Western France
This is the next part of the travel notes about our „Tour de France” trip. This part of the trip started on the Atlantic coast of France.
Living on the Atlantic coast of France
In the afternoon, we reached Cap Ferret which separates the Bay of Arcachon from the Atlantic Ocean. We had booked a bungalow in Camping les Viviers to stay three nights there (this is a large and very busy high-class 4-star camping resort and should be booked in advance; a deposit is required).
The camping itself was very good and safe, and the bungalow was clean and comfortable. Cap Ferret was chosen as a destination for several reasons – to enjoy the beautiful beaches of France, to visit tourist sites nearby and to taste oysters produced in the Bay of Arcachon (the whole oyster region goes from the estuary of the Gironde River south to the border of Spain and covers about 15000 hectares in total).
Oysters and Arcachon
One of the good things about the Atlantic coast of France is seafood. Concerning oysters – we enjoyed them and should say that the taste of those was one of the best I have ever had (of course, an appropriate drink should be selected as well; it was delicious sparkling wine in this case).
As planned, we visited the Big Dune of Pilat (la Dune du Pyla) –Europe’s biggest sand formation reaching 107 meters in high, more than 2.7 kilometres long and 0.5 kilometres wide (in 1855 it was only 35 meters high).
Dune is situated at the entrance of the Bay of Arcachon, opposite the Cap Ferret (to reach it we came around the bay). Dune of Pilat is the most visited spot of the coastal area; more than 1 million people visit it every year and it is worth doing that – stunning scenery; the ocean and surrounding pine forests look exceptionally well if you are on the top of the dune.
Another important detail; if you do not fancy walking long distances, car parking is located just next to the site – easy and convenient access.
Caves of mushrooms and an underground town
Visiting the Atlantic coast of France was the most remote point in the sense that we started our way back home via Paris and Reims. However, we still had a lot of sites to visit and things to see.
Next stop – the Tufa Quarry and the Underground Town in Bourre (Cave des Roches, 40 route des Roches, 41400 Bourre). The Cave des Roches is the only example in the world of the complete production of mushrooms at 50 meters underground; the farm covers 120 kilometres of galleries on seven levels!
Mushrooms are produced in a natural atmosphere at 13 degrees Celsius temperature and a humidity rate of 95% all year around. There are different varieties of mushrooms produced however 40% of the world’s pied bleu mushroom for example is produced exactly there and exported to the best-starred restaurants in New York, Tokyo, London, and Geneva.
Another object of interest in Cave des Roches is the artificial Underground Town made by an artist (no idea about his name though). Visit to both sites lasts about 1 hour; there are about six guided tours per day during the summer season and three during the winter. Prices vary from €7.50 for a child up to €12 for an adult.
After visiting the caves, we made a few more stops to visit a few castles in Loire Valley. One of them was the Royal Chateau of Chenonceau – a castle built on the River Cher in 1513. There is a spectacular gallery above the river and a very well-maintained garden around the castle.