Royan to Arcachon
And the ferry takes you across the Gironde to Le Verdon ....
... and the start of a mainly traffic-free cycle route of some 300km that takes you all the way down the West
coast, almost to Biarritz, passing through the occasional small seaside towns such as Soulac-sur-Mer
... and through the pine forests of the Medoc down to Lacarnau
…and continuing past Lacarnau through the forests to Cap Ferret.
where the small Transbassin ferry (only 7 per day, so worth checking times) takes you across the
Arcachon Basin to Arcachon.
Arcachon to Biarritz
Immediately after Arcachon the cycleroute briefly runs alongside the main road as it skirts around the Dune
du Pilat (supposedly the largest dunes in Europe) and on through the pine forests of The Landes, always
very close to the sea where a 50m diversion through the trees often leads you to amazing beaches and
views that you would never see travelling by car. Such as here at Le Petit Nice:
And on to Biscarrosse Plage where it is necessary to avoid a Zone Militaire to divert inland via Biscarrosse
Between Biscarrosse Plage and Biscarrosse to road is very hilly and the smart route (if we could have
found it!) would have been along the side of the Etang via Navarrosse. Beyond Biscarrosse, although
following a main road the cycling facilities remain excellent
And so on to a typical charming example of French 'Shared Space' in Parentis…
and past the Etangs….
….to Mimizan.
As you can see the diversion away from the coast is not exactly a hardship!
From Mimizan the route continues through the pine forests of The Landes
And eventually officially terminates at Hossegor.
Although in reality it continues much the same to Bayonne
Taking in Labenne Ocean and the perfect opportunity for an invigorating dip in the rolling breakers of the
Atlantic!
Biarritz to San Sebastian
