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hi there, i went there ages ago and stil want to go back!!! the Dune is apparently the largest sand dune in europe!!! 100ft high at least! just keep jumping off the top and see how far down you can get!!!

East of Bordeaux to the coast is beautiful, pine forests, quiet, long sandy beaches and small villages just when you need one. If your on the beach when its windy you'll know about it!! Your in the middle of the bay of biscay, and you might feel like your face is being sand-papered!!! Hence the Dune above!!

Go, and make us all jealous!!

Off to the Loire, not soon enough though

rich

The dune is nearly 400 feet high and although they have a corrugated wooden track going up it you will still be knackered when you reach the top,the views are immodest!

Arachon basin offers sheltered bathing in an area renowned for its big waves so is good for kids.

Hi,

Definately try to visit if your in the area, is quite amazing to see & climb, the views from the top are wonderful.  Try to get to the wine town of St Emilion in the hills too. its beautiful!

Is it recommeded to book??  mid august

The reason I want to go there is for the paragliding....  (thats how I know about it).

The girl (better 1/2) can sit on the beach and I will be (hopefully) flying, or mayb surfing if the waves are good.

Can anyone recommend and of the campsites????  I have looked on the net, but word of mouth is better! or any not to goto?

Hi

Stayed at Andernos Les Bains in July 2003 - Bl**dy hot that year - 41 degress centigrade and a car with no air conditioning!!

Loved the area and the Dune is 'c'est magnifique'

We stayed at the campsite called Les Goelands and would not recommend it - a bit scruffy with loads of 'long term' campers

Les

Sam - have copied this in from the other thread as people seem to have picked up on this one.  V.

Sam, September is a good time for French campsites - but beware, some of them close very early in September!  Most sites quieten down considerably the last week in August, as all the French have gone home, and the over-wintering crowd haven't yet started their trek south. 

We've done the Dune du Pyla, but it's 27 years ago (when my son was just a baby of six months) - we stayed at Cap Ferret, at Le Truc Vert, which was walking distance to the beach (with Dunes - but the other side of the bay of Arcachon to the Dune du Pyla).  There's a station in Arcachon, and probably the best sites, in terms of surfing are at Biscarosse just a bit south. (This is from the www.campingfrance.com website, so you can look at all other areas too).  My son has been surfing around there (they did some paragliding from the Dune du Pyla, too - but they were in cars) - and stayed at Domaine de la Rive.  The site closes on the 7th September.  It has access to a private beach (thinking of your guitars, fires, etc - just remember to clear up, says the mum in me!!!).   It does take Camping Cheques ( www.campingcheque.co.uk ) for the last week (from 30th August) meaning a night on site for two would cost only £10.30.  It has a great pool complex, too, plus a restaurant, pizzeria, bar and snack bar, plus lake with watersports, hires mountain bikes, and for any 'retros' a skateboard park!!!!  The problem may be that some sites don't accept single sex parties whatever their ages - my son's party included girls, so can't answer for Domaine de la Rive.  You'd have to ask the site directly.  You'll find lots of places hire out wetsuits, boards, etc, all along that coast so you shouldn't have any problems with equipment. 

There's another site on the Camping Cheque website (Camping le Petit Nice) which is in the Dune du Pyla area, and stays open until 30th September - it takes Camping Cheques from 1st September, and you can have 7 nights on site for 6 Camping Cheques).  Haven't any experience of this site, though, but it's in the area you want.

Stayed August 2008 on way to mimizan. Parked up overnight at bottom of dunes for less than a tenner. Cant remember if any tents or caravans but ideal for motorhomes. didnt get there till 8pm but still plenty of pitches.

Would recommend an evening visit to watch sunset. obviously select a clear evening. Would imagine not as busy as during day but still a popular time to go.

Sat on dunes with cool box of wine and fresh fruit while kids tried to find where the dune ended and the beach began. just remember to remind them its a lot harder to get back up.

A few cups of wine and one sunset later and its all for one and one for all as we hurtled down the dunes to the stalls and shops below, where u can purchase food or for us the mandatory fridge magnet and remove some of the sand.

so... in short, a great place for an overnight stop, especially for families. just remember its all uphill to get there although steps are provided to scale the dune. but it has rated as one our most popular unexpected stopovers by both children of a reasonable age, ours being 7,9 and 15 and so called adults, me being 43ish and mrs T a bit less than 43.

if you've got the legs then its got to be done.  

oh, an the winner of the race down was.... "whos the daddy".