The best cycling routes in New Aquitaine

the beautiful traditional washhouse at the Fontaine Saint-Orens (also called Pourrut de Maâ in the local dialect). It is located on the Route d’Huchet (or Rue d'Huchet) in the municipality of Moliets-et-Maâ, directly bordering Léon to the south. This small, idyllic building is an important testament to the rural heritage of the Landes (petit patrimoine rural) and is deeply rooted in local history. The washhouse consists of an open, rustic wooden structure with a classic tiled roof, built directly over a water basin. The facility is fed by the historic Saint-Orens spring directly opposite, named after an old bishop of Auch. What is special about this place is the mystical story that surrounds the spring and the washhouse. For centuries, the water of the Saint-Orens spring was considered healing in the folk belief of the region. It was said that the bubbling, slightly sulfurous water could alleviate or even cure persistent skin diseases (affections cutanées). For this reason, the place was once a small, regional place of pilgrimage. However, the women from the surrounding area naturally used the flowing spring water at the washhouse primarily for the hard daily work, to collectively beat and clean the village laundry on the sloping wooden boards. Today, the small washhouse on the Route d'Huchet has been completely restored and is excellently maintained. It is nestled in a quiet natural landscape amidst pine forests on the way to the historic district of Quartier de Maâ. For walkers and cyclists on their way to the nearby mouth of the Courant d'Huchet, the shady washhouse offers a wonderfully cool and historically rich resting place.

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The port of Douhet, located in the commune of Saint-Georges-d’Oléron, is today a pleasant marina, but its history is intimately linked to the salt and wine trade. Origins Until the 19th century, the region's products (notably salt from the salt marshes and wine from Oléron) were difficult to transport by sea. To remedy this, a vast project was launched in the 1840s: a channel over 3 km long was dug between Saint-Georges-d’Oléron and the ocean, opening onto the new port of Douhet. An active commercial port The port quickly became an export center: * barges loaded salt and wine barrels there; * boats also brought building materials and various goods intended for the island. In the 1870s, there were around 400 ship movements per year, with several thousand tons of goods imported and exported. The decline At the end of the 19th century, several factors led to its decline: * the gradual abandonment of the salt marshes; * the improvement of roads and then the arrival of the tram on the island; * the regular silting up of the channel. After the First World War, the channel silted up almost completely and commercial traffic gradually disappeared. The revival In the late 1980s, the basin was completely rehabilitated and transformed into a marina. It now accommodates around 350 to 400 boats and is one of the main marinas on the island of Oléron. Its location, in the cove of Malconche, offers a remarkable view of Fort Boyard and the Île d’Aix. The old channel, although no longer navigable to the village, continues to supply seawater to the old salt marshes and today constitutes a pleasant walking or cycling route. It is a place where the traces of Oléron's maritime past can still be read in the landscape: the quays, the bridge, the channel, and the old hydraulic structures bear witness to the era when salt was the island's main wealth.

These sculptures along the track are a great initiative.

Here at the tip of Cap Ferret you have a great view of the dune, the sandbank in front and the entire ocean.

Beach and nature parking

Direct track to connect Bordeaux to Lacanau far from cars

Beautiful cycle path in varied nature.