Dune of Pilat

The Dune of Pilat (French: Dune du Pilat, official name), also called Grande Dune du

Pilat, is the tallest sand dune in Europe. It is located in La Teste-de-Buch in the Arcachon
Bay area, France, 60 km (37.2 mi) southwest of Bordeaux.

With more than one million visitors per year, the Dune of Pilat is a famous tourist
destination. The Dune Of Pilat is located at the southern entrance to the Arcachon basin, in
the locality of Pyla-sur-Mer, which is administratively dependent on the municipality of La
Teste-de-Buch, near Arcachon, in the heart of the Landes de Gascogne.

The dune is considered a foredune, meaning a dune that runs parallel to a shoreline,
behind the high tide line of a beach. The dune has been observed to move landward, slowly
pushing the forest back to cover houses, roads and portions of the Atlantic Wall. To back this
evidence of coastal movement, maps from 1708 and 1786 both place areas with the name
Pilat to the south and off-shore of the current dune's location. The area where the dune
currently stands was referred to as "Les Sabloneys," or "The New Sands," until the 1930s,
when it was renamed by real estate developer Daniel Meller as the Dune of Pilat. Pilat
originates from the Gascon word Pilhar, which refers to a heap or mound1

The current location of Dune du Pilat housed temporary protohistoric camps for
activities related to sea salt mining. The first archaeological discoveries began in 1922. On
December 31, 2013, a tourist found a funeral urn and an accessory vase from the Iron Age,
800 years BC in the sand at the foot of the dune.
An excavation site mobilized about ten amateur archaeologists for two weeks in
October 2014 to clarify the stratigraphic and environmental context of the reported
discoveries.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_of_Pilat

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 Tourist attractions and recommended activities

The dune on the forest side seen from its top. For this reason I want to get here: a
mountain of sand, a dune that rises to 107 meters above the entire coast and dominates the
landscape on the Atlantic coast.

Panoramic view of the main access to the dune. The scenery is beautiful! We can see
the ocean, as you do not see it from other places and from a height that you do not meet
elsewhere, or you can admire the landscapes on the other side of the sandy mountain, the
forested ones.

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 In addition, at Dune du Pilat you will always find water boats for rent for walks in the
ocean waters.

The climb is worth the effort. Many tourists prefer to climb the 154 wooden stairs to
the top of the dune. Climbing stairs is a challenge for many and we can see tourists lingering
in certain parts to rest.

Of course we can stay at the Atlantic beach right next to the dunes

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 We can also visit the surroundings of the Aquitaine region. La Dune du Pilat is
located in the Aquitaine region, an extremely picturesque region of France. At 72 kilometers
from the dune is the town of Bordeaux, where we can find many tourist attractions and 108
kilometers away is Saint-Emilion, a kind of wine capital in this region famous for its
vineyards and wines produced here. Saint-Emilion is a beautiful town with narrow, cobbled
streets and an old, monolithic church.

I chose this theme because I want to go on vacation on this beach. My friends

recommended this beach to me and I hope that in the near future I will visit this wonderful
place.

Summer is my favorite season of the year. Not because the longest vacation is
starting, but because it's hot. In summer, there are so many opportunities to relax or walk

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somewhere. In my favorite period, I really like swimming and sunbathing. Even in the hot
season, I like to ride a bike, to play various sports games.

I want to spend my summer vacation at Dune of Pilat and enjoy this place. Nature is
very beautiful in summer. Especially the sunsets on the warm sea coast, which can be
admired for a long time. Watching the sky at sunset turns from blue-yellow to orange and
right at the end to red, and then as the sun slowly hides behind the horizon.

However, as I said above, this vacation spot has a lot of opportunities: sea, sun, beach,
walks, sports activities. For this reason I really want to go on vacation here.

Dune du Pilat remains one of the most unique European destinations and those who
have visited confirm this. I hope that everything I have presented now is more than a
recommendation. I will definitely go as soon as possible.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 http://www.dune-pyla.com/en/history/
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_of_Pilat
 http://www.traveltailor.ro/dune-du-pilat/

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