Yet another sunny day with totally clear blue skies and 27C forecast. We had planned a swim in the sea before breakfast but had forgotten what a difference an hour makes for sunrise. Here in Arcachon (1.18W) we are west of Rackham (0.50W) and nearer to the Equator so at 07:00 local time it was still dark. Plan B involved breakfast immediately.
Rosemary’s men were demanding attention so Ray rode solo on a circular tour of Arcachon, firstly climbing through a pine forest to the Ville d’Hiver which is populated with Victorian villas which were the height of fashion at the time, fell out of favour and are now once again highly sought after. Arcachon is the first town I have come across that has 4 quartiers named after the 4 seasons.
After the fairly easy climb it was downhill through the pines to the salt flats and a detour around the area which is also populated with oyster huts.
Back to the promenade and harbour before heading slightly inland to the boulevards Deganne and Leclerc which were close to the modern centre of Arcachon and surrounded by shops, cafes and restaurants. I cycled along the promenade and past all of wonderful beaches and found myself near to the hotel well before the appointed hour. Time for coffee at Le Bikini on the beach between our hotel and the southern end of the Plage des Abatilles (named after the spring up the hill which is the source for the local mineral water) .
Still time to spare so I headed south towards the Dune du Pilat which is apparently the highest sand dune in Europe and reminds us of some dunes we saw on our last visit to New Zealand. There was no chance that I was going to attempt to climb the dune on a bike but I did climb the road to the Corniche where there were fabulous views across to Cap Ferret and the western side of the entrance to the Bassin d’Arcachon. Very steep, not too long but certainly hard enough to push the heart rate up.
Back then towards our hotel via the local sailing club where a Hobie Cat was being launched which reminded me of when we had a Hobie Cat, kept on the beach at Vouliagmeni when we lived in Greece
Rosemary’s men were demanding attention so Ray rode solo on a circular tour of Arcachon, firstly climbing through a pine forest to the Ville d’Hiver which is populated with Victorian villas which were the height of fashion at the time, fell out of favour and are now once again highly sought after. Arcachon is the first town I have come across that has 4 quartiers named after the 4 seasons.
After the fairly easy climb it was downhill through the pines to the salt flats and a detour around the area which is also populated with oyster huts.
Still time to spare so I headed south towards the Dune du Pilat which is apparently the highest sand dune in Europe and reminds us of some dunes we saw on our last visit to New Zealand. There was no chance that I was going to attempt to climb the dune on a bike but I did climb the road to the Corniche where there were fabulous views across to Cap Ferret and the western side of the entrance to the Bassin d’Arcachon. Very steep, not too long but certainly hard enough to push the heart rate up.
Back then towards our hotel via the local sailing club where a Hobie Cat was being launched which reminded me of when we had a Hobie Cat, kept on the beach at Vouliagmeni when we lived in Greece
After a short rest at the hotel, the LLW was raring to go and we had decided to head to a recommended seafood cabane at the far end of town. We cycled along the promenade and due to the WWNs navigational skills quickly found said seafood emporium. La Cabane de L'aiguillon was excellent with oysters galore, huge prawns and even excellent pate for those who didn't fancy the seafood
The sunsets in the area are spectacular and we returned to Le Bikini later in the day to enjoy another display as the sun went down over Cap Ferret.
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