Arcachon Basin and Bordeaux
A short five-day trip to the southwest region of France. A beautiful corner of the country.
I feel so incredibly lucky to be able to come to these places at the drop of a hat. However, I’ve got to be honest, the £17.99 flight made this trip all the more attractive. Why would I stay at home when tickets are selling at this price?
Travelling solo, I was in ‘low-budget mode’, so I decided to try out some ‘home-stay’ style accommodation and hired a bicycle to explore the nearby region. It turned out to be just the ticket, each minute, hour and day slotting into place without too much effort. Plus, it didn’t break the bank either. And my accommodation, well, both turned out to be ideal.
So where is Emma? Well, she is also away, but with her 91-year-old mother, ticking off the bucket-list city of Rome! I’m getting regular updates. They visited the Colosseum tour yesterday!
So onto this trip…
The journey to the airport
Instead of going from Gatwick, my usual getaway airport, I travelled across London on the Thameslink to Luton airport. This is my second trip from here recently, it’s where the bargains appear to be, along with a few more destinations.
The journey took around an hour, leaving me with enough time to relax in the airport lounge and enjoy some pre-flight lunch and lubrication. It was here that I met a lovely couple, Heena and her charming husband, whose name I have forgotten, despite asking him twice! Hopefully, one day they might come across this blog, drop me a line and remind me (fingers crossed). We got on like a house on fire, swapping stories and chatting about a whole host of topics. Time zipped by so quickly I had to walk faster than normal to get to the gate on time! I’m guessing the vino helped oil the conversational wheels!
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a city I’ve driven past a few times but have never stopped to properly explore.
On arrival, I decided against catching the tram from the airport but went for the one-stop coach instead. It was a little more expensive but quicker and took me straight to the main train station, Gare St Jean, no messing.
I found my accommodation quickly enough as it was only a short walk. It was just south of a region called Saint Michael, a little more edgy than the more touristic sectors further to the north.
The accommodation was everything I suspected it would be from the write-ups I’d carefully read beforehand. Perfect for me, but might not be to everyone’s taste. It was more like a homestay than a typical Booking.com venue. I shall explain more in the hints and tips section, but for now all I will say is that it worked incredibly well. My host, Philippe, could not have been more accommodating. An interesting chap too, a writer, artist and thespian, how French!
We sat and talked for what must have been an hour, drinking wine and chatting about the world in general. He gave me tons of recommendations and suggestions for restaurants and sights to see. I left with a spring in my step, having started my journey in the best way possible. What an amazing host!
I headed off to Saint Paul and Saint Pierre as the sun was setting, and spent a few hours taking in the sights, including Porte Cailhau and Place de la Bourse, which has a wonderful water feature between it and the nearby river, making it a photographer’s dream with stunning reflections.
Cathedral St-André and Hôtel de Ville are rather spectacular, with a huge square surrounded by restaurants and shops—somewhere that I suspect draws a lot of people in the summer.
The furthest north I got was the Monument aux Girondins. Quite lovely, but the square had the remnants of a market in place. I couldn’t work out if it was under construction or being dismantled. Whatever it was, it is huge!
It was all quite magical, given the time of day and the absence of tourists, as it is far from high season. The 1.2km pedestrianised shopping street at Rue Sainte-Catherine was a sight to behold, stretching far into the distance.
I headed back to my accommodation via Victory Square and, as I approached the region south of St Michel, the edginess of this quarter started to become a little more evident, but not necessarily in a threatening manner, so long as you don’t mind being approached by Algerians offering to sell you drugs!
At 60 years old, and wearing my usual trademark hat, I probably wasn’t their usual target customer, or perhaps I was? Who knows! Seriously though, I felt safe here. I’d be more concerned in parts of London.
The next morning, I had a nice breakfast and another chat with Philippe before heading off for a wander around the city. Breakfast was very filling. One egg was – un oeuf (sorry – dad joke).
I paid a visit to the Marché des Capucins which, having been built in the 1960s using the period’s trademark concrete, looked rather bleak, well, from the outside at least.
But step inside and it comes alive with market stalls selling French produce and lots of fish! Well worth a visit.
I then grabbed a coffee in a little café called Il Teatro, which was full of locals and not too many tourists.
I watched the world go by for an hour or so and read a few chapters of my book, well, when in Rome!
One day I will finish this book. It’s been two years since I opened the front cover! But I always remember exactly where I left off, and it’s interesting enough to keep me going back. I’m not an avid reader, a little too active and fidgety to keep the discipline, but I fully intend to get to the end.
Arcachon Bay and the village of Biganos.
Not having a timetable to work to, I then meandered to the railway station at Gare St Jean, bought a ticket to my next destination and jumped on the next train.
It was a double-decker and, within 35 minutes, deposited me at Biganos, a small village to the east of Arcachon Bay.
On arrival, I walked 20 minutes to my next homestay for the night which, like the previous one, had ‘home from home’ feel. The owner, a lady called Evelyne, welcomed me with the warmth I have now become accustomed to. Originally from Lille, she came here 25 years ago and set up shop. She is an amazing host, so friendly and kind.
She’s a few years older than me and, luckily for me, she doesn’t speak a word of English. So we got on like a house on fire!
It is always wonderful to find someone over here who can’t, rather than won’t, speak English, it makes me feel rather less hopeless! I’m often embarrassed at my complete lack of ability with languages, especially French. I should know more given it’s our closest country and I studied it at school.
We ended up ‘chatting’ for an hour or so via a translation app, learning all about each other’s lives, retirement, politics and work. She also gave me a heap of recommendations of places to visit.
Port du Biganos
After I settled in, I walked to the local cycle hire shop and hired a bike for the three days that I’m here. At around £11 per day, it was a bargain and a lot cheaper than a car and no parking fees to worry about!
There are literally hundreds of miles of well designed and maintained cycle paths built here, on what is essentially a flat river delta. Ideal!
The Arcachon basin, has dozens of river tributaries, acres of reed beds and so much wildlife. It’s famous for its oysters and seafood.
My first visit, on day one, was to a place called Port de Biganos, which sounds grander and bigger than it actually is… but it’s tiny, and one of my most favourite corners of the planet. I’ve been here before.
It feels like it shouldn’t be in France, it wouldn’t feel out of place in a Louisiana River bayou. Tiny multicoloured wooden huts line the river which, at high tide, look amazing. Luckily for me, the tide was in when I visited. It always leaves an impression.
Dune du Pilat
On Wednesday, after a nice breakfast and more “Google Translate” conversations with Evelyne, I headed off for a short cycle to one of Europe’s most spectacular natural sights. The Dune du Pilat. It was 25km from my accommodation, but the well designed cycle paths made it feel easy.
I’ve been here before, but it never ceases to amaze me, I especially on first sight, glimpsing them from the bike was a bit special. Something most people probably miss as they hurtle towards it by car.
Rising out of the lush green forest is Europe’s largest sand dune. On the other side of the dune lies the wild Atlantic. The green, gold and blue strike a stunning contrast of colours.
It’s crazy, a bizarre phenomenon, and one of those places that makes you sit in awe, both from the bottom and once you’ve climbed to the top. It’s not too difficult a climb, but it certainly gets the heart pumping. It’s a French school holiday period so kids were here in abundance, many throwing themselves down the dune, only to regret the underestimated climb back up!
Wait long enough (like I did today) and you’ll watch the tide rise and fall around the sandbanks out to sea. Many of these islands house oyster farms and the dunes shift their shape with the currents from time to time.
The waters here are kind of treacherous, so the locals need to keep their wits about them.
I spent a long time up here, just looking out to sea in a semi-meditative state. These kind of places do that to their visitors.
Arcachon
After a few hours wandering the dunes and taking in the sights, I set off for Arcachon via the coast road and cycle paths. It was around 10km up the coast. It was an absolutely awesome cycle, with some of the safest and well designed cycle paths I have seen, weaving along both sides of the road along the coast.
I found a gorgeous little beach bar to grab some lunch and a wee glass of wine, but didn’t stay too long as I had a plan to find a restaurant closer to home and try some local cuisine.
La Teste-de-Buch
Now, I didn’t plan to stop here, as my original plan was to head closer to Biganos for a meal.
…That was until I spotted a cycle path that took me through a nature reserve.
The path led onto small port hosting dozens of oyster boats and, as luck would have it, a handful of restaurants.
The food was straight from the ocean, probably from earlier today, and at a good price.
I just had to stop here.
I chose a place called “Le Sohoutou”…
The special menu contained a selection of items I simply could not refuse: 6 huîtres (oysters), 6 crevettes roses (deep-water pink shrimp), 150g of bulots (whelks), and some pâté landais (liver pâté). Oh—and some bread and wine of course.
This is local, regional fare, not to be missed.
It has been decades since I last tried whelks, I ate whelks, winkles and cockles as a kid. However, it’s only the third time in my life I’ve had oysters, I could never work out what the fuss was all about after I tried them years ago – I much preferred the idea of having them grilled with a bit of cheese on top rather than being eaten in the traditional way. That said, I decided to give them a go – when in Rome!
Both were delicious—as was everything else.
It was a great decision and rounded off what had rapidly become the perfect day.
I got back to Evelyne’s house just ahead of sunset. Exhausted but happy.
LA RÉSERVE ORNITHOLOGIQUE DU TEICH
After the 60km trek yesterday, I thought I’d have a more relaxing day today. So I headed for the bird reserve, which is only 3km from the front door.
So I grabbed my bike from the garage and set off. It was another glorious day.
The reserve stretches for miles and takes up all the land between Le Teich and Biganos, on either side of the River Eyre. I say land, but much of it is under water. The entire area has artificial lagoons controlled by esluice gates, which create a haven for wildlife.
I spent about four hours simply wandering the cycle paths and footpaths, stopping often to observe the wildlife. So much noise! Mostly from tiny birds nesting, I gather. I managed to catch sight of what looked like a trout, and a terrapin-type creature basking in the sun.
I bought a packed lunch at a nearby shop and headed for Port de Biganos, where I sat under the shade of a tree, escaping from the heat of the day. It turned out to be ridiculously warm, so I’m glad I didn’t cycle far.
I said goodbye to Evelyne, and headed back on the train to Bordeaux. It felt like leaving an old friend rather than a host. And Ida, the younger dog was soooooo cute!
Return to Bordeaux
I arrived back in Bordeaux and let myself into my accommodation as the host gave me his spare set when I left for Biganos on Tuesday.
I decided to take tonight nice and easy and visit the region known as Saint Michael’s Square.
There actually isn’t a square by that name but there ARE several squares surrounding St Michael’s. They are collectively known as that!
The place was buzzing. Helped by the balmy temperatures overnight.
I headed for a small bar and grabbed a “local” IPA before finding ‘Julo’ a wine bar right on the steps of the Basilica.
I decided to plonk my arse down and work through the Bordeaux wines on the menu (don’t tell Emma).
I took one last final wander around the city before heading back to my place. It was nice to be walking about in a tee shirt so late into the evening.
The city was buzzing, lots of bars, full of people enjoying an early taste of summer. Many offering a glass of good Bordeaux wine for around €5, although you could find some places serving wine for less.
Homeward bound
I grabbed a breakfast at the market before heading back to the airport via Gare St Jean. This time I caught the tram which was only €1.90, it took a little longer than the coach I took on the way here, but I was not in a rush. I didn’t forget to Validate the ticket – a mistake I made in France once before which landed me with a fine!
All in all this was an amazingly good value trip, which went like clockwork and gave me some great new experiences. Would I come back – hell yeah, at the drop of a hat. Next time with Emma, I might even persuade her to do the same home-stays and meet Phillippe and Evelyne. Although I may bring some better cycle shorts next time – need more padding!
Bordeaux is a lively city and the St Michael’s quarter is my favourite. The whole place is very “French” and vibrant. But I guess critics might not like the amount of” street art” (otherwise known as graffiti). But then again, what major European city doesn’t have this issue!
Hints and Tips
Flights – the usual recommendation: WizzAir. I love ’em.
Accommodation – well, I booked with Booking.com, but via the WizzAir membership app, which allocates 7% back in flight credits (to use on future flights). Indeed, Emma and I are travelling to Albania next month completely free as a result of this little trick.
As I was travelling solo, I wanted to go ‘low budget’ but didn’t want to stay in dormitories, so I decided to try accommodation with more of a ‘homestay’ feel. I spent a while selecting these two places.
This worked out incredibly well, although I know it wouldn’t suit everyone. My two hosts were amazing. I would absolutely use both again.
I got on incredibly well with Phillippe in Bordeaux. He was relaxed and had a laissez-faire approach to managing his accommodation, with an easy-going style with guests. For example, he gave me a spare set of keys for my second visit so I could let myself in, and wasn’t fussed at all about what time I left. He told me to treat the house as my own. We completely shared the living space, kitchen, bathroom and reception area.
However, it’s not the place I’d bring my mother or Emma’s mum, as they’d be criticising the décor and attention to detail. They’d also want a little more privacy and distinction between host and guest quarters, but for me it was ideal. Just the job!
Evelyne in Biganos was lovely, long retired, friendly and helpful. Like Phillippe, she invited me to treat the home as my own. Living alone, I suspect her guests provide company as well as a nice little income stream. Evelyne has a couple of dogs, can’t speak English, but knows her way around translation apps. The language barrier wasn’t a problem.
Biganos was a place I visited about 15 years ago, which is how I know it exists. It really is not the centre of the universe. However, it is close to the Port du Biganos (a five-minute cycle).
Arcachon and Dune du Pilat are very close, so it’s ideal for visiting those areas, especially by bike. The train journey from Bordeaux is about 35 minutes.
Bordeaux – Chambre dans un appartement, Alec Jardin (Phillippe). 84 Rue Saint-Jean, Nansouty Saint-Genès, 33800
Biganos – Petit chez soi dans mon petit chez moi, (Evelyne). 18 Rue de la Verrerie, 33380, Biganos, France *
Bike Hire – Bigabike, about 200m from the train station. Thee days cost €35 (I took my own cycle helmet which would have been €6 extra).
Transport – Train from Bordeaux to Biganos or Arcachon Basin €9 each way return ticket from station. QR code Tickets (which don’t need validation) can be bought at the station office for use on the stated days.
