In Gironde, the ocean waves aren’t the only things that are rolling. The vines
are too! Did you know that the highest point in the Gironde is not the famous
Dune du Pilat? It is at Samazeuil in the Bazas area, at an altitude of 166
metres.
To the south of the Bay of Arcachon, the Landes area is carpeted
with maritime pine trees. In the Landes de Gascogne
Regional Nature Park or among the villages of Tursan, walks will give you
the opportunity to see a thousand and one natural and cultural riches.
Walks in the Pyrenees - Basque Country
or Béarn – are obviously more strenuous. Those of you who dream of playing
Indiana Jones might like to try crossing the Holzarté footbridge, in the Soule
Valley.
A few figures: there are almost 6,000 km of sign-posted walking tracks
in the Dordogne, 2,300 in Gironde, 2,000 in the Landes, more than 3,000 in
Lot-et-Garonne and 5,000 in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques.
The local hiking committees publish some extremely useful walking
guidebooks.
Logis de France have specific accommodation for walkers but more
generally, overnight gîtes, chambres d’hôtes, campsites and hotels are all
available for a good night’s sleep.