Dune du Pilat, Île de Ré, Pays Basque : Trésors de la côte Atlantique – Documentaire – GD
This journey runs along the Bay of Biscay,
from Croisic to the island of Oléron. The first stage takes us to the edge of
the Guérande marshes, close to the port of Saint-Nazaire. According to historians, the port of
Le Croisic dates back to the Greek cove. But it was in the Middle Ages that it took
off when salt was worth its weight in gold. Thanks to the white crystals,
the houses of the traders who made their
money selling salt were built. The beginning of a long story. At that time, merchant ships
regularly docked at Le Croisic. On the way there, to ensure flotation, they
sail with their holds full of stones. On the way back, it is salt that is used from the East. And the stones, you might ask. Not knowing what to do with this bulky
deposit, the town filled the walls of houses and two curious monuments
located on either side of the port with it. In the mid-19th century,
competition from salt extracted from the walls caused production from the marshes to fall. But the salt epic was about to
take a turn. A stone’s throw from Le Croisic,
here are the Guérande marshes. If they are still producing, it is thanks to a
mobilization that dates back to the 1970s. Against industrial salt and the appetite
of real estate developers, the marsh workers,
having become increasingly agitated, are relaunching the binge. Of the. The salt marshes are
inextricably linked to Guérande. In the past, these subjects were exempt
from gabelle, the tax on salt because the city produced it,
no matter. Deprived of this income, the lords
of the domain levied a tax on the 20. With this money, some of the best-preserved ramparts in France were built. Return to the coastline , following the line of the old pleasure train eastwards, which runs along the Côte d’Amour. You can’t make it up. The pride of this coastline, these beaches
topped with dunes covered with pine trees. They were planted there to prevent
sand from invading the seaside resorts. Pine trees blessed, in fact,
for the promoters by the sea, whose apartment blocks
monopolize the view of the sea. At the end of the Brières nature reserve
, the crossing of the Loire is dizzying. And eyes immediately turn to
the shipyards of Saint-Nazaire. To attract cruise passengers,
shipowners no longer know what to invent. On the cruise ships, swimming pools are dug out,
bordered by fine sandy beaches, shaded by palm trees. In other words, the world turned upside down. The cabin balconies offer
a bird’s eye view of the Port city. A sector conquered from former
industrial wastelands. And
here is what remains of the old port of Saint-Nazaire, built
in 1937: the Vieux Maule. Our cruise continues
along the Côte des Lumières. We will stop on the Isle of Ré,
at the port of La Rochelle and at Rochefort, before reaching Oléron. Of the islands we visit,
Noirmoutier is the closest to the coast. Yet she is on the verge of drowning. Two-thirds of the island is
below sea level, the result of centuries of
drainage and reclamation work. On the bank facing the coast,
the dike extends to the Bois de la Chaises. Unbeatable with its beach,
surely the most exclusive in Noirmoutier. It’s difficult to fly over Noirmoutier without passing over the Gua. The road under the sea lies on a strip
of earth formed on the line where two currents meet. Stoned, then paved, the Gua passage was for a
long time the only way to reach Noirmoutier. Back on the mainland, dozens
of kilometers of beach to the south. The seaside resort of Les Sables d’Olon
increases its tourist numbers every year . In the 15th century, an
unprecedented storm hit the port. The considerable damage
triggered the construction of an embankment, which is now used by pedestrians
and cars, along one of the most popular beaches in the Bay of Biscay. The embankment reaches the access channel
to the port, where another wall rises to break the waves. This dike is well
known to sailors. It is in some ways the
launching pad for an event described as the Everest of the sea, the Vendée Globe. A solo,
non-stop, unassisted round-the-world race. The advantage of starting at Sable d’Olonne is that
with the wind blowing here, the competitors are
immediately put into the game. The Mariner’s Island, the island of Réen knows music. So cautious did she
prefer to cast off? In the heart of the island,
the commune of Saint-Martin is not ordinary, surrounded by ramparts. They were erected to protect
the population in the event of an invasion. The Isle of Ré is connected to the mainland
by the second longest bridge in France. At the other end,
the tips of Anse de l’Aiguillon stretch out. It is a superposition of layers
of more or less thick silt in which
the famous bouchot mussels flourish. In the fall, shellfish farmers wrap
ropes around age-old stakes, ending up completely covered
in pink-fleshed seafood. Further south, upstream of the Charente River, the Transbordeur Bridge, well known around here,
is in reality nothing like a bridge. A gondola,
inaugurated at the beginning of the 20th century, circulates on this portico. Another, more modern bridge
has since been built. But the charm of this one is such
that no one has ever been able to bring themselves to dismantle it. On
the other bank of the Charente, the Corderie Royale was a
key part of the Arsenal, established in Rochefort towards the end of the 17th century. The
374-meter building was built in length to braid the ropes
in one piece. And as a garrison town, it is aligned with Cordot, on the old barracks. The Rochefort arsenal is hidden
in a bend of the Charente. A strategic position at a time
when incursions into his comrade, his legion. Fort Lupin was the starting point of a
defensive system called the Iron Belt. It was completed at the entrance to
the river by the fortress of Foura. On the front line, the fort on the island of Aix. It had been razed by the English before
being fortified by Napoleon’s eagles. Now follow the guide. Heading to the most
popular Bastille in the Atlantic Ocean. Fort Boyard was designed to stop
enemy ships under Napoleon Bonaparte. But its construction took 65 years. Enough to turn pages of history. So, Boyard, having become useless, ends
up as a backdrop for a TV game. The island of Oléron closes
the harbor of Rochefort to the south. Facing the bay, Château d’Oléron was
the last link in the iron belt
that Fort Louvois locked. From the Petit Bastion dike,
at Mare Bas, you can see the Oléron oyster beds
stretching as far as the eye can see. Oyster farmers take advantage of the respite
the sea gives them to turn over the bags containing the shellfish. The oysters, once ripe,
are brought back to the quayside before being immediately sent to our plates. A few kilometers further on,
Marennes is a bit like the godmother of the oysters produced here. Almost all of them have the same name. Marennes, Olérons, controlled designation of origin. It was in the middle of the 19th century that
the decision was made to cultivate oysters in these marshes. The river, which enriches the mud,
crosses the Tremblade channel, the first oyster port in France,
and certainly the most picturesque. It is lined with old
ostrich farmers’ huts, restored by nostalgic people. They were keen to preserve
a heritage that is now only used for chatting, while
of course tasting a few oysters. This trip runs along the Atlantic coast. From the Gironde estuary,
we reach Bordeaux, before going down the Côte Sauvage. From Bayonne,
the banks of the Basque Country guide us close to the Spanish border. Today, despite
modern technologies, navigating the Gironde remains a high-risk operation. Imagine then, at the end of the 16th century,
without GPS, how difficult it was to locate the sand bands
lying in wait in the estuary. Against this permanent danger,
a lighthouse was built by the architect Louis de Foix, who, not once,
would fail, but at what price? The unfortunate man devoted his fortune and 18
years of his life to the Cordouan lighthouse. But the architect died before
seeing the tower light up the sea. What a shame, because it must be said that the
Cordouan lighthouse is well worth its title of king of lighthouses. Visitors to the best of them don’t hesitate
to get their hands dirty, to play the balancing act to discover
the royal apartments furnished for princes who never stayed there. The Gironde estuary is
an important freight transport route. It is therefore understandable that he
is regularly flirted with. The meeting of fresh water and salt water
precipitates the formation of silt. Seven to eight million tons of it are produced
each year, enough to freeze cargo traffic if the
funds were not scraped. As the estuary narrows,
the first islands appear. These shelter an ancient fortress
camouflaged to surprise attacks on the nearby city of Bordeaux. It is also difficult
to travel through the Bordeaux region without seeing the vineyards
that still make it so noble. Around here, culinary
and historical heritage are inseparable. Blaye, for example, is
as reminiscent of its fortress to see as its castles to drink. Although they are less famous than the wine,
the tiled floors, which float along the Gironde, are also part
of the region’s heritage. Their owners are so proud of them
that they almost forget that they are used to trap fish. It must be said that without any bait,
this type of net fishing is strictly a game of chance. This is precisely where the Gironde estuary begins
, at the level of the Bec d’Ambès. Meeting point of the two
rivers Dordogne and Garonne. At the height of Bordeaux,
the Garonne is so wide that next to it, the wing of an Airbus A380,
the largest passenger aircraft, looks like a fly’s wing. The seventh largest city in France, Bordeaux stretches from Barthes to Pont de Pierre,
the first built over the Garonne under Napoleon Bonaparte. The historic heart of the city
is on the left bank of the river. The district, known as the Golden Triangle, is
home to a particularly high concentration of beautiful furnished buildings
and luxury shops. Victory Square, a
nerve center, serves the main sectors of the city. Including the Chartrons district, former
seat of the English wine aristocracy. It is now in the
trendiest places in the city, since Bordeaux launched its urban revolution. A policy of major works
aimed in particular at the quays. First showcase of Bordeaux
when you access it by the Garonne. Back on the coast,
our route continues above the Arcachon basin. We then pass over the towns
of Bayonne, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Biarritz and Hendaye, on the Basque coast. In the heart of the Arcachon basin,
Bird Island emerges, appreciated for the
underwater vegetation that proliferates around it. Two strange hunters
have found refuge there. The Tchanquai cabin was a
surveillance park for the oyster beds. Today, it is
the emblem of the Arcachon basin. The town of Arcachon was built
around a simple landing stage, and this is what it has become. Nestled in a maritime inlet, Arcachon is a true haven for sailing tourists
and sea bathing enthusiasts. The record for attendance is held
by the Cap-Ferret peninsula, capable of welcoming several
tens of thousands of holidaymakers. And this, despite the erosion of the currents which
reduces its hold like little sorrow. Located at the exit of the Arcachon basin, the Pilat dune peaks at 117 meters. It is the highest
sand hill in Europe. At the summit, the panorama over the kilometers
of Landes coastline is dizzying. The formation of the
sand pyramid is no mystery. It is closely linked to the
nerve cord which draws laces at its feet, the Arguin bench. It is actually
a perpetual motion. The sea carries sand onto the bank,
which the wind tears off grain by grain to deposit on the Pilat dunes. Heading south,
the famous Landes forests stretch out. One million hectares, or 200
times the size of Bordeaux. In places, on the edge,
a village seems to have run aground on the beach, like Saint-Giron,
whose housing estate gates are irrevocably closed during the off-season. Going
down about a hundred kilometers, the Landes coast gives
way to the Basque coast. On the border of the Landes
and Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments, on the borders of Gascony and the
Basque Country, at the confluence of the Dourre and the Nive, 5 km from the end of the ocean,
and only 30 minutes from Spain, there is Bayonne. This strategic location gives
the commercial port a leading economic position
on the Basque coast. Before the French Revolution,
departments did not exist. The division of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques
brought together former communes and provinces, including one,
carelessly amputated, the Basque Country, now recognized as
a linguistic entity. The French part extends
to the Spanish border. The latter crosses
the green Rhune massif. To climb it, there is the helicopter,
of course, but there is a more picturesque way: the little train,
as it is called here. After a dizzying climb,
the passengers of the Tortillard reach the summit of La Rhune,
900 meters above the ocean. Once there, the view of the coastline
rivals our aerial images in terms of strikingness. Beneath the spray of foam raised
by the sea winds, the seaside resort of Biarritz is
renowned for the power of its waves. Its bay is considered the
European capital of surfing, a specialty imported straight
from California to the United States in the 1960s. Since then, surfing fans from all over the world
come to compete there every season. Further
south, the impressive cliffs of the Basque Corniche protect the only
sheltered harbor on the coast from the Gironde estuary. It serves as a refuge for the
seaside resort of Saint-Jean-de-Luz. At
the southern end of the Basque Corniche stands Abbadia Castle,
a medieval building marked by the oriental influences of the architect
who restored it at the end of the 19th century. In particular, observe the
openings in the facades. The fortress and its grounds are
located in the commune of Andai. An area now belonging
to the Conservatoire du Littoral, which is responsible for protecting its biodiversity. The same is true of this stretch of coastline,
jagged with coves, pounded by the waves. Our journey ends at Eve,
the last French seaside resort before Spain. Hendaye
boasts the longest beach on the Basque coast,
and a shoreline fringed with waves suitable for all kinds of boats. Behind the casino
flows the Assouha Abbey estuary, separating France from Spain. Inside, Pheasant Island pierces,
famous for the peace treaty that was signed between the two countries in 1659. At that time, the ancient
kingdoms were sworn enemies. Since then, on Andai beach,
everyone shares the same games, whether they are from one side
of the border or the other.
Un voyage aérien inoubliable le long de l’Atlantique français ✋ Pour découvrir plus de documentaires voyages 👉 http://bit.ly/4mHkEDB Abonnez-vous 🙏
00:00 Le Croisic & les marais salants de Guérande
02:30 Saint-Nazaire et les chantiers navals
04:30 Île de Noirmoutier et passage du Gois
06:30 Les Sables-d’Olonne & le Vendée Globe
07:40 Île de Ré et conchyliculture
09:00 Rochefort & la Corderie royale
10:30 Fort Boyard et l’île d’Oléron
12:00 Ostréiculture à Oléron & La Tremblade
13:50 Estuaire de la Gironde & phare de Cordouan
15:30 Bordeaux, Garonne & transformation urbaine
18:00 Bassin d’Arcachon & dune du Pilat
20:30 Landes & forêts atlantiques
21:30 Bayonne, Biarritz & côte basque
23:00 Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye & frontière espagnole
🔹 Atlantique – Côte de lumieres: Le Golfe de Gascogne abrite le port du Croisic et l’île d’Oléron. Le 1er recevait le sel des marais de Guérande qui s’étendent à perte de vue, la 2nde est cernée de parcs à huitres. Le port de Saint-Nazaire d’où sortent les palaces flottants. Sur la côte des lumières, l’île de Ré, la Rochelle, Rochefort et sa corderie royale, trois escales incontournables.
🔹Atlantique Côte d’argent : Le long du littoral Atlantique. L’estuaire de la Gironde conduit à Bordeaux. La belle endormie déploie mille charmes et autant de saveurs. La Côte Sauvage et ses plages infinies jusqu’au Basin d’Arcachon prisée par les touristes. A partir de Bayonne, les rives du Pays Basque donnent son caractère au décor. Cap au sud, Bayonne, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Biarritz et Hendaye avant l’Espagne.
À découvrir sur Terra Nauta :
De Bréhat à Ouessant : Trésors de la côte bretonne https://youtu.be/N2U0mpvileE
Du Mont-Saint-Michel à Saint-Malo : joyaux côtiers de France https://youtu.be/a_tXEa0KZjo
De Dunkerque à Deauville : Survol d’un littoral d’exception https://youtu.be/l56jXFPdkTY
“Les côtes françaises vues du ciel”
Episode 7 et 8
Réalisés par : Gil Kébaïli, Norbert Evangelista
Tous droits réservés
#DocumentaireVoyage #CôteAtlantique #FranceVueDuCiel #PaysBasque #Bordeaux #Oléron #ÎledeRé #Biarritz #DuneDuPilat #MaraisSalants #TerraNauta