Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
As we edged closer towards Capbreton, we crossed into the region of Aquitaine. This
stretches from the lower reaches of the Massif Central in the north to the Spanish border in
the south. It's huge. At around twice the size of Wales, it makes even Provence look small.
The region's capital, Bordeaux, gives its name to the world-class wines of the region and
is also famous for its busy trading port. It is a UNESCO world heritage site, thanks mainly
to its outstanding architecture, including the theatre and remarkable bridge that spans the
Garonne.
We've always thought that this part of France has something for everyone... almost.
Lush farms and timberland languish between world-class beaches and postcard-perfect
mountains - what more could one want? Sophisticated cities? It has those too. With all this
choice it's not surprising that so many French people holiday here. But there is one glitch:
the climate. We love the coastline here but the Atlantic is still the same ocean that hammers
our British shores. As with other French western regions with sea borders, it suffers from
regular lashings of rain and stormy weather that can be extremely ferocious at times. That's
why we love it as a holiday spot, but ruled it out as a permanent location.
The north-east of Aquitaine has a mix of gentle hill country and low-lying terrain,
peppered with yet more vineyards and mixed farmland. Much of this area is home to the
Dordogne. With its
château
-studded countryside and picturesque, ageless, villages, it is a
popular location for second-home buyers and, in particular, the roaming Brit.
The Dordogne, known by the French as '
le Périgord
', is another area famous for
its own gourmet specialities. It was here that we encountered our first slab of
foie-gras
(cholesterol-packed duck liver). We later found out that a total devotion for
foie-gras
ex-
tends throughout the south-west of France, rivalled only (in our experience) by foodstuffs
such as
le champignon
. The mushroom in France is a deeply-loved thing, but more of that
later. Truffles, walnuts and other mouth-watering delicacies are similarly treasured delic-
acies and guzzled at will in le Périgord.
The middle band of the region follows the Gironde estuary. It is where the gastronome
trades places with the sommelier as they taste the delights of the wine-producing regions
of Médoc and St. Emilion.
Our route towards the coast took us through part of Les Landes, the largest maritime-
pine forest in Europe. Tall, formidable-looking trees arranged in green battalions dominate
the landscape here and flank the
route nationale
in an orderly fashion. This immense forest
supports a flourishing timber industry. Nature lovers, ramblers and hunters are permitted
access but sadly, other than the odd
pique-nique
and rustic comfort break, we have never
explored its woody interior.
We finally penetrated the seemingly endless woodland canopy and spotted familiar
signposts to our destination village. We could practically smell the sea. The coast here
is one of our favourite places because of its savage, unspoilt beauty. Its long, unbroken
