holiday (the temperatures soared to 40°C (over 100°F) to go and visit the Dune de Pyla (or Pilate). This is the highest sand dune in Europe, measuring over 100 metres high and almost 3 kilometres in length. But in that heat, the sand was burning hot. We made an attempt to climb down the far side of it to the sea, but had to give up - we would have needed boots and socks. It was quite amazing, though...And we could smell the pine sap for quite a distance.
Afterwards, we went and spent the rest of the afternoon on a nearby beach.
This was the only day that I had problems with my catering arrangements - the butter melted in the cool box!

The next day was somewhat overcast and cooler, and is really the day we should have gone to the dune. Instead, we planned to take an afternoon trip around the bay. I must have walked into the town centre in the morning for some reason, because that's where the following photos were taken. For a centre that had no grocery shops, it had an abundance of estate agents, I think there were at least two more with less photogenic signs.
The little cow bell looks as if would have belonged more appropriately in the Auvergne.

Bassin d'Arcachon (3)

Our first major trip was to the tip of the right-hand arm that that surrounds the bay of Arcachon.

The first part of the drive was through one small town after another - interesting to see but a slow drive, and we returned by a longer but much easier route.
Then we reached the pensinsula, and while it was still one small village after another, the gaps between them were much longer, and there were great views across the bay.
Our first stop was at the Reservoirs de Piraillan, old 19th c fish ponds which are now a natural reserve. We didn't go in, but we enjoyed seeing all the egrets. I've never seen so many in one place before; the photo of them in the pine trees is a little fuzzy because I had to use digital zoom. C, with the spotting scope, was able to tell me that there were also herons in the trees.
Our next stop was in Cap Ferret, where we parked and walked to the lighthouse. Since it was on an enclosed site, it was hard to get a good photo. From there, we went on to the tip of the pensinsula.
And after that we went and spent the afternoon on one of the Atlantic-facing beaches.

low tide; the boat in the foregrounds is one of the typical work-boats, used in the oyster farms

Cap Ferret lighthouse

All the sticks are part of the oyster beds - this is one of the bay-facing beaches

looking from the tip of the peninsula across the bay

Bassin d'Arcachon (2)

Most of these photos were taken around the town. We had been spoiled by superlative bread and croissants in Chambon. Having tried the croissants available from the on-site restaurant in Biganos, and been very underwhelmed by them, I made the effort to walk about 25 minutes to an artisan bakery one morning to see what they had to offer...Equally disappointing; for the rest of our stay we stuck with bread and jam and fruit for our breakfast. But I enjoyed the walk, and it helped me understand a little better how the town was laid out. It's a very low-rise sprawling area, and even with a map we found it easy to get lost.

Beautifully weathered paint, which I got to see just before it was renovated. The town hall had two separate annexes, even though the original main building didn't look that small.

Biganos church

Bassin d'Arcachon (1)

From the Auvergne we packed up (luckily it was a bright sunny morning, and the dew on the tent was dry quite early!) and headed south and west again, for the last week of our holiday. We spent 7 nights in Chambon sur Lac, and in that time we only drove 128 miles, since there was so much to see and do close at hand. That mileage included having to drive to the supermarket in the next town each day unless we passed one on our outing, too. I'd love to see those mountains in winter, they must be quite amazing. I'd be quite happy to visit the area again, it was so beautiful and peaceful.

We were finishing up back by the sea again...Arcachon Bay is a very tidal area in the Aquitaine region of France; at high tide the bay covers an area of 150 km², and only 40 km² when the tide is out. The beaches on the coast north and south of the mouth of the bay are beautiful, golden and sandy with the Atlantic sea providing great waves - and strong currents in places. We did go to one of the beaches inside the bay area on our last day - but in the end I didn't swim. It was quite a small area, almost like a salt pool and almost seemed to smell stale,  and I had been spoiled by the beautiful beaches we had been on previously. Perhaps for novelty value I should have! It would probably have been warmer than the Atlantic.

Mimosa trees were in full bloom everywhere

The following photos are from Biganos Port. In the evening of the day we arrived, we set off with the town map given to us at the campsite reception, hoping to find one of the two ports. In the end I think we gave up about 50 metres short of actually finding it - but on the other hand, we weren't looking for something built around two or three river channels extending into the delta! I should have done more homework before we arrived. It was extremely picturesque and scenic. The owners of the little cabins put a lot of love and care into decorating them. We had to cut the walk short, though, when one of my flip-flops broke. Biganos is the larger of the two ports.