Tourist planning along the coast of Aquitaine, France

Abstract

The Atlantic coast of south-west France, particularly that of Gironde and Landes, develops in a straight, sandy littoral stretch for over 200 km from the Gironde estuary to the mouth of the Adour: this is called the Côte d’Argent for the charm of its foaming waves. The coastal zone includes various types of environments: the beach, the dunes, the ‘lette’, the protective forest and the exploited forest. The beach (‘estran’) is subject to tides, which here have a maximum amplitude of five metres. High energy breakers and westerly winds, contribute to the formation of a series of dune-belts, which rise up towards the east. In the last century, the need to stop the displacement of the sand inland, gave way to a large-scale containment operation, consisting in the imposition of an artificial profile to the dunes, with a gradual slope on the ocean side, a flat section on top, and a steeper slope on the inland side. The special vegetation cover ensures an effective fixing of the dune complex and prevents its progress inland. Beyond these dune-belts, there is the ‘lette’, a corridor running parallel to the coast, sheltered from the wind, and 200 m to 2000 m wide. Protected from the sea winds, the ‘lette’ is often an area used for settlements.