Nordic walking around the Bay of Arcachon

Evazio proposes a Nordic walk around the Bassin d’Arcachon, the only lake on the Aquitaine coast to have retained an opening to the sea. Twice a day, the water of this inland sea is renewed by the tide through narrow passes.

Since the middle of the last century, the Bassin d’Arcachon has been the kingdom of oysters, and our Nordic walking tour will give you a chance to admire the oyster basins. Its 84 km of beaches surrounded by pine trees make it an original and privileged place, unique in France. Surrounded to the west by the wild ocean, to the north and east by the Bordeaux vineyards, to the south by the immense forest of the Landes, your Nordic walk will take you along numerous paths, where hikers can enjoy unspoilt nature along the long beaches, in the small ports with their colorful huts, in the bird sanctuaries or in the pine forests.Between two nature reserves, you’ll discover a mosaic of landscapes and atmospheres: the Banc d’Arguin nature reserve, tumultuous wave rollers facing the ocean, oyster ports… But also colorful fishermen’s huts, the fascinating Dune du Pilat, the Gascony moors and endless beaches, and the town of Arcachon.

As for the diversity of the basin, it offers a mosaic of landscapes ideal for Nordic walking. The constant confrontation between ocean, wind, sand, freshwater and saltwater has created a world of its own, benefiting from a special microclimate. These remarkable conditions have given rise to a varied flora and fauna, including some 300 species of breeding and migratory birds. The 19th-century fashion for sea bathing made Arcachon a prestigious and renowned destination. The architecture of the winter town is as rich as it is diverse. Whimsical and marvelous villas bear witness to the era. Swiss or Norman cottages, Moorish or Baroque, colonial verandas or Chinese pavilions…