Dune of Pyla

Situation

Located at the southern entry of the Basin of Arcachon, it extends on 500 m from is in west and on 2,7 km of north in the south and contains approximately 60 million cubic meters of sand. It depends on the territory of the common Frenchwoman of Test-with-Buch, near Arcachon (the Gironde), in the middle of the Landes of Gascogne. Mobile maritime dune, it advances unrelentingly towards the interior of the country and its altitude varies constantly, while oscillating around 100 to 117 meters above the sea level.

History

The name " Pilat" , already present on the charts of Mass (1708) and Cassini (1786) with the " Small Basin of Pilat" , " Beacons of Pilat" , of the " huts of Pilat" and the " Great Master key of Pilat or Passes from Sud" , corresponded to a place southernmost of that of the Dune than we know under this name and probably off the current coast. We are here in a country of migratory dunes and with the wire of time, the littoral and its relief do not cease changing, advancing towards the east, towards the interior of the grounds. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the sector of Pilat is called Sabloneys and no motor-road carries out to it. This change of name originates in a real estate transaction. When towards 1910, the development of the habitat operated on the coastal part of the commune of Arcachon reaches the south of the Moulleau, the property developers who covet grounds on the testerine part which prolongs the coast towards the south, are confronted with a problem of size: the territory belongs to the State which does not want to sell.

One of these promoters, Daniel Meller, proposes then and obtains administration a transaction: in exchange of 463 hectares ground which it buys on the commune of Teste (on the edges of the lake of Cazaux), it obtains 143 hectares between Moulleau and the Dune of Pilat. In reference to the large close dune which forms a sand monticule, it chooses to baptize the place " Pyla-sur-Mer ". A little later another promoter, Louis Gaume, creates " Pilat-Plage". It is about years 1930 that the old name " Sabloney" is replaced by " Dune of Pyla" or " Dune of Pilat" , it should be noted that aujourd' today, " Sabloneys" indicate a small beach in the south of the large Dune.

Orthography of " Pilat" modernized by Daniel Meller in " Pyla" give place to discussion. It is established today, even if some panels are contradicted, that " Pyla" indicate the city, from where " Dune of Pyla" and " Pilat" indicate the dune itself, from where " Dune of the pilat". Denomination of origin " Pilat" , comes from the Gascon pilhar meaning " tas" , " monticule".

Formation

August 1st

Geology

August 1st

Description

Whatever the name that one gives him, the dune forms a mobile mass of approximately 60 million cubic meters of sand, 500 m broad (of is in west) on 3 km (of north in the south), with the southern entry of the Bassin of Arcachon. Pushed unrelentingly towards the interior of the grounds by the marine winds, it presents the soft slope on the side of the ocean and another steeper on its opposed side, also said " side forêt".

Its height varies permanently, while being neighborly the 100 meters above the sea level. It seems to swallow, by recovering them little by little, constructions (houses, roads) side forest, after having made capsize in the floods several concrete fortifications built under the occupation by the Organization Todt, within the framework of the construction of the Atlantic Wall.

Very attended tourist site

The dune was the subject of measurements of rehabilitation and its visit is arranged within the framework of an operation great national site , led on the initiative of the Ministère of Town and country planning and the Environment, in partnership with the local managers. This to ensure the safeguarding of the site, attended by many tourists whom it is necessary to be able to accommodate, inform and guide.

After having left their vehicles in a parking, thousands of people come there each year to go up at the top of the dune via a wood staircase or to climb it more in a “sporting” way directly in sand. The descent of the return, calm for those which take again the staircase, gets many feelings with those which prefer to descend the slope with great strides making of this fact a little more quickly of slipping sand towards the forest.

See too

Internal bonds

Tests It of Buch
Arcachon
Landes of Gascogne
Pays of Buch
the Gironde
Pyla on sea
the fixing of the dunes in Aquitaine
Forêt of the Moors

External bonds

To have more scientific informations in partnership with CNRS, consult the Official site of the dune of Pyla

Panorama 360 of the Dune of Pyla.

Gallery

Chemin going up to the dune

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