Dune du Pilat: Between Desert, Forest & Sea

Last week, I ticked another destination on my wish list (probably the last one for 2020, given the Covid-19 situation…). I had heard about a desert in France. Not really a desert actually, only a massive sand dune. With a height varying between 100 and 115m (depending on the years), the Dune du Pilat is the highest in Europe!

A Four Hour Drive From Toulouse

We left Toulouse early in the morning. Okay, we left at 10.00 am… For once, we had decided to take our time and spend the night in Le Teich, not far from the Dune. We found a really good Airbnb there.

So, yeah, we left in the morning and stopped a few times before finally arriving at the (expensive) parking lot. There, we proceeded to change into our swimming suits while hiding our nakedness in the car. Very gracefully, obviously. You might say “Why didn’t you wear your swimming suit in the first place?”. Well, where is the fun in that? Also, we were not very organized on that day. And it actually felt kinda good not to rush or plan much.

Reaching The Top Of The Dune du Pilat

Then, we walked to the bottom of the Dune. There are stairs to go up. During the health crisis, you can only use them to go up. But we are warriors, so we climbed in the sand, using toe muscles we ignored we had. On the right hand side, you can see the forest and when you reach the top, you have a beautiful view of the seaside. You can then go down to the beach or continue on the ridge of the Dune du Pilat. We opted for the beach.

Dipping Our Tired Toes In The Sea

The water felt a bit cold at first, but was actually OK. The waves were gentle and, a bit further, you could see sailing boats. Not so many people swimming, but it was the beginning of September and holidays were finished. I think this is a good time to go there, I imagine it would be packed during Summer. We had all the space we wanted and dozed off on our towels.

Going Up Again The Dune Du Pilat

After getting some rest, we climbed up again, stopping many times, because it is seriously exhausting. I wanted to walk on the ridge until the other side of the dune. But it’s actually quite far: the dune is 2.9km long and even the ridge goes a little bit up and down. By foot, it takes a lot of time and energy. So we decided we were satisfied when we reached an impressive summit where the grains of sand were falling straight into the forest, blown away by strong winds.

Sunset Time

After that, we went back to the beginning of the Dune du Pilat, sat down and waited there to watch the sunset on the sea. It turns out that once the sand gets cold, the sun goes down and the wind blows, well, it gets really chilly. Covered in our towels, we were shivering a bit. We waited as long as we could and then headed down back to the parking lot and to a warmer weather.

The Dune du Pilat is a stunning place, and I recommend going, but take something warm for the evening. FYI, there are some restaurants not far (by car) in La Teste-de-Buch.

To see more photos of France, you can visit the gallery France.