Saint-Jean-de-Luz to Mimizan, France: Cycling the French Atlantic Route

22-24 March 2019

Saint-Jean-de-Luz to Hossegor (22 March 2019, 54 km, 33.7 mi)

The ride out of Saint-Jean-de-Luz was gorgeous, with sweeping views of the sea and rocky coastline. Time spent enjoying the views and taking photos, combined with the hilly terrain, had us going at an unusually slow pace.

We biked over the Pointe de Sainte-Barbe bluff. It was steep enough for us! Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France. Copyright 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins.

The dazzlingly blue water of the Atlantic Ocean, at the mouth of La Nivelle River. Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France. Copyright 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins.

Even though the nearby town was crowded, many of the beaches were deserted. You could have a beach all to yourself. Near Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France. Copyright 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins.

It took us three hours to cover the first 12 km of the route. At that point we needed to make up some time if we wanted to arrive in Hossegor at a reasonable hour.

We decided to go off-route, and take a through-road (D-810) to Bayonne. D-810 provided a huge improvement in speed. It was lined with commercial development, and had heavy traffic. But it also had a bicycle lane for most of the way, so it was relatively safe for riding. Not only was the road less hilly, with a smooth surface, it also reduced our travel distance by 5-6 km. When we arrived in Bayonne, we had made up a ton of time.

After Bayonne, we got back on the official route. On this stretch the EuroVelo 1 route was flat and smooth, and we found ourselves cycling through a huge expanse of pine forests. We had entered the Landes region, one of the largest forested areas in Europe. It’s so big, we would be riding through the forests of Landes for the next week.

The majority of the forest is managed by local communities as pine plantations. We passed through areas in all stages of growth, from clear-cut open spaces, to thick, young pine groves, to mature and open pine forests. Birds were abundant. And a surprising amount of the trail was paved, even in the deep woods. Where the trail was dirt, it was very well maintained, and easy to ride. The cycling was peaceful and relaxing, especially after the hustle-and-bustle of the D-810 road to Bayonne.

EuroVelo 1 circles around Garros Pond on its way through the Landes Forest. We stopped to check out the birds on the pond. Copyright 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins.

We arrived in Hossegor, a quaint coastal town, by mid-afternoon. Hossegor has a totally different vibe than Saint-Jean-de-Luz. At just under 4,000 residents, Hossegor is less than 1/3 the size of Saint-Jean-de-Luz. It’s also more laid back, and less touristy. We checked into the Pavillon Bleu hotel, and got a wonderful, spacious room overlooking the Canal d’Hossegor.

Our hotel, in Hossegor, France. Our room was on the back side, overlooking the canal. Copyright 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins.

We hit a snag when we started looking at lodging options for tomorrow night. Most campgrounds have yet to open for the season and since we’re now biking primarily through beach towns, we’re running into problems finding last-minute hotel rooms for Friday and Saturday nights. We had planned to bike on Saturday to Mimizan, but all the hotels in town were booked. But with a huge stroke of luck, we were able to extend our stay in Hossegor - in the same room, for another night. Perfect. The room at the Pavillon Bleu was exceptionally comfy, so keeping it for an extra night was not a bad prospect at all. We settled in for an unplanned layover day.

Layover Day in Hossegor (23 March 2019)

Spending an extra day in Hossegor turned out to be a lot of fun. We took some time to relax, and enjoyed several walks around the bustling town center.

Our hotel room had a big balcony with a table and chairs. Perfect for a picnic lunch. We’re in the oyster-farming heartland of France, and those racks out in the canal are covered with oysters. Hossegor, France. Copyright 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puf… — Our hotel room had a big balcony with a table and chairs. Perfect for a picnic lunch. We’re in the oyster-farming heartland of France, and those racks out in the canal are covered with oysters. Hossegor, France. Copyright 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins.

À ta santé! We treated ourselves to a local red, since we’re getting close to Bordeaux. Hossegor, France. Copyright 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins.

Hossegor to Mimizan (24 March 2019, 87 km, 54.5 mi)

The conditions for today’s ride were perfect in almost every way. We rode on dedicated bike paths almost all day with smooth surfaces and very modest hills. The weather was idyllic, with light winds, temperatures in the mid-to-upper 60s, and a shaded bike path that kept the intensity of the sun at bay. It really doesn’t get much better than that.

Almost every kilometer of the ride passed through the pine forests of Landes. Even though Landes is one, big forest, it’s managed in smaller blocks by the local communities. Every so often we would pass a sign indicating that we were entering a new “forêt domaine,” with the name of the town or municipality that was responsible for managing that section of forest. Although the forests appeared to be aggressively managed, there were also a lot of signs boasting that the forests were being managed sustainably, according to the European PEFC certification standard.

Cycling through a cathedral hall of mature pine trees. Forêt Domaniale de Vielle-Saint-Girons, France. Copyright 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins.

Lighthouses are everywhere along this rocky coastline. This one was near our lunchtime picnic site at Contis-Plage, France. Copyright 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins.

We stopped for lunch in a popular picnic area near Contis-Plage. Half a dozen families with small kids were also picnicking there.

When we headed back to our bikes, I had a stroke of bad luck. The main bolt holding my kickstand in place came loose, leaving my kickstand swinging precariously under my bike. Darn. We tried to tighten the bolt, but it kept slipping. Either the bolt or the casing was stripped. The only thing to do at this point was to remove the kickstand because it was in danger of swinging into my spokes. Once you become used to a kickstand on a touring bike, you would be surprised how essential they become. Hopefully we’ll be able to get it fixed soon. I put it in one of my panniers, hoping that it could be repaired somehow. We were soon back on the road.

Just north of Contis-Plage, we caught sight of a red deer as it crossed the path in front of us. That was very cool. The red deer is the European version of America’s elk, so they’re really big. It was the first, really big mammal we’ve seen so far. So it was easily a highlight of our day.

Action shot, cruising through one of the young pine stands. Note the beautifully smooth bike path. Forêt Domaniale de Mimizan, France. Copyright 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins.

With the great riding conditions, and an early morning start, we arrived in Mimizan early in the afternoon - with enough time to take a walk around the lake next to our hotel. It was wonderful to have a few hours to stroll through the nearby gardens and along the edge of the lake. We even got to squeeze in some proper birding. It was very relaxing.