A getaway to oyster farming country, from the village of L'Herbe to Pointe aux Chevaux.

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A completely easy route combining history, gastronomy and discovery in a picture-postcard setting. Five kilometres long, it starts near the Chapel of the Villa Algérienne, passes through four oyster-farming villages nestled between beaches and pine trees, before ending at Pointe aux Chevaux.

Details

n°1817142
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.12 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 23 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 23 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 36 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 3 ft
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Photos

Port of Piraillan

Description of the walk

Park in the car park at the Chapelle de la Villa Algérienne near the Bécassière roundabout.

(S/E) Walk along the beach and enter L’Herbe. Cross the village to reach the exit at L’Herbe beach.

(1) Take one of the staircases leading up to the shore; these allow you to leave the beach and return to the tarmac road D106.

(2) Follow it to the right. Turn right off it to pass between the huts in the village of Le Canon. Join it again and follow it to the three-way junction between the Route du Cap Ferret and the Allée des Cupressus.

(3) Follow this road to the village of Piraillan and its harbour. Go round the harbour before rejoining the departmental road, which is still called Route du Cap Ferret.

(4) Take it again on the right until you reach the junction with the Allée du Rivage.

(5) Turn right onto this street to enter the village of Grand Piquey.

(6) At the junction, turn right onto Allée du Grand Piquey. At the end of this lane, turn left onto Allée du Rivage. Follow it to reach Pointe des Chevaux.

(7) Return via the same route to the car park at the Chapelle de la Villa Algérienne (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 13 ft - Car park at the Chapel of the Villa Algérienne - Bassin d'Arcachon
  2. 1 : mi 0.62 - alt. 7 ft - L'Herbe Beach
  3. 2 : mi 0.86 - alt. 26 ft - Junction with the D106 road
  4. 3 : mi 1.3 - alt. 10 ft - Follow the three-way junction to the right
  5. 4 : mi 1.94 - alt. 13 ft - Route du Cap Ferret
  6. 5 : mi 2.3 - alt. 10 ft - Junction with Allée des Écureuils
  7. 6 : mi 2.71 - alt. 13 ft - Grand Piquey
  8. 7 : mi 3.06 - alt. 13 ft - Pointe aux Chevaux
  9. S/E : mi 6.12 - alt. 13 ft - Car park at the Chapel of the Villa Algérienne

Notes

No particular difficulty.
This route is best undertaken in good weather to make the most of the colours and light.
Be aware of the tides when crossing the beaches.

Worth a visit

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 13 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
Cédric33740
Cédric33740

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Great walk along the basin, with a few stretches through the streets.

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Stoykovitch Alain
Stoykovitch Alain

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Walking back along the shore on the sand at low tide is such a joy!

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Leila rando
Leila rando

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We discovered some very pretty places, a very pleasant walk.

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gea
gea

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice walk, bear in mind the tides... at low tide you can follow the beach the whole way... not too much concrete road...

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R L
R L

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike with oyster port crossings and pretty, colourful houses, but far too many sections on the main road.

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Gautreault
Gautreault

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 03, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hiking combining nature and urbanisation.

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clau33
clau33

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 02, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice walk to visit the small villages, but too many sections on the road.

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CHANNIE
CHANNIE

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful scenery. It's a shame that there are too many sections along the roadside. We managed to avoid some of them thanks to the low tide, but on the beach there were some quite muddy sections and small streams to cross. Luckily we had walking shoes.
The route itself wasn't very busy, but there were quite a few people in the villages we passed through.

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Jeff33127
Jeff33127

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

To get the most out of this hike, I would recommend setting off, if possible, 1 hour 30 minutes before low tide.
This allows you to walk along the beach almost everywhere, making it easier to follow the route and making the walk even more enjoyable.
Don't forget to leave the beach to visit the villages and oyster ports.

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Tichatroux
Tichatroux
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 04, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Visiting the various oyster farming villages is very enjoyable.
However, we regretted having to return to the main road at Cap Ferret, which somewhat detracted from the charm of the outing.
A lovely trip despite this minor inconvenience.

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danileo04
danileo04

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 22, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

It is true that there are many possible routes on this hike, and a GPS is essential for finding your way around, but that said, visiting the oyster farming villages is a pure delight.

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michel brunel
michel brunel

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 14, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

perfect even in very bad weather, as was the case.

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lilou12
lilou12

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 27, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

A short walk with beautiful views of the basin. Unfortunately, however, we have to leave the shore too often to follow the busy road.

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