Cycling Mimizan to Soulac-sur-Mer, France: Our Own, Secluded Beach

25-27 March 2019

Mimizan to La Teste-de-Buch (25 March 2019, 83.4 km, 52 mi)

Since we entered the pine forests of Landes, the bike paths have been a pleasure to ride on - smooth and relatively flat. In addition, the weather forecast for the next week looks great with clear skies, no rain, and cool but moderate temperatures. These are pretty much ideal riding conditions. So we decided that we would plan for some longer rides each day. That will help us bank some time, in case we run into problems that slow us down later.

Once again, we spent most of the day cruising through pine plantations. Along the way we heard our first Common Cuckoo calling, which made us both smile. If you’ve ever heard a cuckoo clock, then you know exactly what these birds sound like. The German clockmakers have captured the sing-song, repetitive calls of the Common Cuckoo perfectly. We stopped to see if we could catch a glimpse of the cuckoo, but it eluded us. According to our bird book, they often call from a visible perch and can be easy to see. We’ll be watching out for them - it would be fun to see one.

The French are particularly fond of shaping their trees in artistic (if completely unnatural) ways. This planetree arch in Sainte-Eulalie-en-Born echoes the shape of the old post office behind it. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.

Another milestone! We logged 2,000 km out on the road today. Forêt Communale de Biscarrosse, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.

Ouch! The French have all manner of road signs to depict the dangers on the road. This one didn’t leave much to the imagination. Forêt Communale de Biscarrosse, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.

After passing through the town of Biscarrosse-Plage, the bike route hugged the Atlantic coast. There were several areas where we got pretty close to the beach, so we decided to walk out and see the ocean. The beach we encountered was right across from a major, offshore sand bank called the Banc d’Arguin. It was quite an impressive sight. The wind was whipping along between the shore and the Banc, and we were treated to an acrobatics show by a couple of kite-boarders out in the channel.

Here’s where we walked out to see the sea. It’s a little chilly for sunbathing this time of year, but there were a few hardy fishermen and kite-boarders. Forêt Domaniale de la Teste, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.

These two kite-boarders were racing up and down the channel between the beach and the Banc d’Arguin. Each time they turned to head back in the other direction, their kites would lift them several stories high, into the air. It must have been exhilar… — These two kite-boarders were racing up and down the channel between the beach and the Banc d’Arguin. Each time they turned to head back in the other direction, their kites would lift them several stories high, into the air. It must have been exhilarating. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.

But the big, natural phenomenon for the day was just ahead of us, to the north. Towards the end of the day we rode by the Dune of Pilat, Europes’s tallest sand dune. At 110m (360 ft) high, it towers above the surrounding pine forests. We didn’t take the time to climb up it. Instead we admired it from the road as we passed.

That’s a big dune. The Dune of Pilat, Europe’s tallest sand dune. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.

We thought we might camp before reaching La-Teste-de-Buch. While scouting around for a potential campsite, PedalingGuy was lucky, and saw a roe deer. But the forest along this part of the route is quite hilly. The bike route is also very close to a busy road, which didn’t make the camping options very appealing. So we pushed on to the town, and got a room in the first hotel we passed on the route.

La Teste-de-Buch to Lacanau-Océan (26 March 2019, 70 km, 43.5 mi)

For 40 km we circled around the Bassin d’Arachon, a big bay with development all around its perimeter. Lucky for us, the EuroVelo 1 route through this area stays on bike paths the whole way, including some lovely greenways through forested areas.

Green seems like an odd color for a woodpecker, if you come from North America like we do. But Europe has several species of them. We spotted this European Green Woodpecker in a greenway along the route just east of La Teste-de-Buch, France. Copyrig… — Green seems like an odd color for a woodpecker, if you come from North America like we do. But Europe has several species of them. We spotted this European Green Woodpecker in a greenway along the route just east of La Teste-de-Buch, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.

That looks much better! After days of riding on dirt and gravel through a pine forest, our bikes became encrusted with dust and pine pollen. We stopped at a roadside car wash to rinse them off, and add some lube to our chains. Biganos, France. Copyr… — That looks much better! After days of riding on dirt and gravel through a pine forest, our bikes became encrusted with dust and pine pollen. We stopped at a roadside car wash to rinse them off, and add some lube to our chains. Biganos, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.

About 40 km after leaving our hotel, we plunged back into the sea of pines that comprise the Landes Forest.

Bright yellow gorse bush flowers brighten up forest clearings in the Landes Forest. Forêt Communale du Porge, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.

We continued to have wonderful riding conditions. The terrain was not too hilly, the ocean was nearby, and there were hardly any people out on the trail. This also meant that finding a good campsite might be possible, so later in the day we started scouting around. We found a lovely, spot close to the dunes for our tent. As a big plus, it was also in a small depression, out of the wind.

After setting up the tent, we hiked over the dune to the see the shoreline. Amazingly we had the beach completely to ourselves. There weren’t any people as far as we could see in either direction.

Taking my time getting up and over the dune between our campsite (back in the pine forest) and the beach. Forêt Domaniale de Lacanau, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.

Voilà! Our very own, French beach. LaForêt Domaniale de Lacanau, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.

Churned up by a strong northwest wind, the waves were crashing onshore with lots of spray and foam. Forêt Domaniale de Lacanau, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.

The beach had soft sand, scattered with incredibly well-polished pebbles. There weren’t that many seashells, but we found a few exceptionally pretty ones.

We were the only people around. There weren’t any footprints or tire tracks in the sand. Forêt Domaniale de Lacanau, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.

We enjoyed a little beach combing, marveling at the pretty seashells. Forêt Domaniale de Lacanau, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.

After a leisurely walk up and down the beach, we headed back to camp. PedalingGuy was clever, and marked the trail we took over the dune so we could find it again. That turned out to be pretty helpful. The brisk wind had nearly covered up our tracks over the dune.

Back at camp we cooked a pasta and tuna dinner. We fell asleep to the soft sound of the waves, and the wind in the pines. Otherwise, it was silent.

Preparing our evening meal. Forêt Domaniale de Lacanau, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.

Lacanau-Océan to Soulac-sur-Mer (27 March 2019, 88.4 km, 55 mi)

The night was quite cool (in the low 40s) and damp. PedalingGuy had trouble staying warm in his sleeping bag which is rated at 20 degrees F but really is only good to about 45 degrees F. Unfortunately, he has now come down with a head cold — the first time he has ever been sick on a bike trip. We’re going to have to figure out a way to keep him warmer, because there will likely be a lot of chilly nights ahead.

There’s probably an interesting story behind that image. Lacanau-Océan, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.

We’re still in the Landes Forest. And now we’ve entered an area called the Great Lakes region of France. Some of the country’s biggest lakes occur along this coast. They formed a long time ago, when coastal dunes blocked the rivers’ original routes to the sea. Today we rode along the shore of the Lac d’Hourtin-Carcans, France’s second largest lake. Other than that, we spent most of the day in the deep pine forest.

These forests are heavily managed for wood production. We passed through many areas where active tree-cutting is under way. Forêt Domaniale d’Hourtin. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.

France is a lot better than Spain or Portugal in providing roadsigns for our cycling route. Signs for EuroVelo 1 (also called the Vélodyssée) are pretty common. Forêt Domaniale d’Hourtin. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.

At the end of the day, we emerged from the forest just a few kilometers from Soulac-sur-Mer. The spring tourist season hasn’t quite begun for the beach towns this far north, and Soulac-sur-Mer was just emerging from its winter hibernation. The little town center had lots of shops and restaurants, but they were all closed - fermé! Even the grocery store closed mid-day. We passed several restaurants where the proprietors were inside, making their preparations for opening in a week or two. But we were too early. After a fruitless search for food and many “fermé” signs, we returned to the hotel to get some advice from the proprietor.

According to him, there were only two restaurants open for business. We decided to go to a Vietnamese place located inside a casino along the waterfront. The food was delicious, and we were very happy to be fed. We’ll need to be creative over the next couple of weeks to be sure we stay in places where there are likely to be shops and restaurants open. Apparently many businesses don’t open at all until after April 5 - about a week and a half from now.