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Sentier d'Eole

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SAINT-JEAN-DE-MONTS

Panonceau bois avec moulin à vent, fixé en hauteur sur les arbres

Description

Let the winds guide you on this 5.2km walk in Saint Jean de Monts. Open all year round, the trail winds through the forest, offering superb panoramic views, before descending to the dune, with the horizon as its only limit…

As soon as you’ve put on your shoes and left the car park, you’ll be plunged into the heart of the Pays de Monts national forest. Eole will guide you to the Buzelière lookout. And then… wow! The forest and the beach will come together before your very eyes. Then, as you leave the pine trees and their needles behind, the song of the waves will become more and more present. The few grains of sand in your shoes will confirm that you’ve reached the dune path: on one side the golf course, on the other the beach, opposite the pier.

In short, this is a superb walk to discover the great natural spaces of the Saint Jean de Monts region.

And if you’re with the family, with children aged 6 to 12, give them the chance to play the little adventurers by taking on a host of challenges! Discoveries, sport and laughter for a great family day out. The “Comme un air d’aventure” fun walk is on sale at all tourist offices in the Saint Jean de Monts area.

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Walking

Duration01h15Distance5.2 km

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Sentier d’Eole

Distance :5.2 km

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Step 1: Le belvédère de la Buzelière

A view like this has to be earned! It takes a few good strides to reach the highest point in Saint Jean de Monts, in the heart of the Pays de Monts forest. From up there, it's almost as if the pine tops are tickling the ocean… The forest was planted by man from 1850, just behind the dune, in order to fix the sand and limit land invasion. A century and a half later, this viewpoint offers a superb succession of environments and landscapes. A few metres further along the path, you can admire the marshland from a second viewpoint.

Step 2: La dune

The dune, between beach and forest, is a special environment, as rich as it is fragile. It is home to plants adapted to the difficult natural conditions that prevail there: high salinity, strong winds, the impact of sand grains, shifting soil, hot and dry in summer. Although resistant, these plants are very sensitive to trampling, which is why the dune path has been laid out and marked out for walkers.

Step 3: Le golf

The Saint Jean de Monts golf course has an idyllic setting, with 18 holes spread between forest and seaside. What makes it special? A playground accessible all year round with dry feet, thanks to the sandy subsoil and mild climate of the Saint Jean de Monts region.

Step 4: L'estacade

The first estacade in Saint Jean de Monts was inaugurated in 1967. And what a pier it was! Made of 10 tonnes of azobe, known as "ironwood", and 400 m long, it towered above all the other booms on the Atlantic coast and even outstripped the Eiffel Tower. Technical and safety constraints prevented it from being built as a port. However, thousands of tourists came to admire the sea, fish or simply stroll along it. But the storms of 1987 and the winter of 1990 cut dozens of metres off the wooden lady. Proud of this link between continent and ocean, the town decided to rebuild a new pier, identical to the first! Even today, it remains one of the symbols of the resort.

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