JUNE 2025
STATS: 9 days of e-cycling (though mostly without engine since the region is rather flat), about 640km with 2,500m elevation gain.
TRIP OVERVIEW: This trip has been a feast of natural, calm, biking paths (mostly isolated, paved and separate from cars, often as repurposed train tracks with old train stations nearby), and of beautiful forests and beaches. In addition, it has been a fantastic discovery of small hotels and B&Bs (even in a 13th century tower) and excellent food (well, besides the watered-down coffee).
Arcachon is the only lively town we crossed, a famous coastal resort since the 19th century.
The only bad part of the trip has been the rain during a couple of days when biking along the coast, but the covered sky during most of the trip protected us from the sun during long open stretches, especially on the Atlantic coast.
Lastly, all our bike tours in France have been marked, unknowingly, by a peculiarity , which in this tour turned out to be the « bell-wall » (clocher-mur) of the churches.
NOTE on the LANDS OF GASCONY: this region (Nouvelle Aquitaine, in South-West of France) has some of the most famous summer destinations in France and it harbors the biggest forest in France (LANDS). The Lands have also the most spectacular sandy beaches on the Atlantic, about 200km of them, uninterrupted and very wide, with big dunes separating the ocean from the forest. They are renowned surfing sites, and of course they are also a biking paradise, with hundreds of kilometers of dedicated relatively flat, wild and calm biking paths, including the two Eurovelo routes (EV-1 & EV-3).
Just a note on the nomenclature of these two cycling routes: EV-1 is the Eurovelo Atlantic Coast Route (10,650km from North Cape in Norway to Valença in Portugal), with its French section called « La Vélodyssée » (along the French Atlantic Coast); & EV-3 is the Eurovelo Pilgrim Route (5,650km from Trondheim in Norway to Cape Finisterre in Spain, passing by Santiago de Compostela), with its French section called « La Scandiberique ».
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DAY-0: reaching the Starting Point
All packed and bikes loaded onto the car the evening before, we drive towards Bordeaux early in the morning. Since we bike in a loop, we can leave the car at our first B&B, where we will return on the last night (indeed very kind of the host to keep our car). At the arrival in this old farm-house and lovely B&B in Fontet, the hosts are very welcoming and instruct us to get settled and then come at 19h30 for an aperitif with the other guests !
For dinner, the B&B proposes a meal for an extra fee, but we decline since we prefer to remain light after having spent a good 8-9 hours in the car.
Thus we explore the town nearby, La Reole, where we only find a mediocre pizzeria (looks better on paper). We later find out that the lower part of town where we stopped is quite rundown and we should have taken the panoramic elevator to go to the nice medieval higher town 🙄. Anyway, on the return trip, we will choose the B&B dinner!
As we bike around the B&B in Fontet, a village of only a few houses, we see a striking XIII church with a beautiful bell-wall. As mentioned before, we will see this type of churches throughout the region.
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DAY 1: Bike Fontet-Cauderoue on EV-3: 78km (+350m)
We had an excellent night of rest and are ready to start, but not before a good breakfast at the B&B, though only carbs are provided and my husband is VERY disappointed on the lack of proteins 😂. But we need the carbs as today we have a long stretch of 75km and hot weather up to 32C!
We thus leave Fontet (all excited for the trip and full of marvelous expectations I have to say) in a southbound direction towards Spain, on the EV-3 along the Canal de la Garonne (part of the Canal des 2 Mers, connecting the Atlantic to the Mediterranean).
All is very calm, in part under the shade of trees. A few small bridges and channel locks add to the picturesque landscape.
We see people of all ages biking on the channel, from families with young children to older people well in their 70s or older. It is very easy and flat so we actually are not using the engine at all.
At Mas d’Agenais we stop to rest under a 17th century wooden covered market, where a small restaurant conveniently serves us lunch.
And just in front of us is the exquisite St Vincent collegiate church (11th-14th century), which amazingly contains Rembrandt’s “Christ on the cross”. It is incredible to find this unique masterpiece in a small off-the-beaten-path village!
We are at about 1/3 milage for the day, so we finally start back on the saddle.
We detour into Damazan because it was listed as having the old central square typical of the 13th century fortified villages of southern France. The square is indeed « somewhat » charming, with its cornered houses, some with original timbering. However, nothing super special that we had to deviate especially for, under the 32C midday sun!
Just after Buzet-sur-Baïse, we continue southbound on the EV-3/ Scandiberique, which, at this point, separates from the Canal des 2 Mers. Left the canal, the biking path goes on countryside roads but with little traffic (though I would not recommend to go with children).
We then pass through the picturesque gate of the fortified village (bastide) of Vianne, with the beautiful XIIc. church of Saint-Christophe.
As we reach Barbaste, we are suddenly greeted by its 12th century Romanesque bridge and the impressive Towers on the Gélise.
And at last we enter the land of young King Henry IV. Here we detour from EV-3 to visit Nérac, with the royal castle and beautiful medieval and renaissance houses.
It is about dinner time and Nerac is only a few km away from our B&B. Thus, after this very long day we reward ourselves with a carb rich delicious pizza.
We end the day at a fabulous B&B with very nice hosts. This is in fact a remodeled little 13th century tower/castle (and our room is at the top of the tower!). We are the only guests this night (they have another 2-3 rooms), so they take time to chat with us and help us settle with bikes and all. We are giddy with excitement and awe-struck by the idea of sleeping in this centuries-old tower! A first hand-wash of clothes and then off to bed.
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DAY 2 : Bike Cauderoue – Mont-de-Marsan: EV-3: 99km (+580m)
The castle was bucolic and paradisiaque and we slept with the windows open into the countryside and sky. But my night was restless, probably paradoxically due to the fatigue of the previous day.
And so, after a breakfast of eggs, cheese and carbs, we leave the “tower” and start what is going to be the longest (and hottest) day of the trip.
Additionally, today’s section of EV-3 is mostly on natural terrain, and often not in good condition. It is beautiful on the eyes (and mostly under a tree canopy, shaded from the scorching sun) but horrible on the butt! Puddles of mud and a stony /grassy track make us constantly bump on the saddle.
This route is also called the Pilgrim route ( to Santiago de Compostela ) and indeed it has a sort of medieval atmosphere and one feels catapulted in ancient times with pilgrims crossing this route on foot.
We see almost nobody, not in the villages nor along the route; it seems we’re the only one standing, and this gives an even more mystical aura to the path .
At about 2/3 of today’s length we stop at what is considered the « jewel of the Lands », Labastide d’Armagnac. We enter the town via the Royal Square (Place Royale), and here we stand, hypnotized by the sheer picture-perfect medieval scene and stillness of the place (only a few visitors are about). This huge open space (the square) is lined by half-timbered houses and arcades. Its 13th c. Church of Notre Dame sits at one corner.
We have done 65km so far today so it is an ideal place for a yummy reward with savory crepes and ice-cream and coffee! Between the fatigue, the calm of the place (siesta time?) and the food we are actually falling asleep and napping is very tempting. Indeed, a good 2 hours will pass before we gather the strength of mind to move on.
It is crazy, but I realize that I just missed the only landmark that I did not want to miss today: « the cyclists Chapel » or Notre-Dame des Cyclistes (Chapelle Notre Dame des Cyclistes | Landes d’Armagnac Tourisme). This was just a couple of km before arriving at Labastide. I guess the signs were not that prominent on the path. In any case this Chapel is a stop for many cyclists and its walls are covered with myriads of shirts from famous cyclists.
We thus continue at full speed towards Mont de Marsan, our night stop, wanting to arrive before dinner. This time we have a regular Hotel with pool, nothing special but comfortable. They have a dining area but they don’t offer dinner (only for breakfast). We want to shower and relax and do not have the strength to cycle another 5 min into downtown and so we call a delivery via UberEat (it will be a poke-bowl of salmon and rice).
What a long day this was, stretching our endurance and probably paying for it tomorrow. Today’s road was also not comfortable, on true « Voie verts » (Green ways)……. with about 4/5 of the 100km on grassy path, covered by dark green trees and coasted by ferns. Very wild indeed.
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DAY 3 : Bike Mont-de-Marsan – Saint-Paul- Lès-Dax: EV-3: 71km (380m).
Today we start with a drop in temperature : a cool 20C under a cloudy sky that will remain with us for the rest of the trip.
We cross Mont de Marsan (nice but nothing peculiar) and continue along EV-3. Along the way, we stop for a few minutes to admire the 12th century church of Carcarès Sainte Croix built on a mound, and with a fortified bell-wall. We have seen a few of these bell-walls covered by this type of wooden protection. Unfortunately the church is closed so we just walk outside.
This day is mostly on countryside roads but with low traffic. The landscape is just farms and farmland, maybe a little bit boring (or relaxing, depending on the attitude). After a couple of hours we try to stop for coffee but no shop is open, and this continues until the end of the day! For 70km nothing. Not one coffee shop in any of the few villages we pass. We ask ourselves where is everyone, no life on Sundays??
We finally arrive in Dax, a thermal town, but again no major landmark except the “spring of the Nèhe”, symbol of the resort and built in the 19th century on a supposed ancient Roman baths.
We end the day in a Casino Hotel at Saint-Paul-les-Dax and dine at a good Tex-Mex Restaurant with its bowling alley! Finally some life…
But we start getting worried for tomorrow because the weather has changed and rain is forecasted all day long (and we will be on the Ocean, with nowhere to shelter in). All the rest of lodging has by now been pre-paid, so we spend the rest of the evening making contingency plans, phone in hand, checking trains, paths, and the moving storm.
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DAY 4 : TRAIN Dax-Labenne & BIKE Labenne – Contis-les-Bains: EV-1, 77km (+220m)
As predicted, today we start under the rain. Thankfully there is a little train that delivers us from Dax to Labenne (saving 40km of biking). We start biking in Labenne with very painful butts and go towards the Atlantic coast to connect with the EV-1 route at Capbreton, and then continue northbound along the Ocean (we left EV-3 in Dax).
This stretch of French Atlantic coast is a surfer’s paradise and we see several of them even in this weather. Reading about the region, I found out that the Ocean here presents a peculiar phenomenon called « baïnes »: these are natural sand depressions/pools created by water currents that can trap bathers in rip currents and pull them out at sea, and it is impossible to swim out of them. The baïnes are often hidden in the sea, with calmer waters giving a false sense of security. Thus swimmers need to pay attention to and respect the flags’ colors and signs, and swim only in allowed areas.
These beaches are part of the Côte d’Argent (Silver Coast), in the Bay of Biscay. This is an immense stretch of wide breathtaking sandy beaches 200km-long, from the mouth of the Gironde in the north to the border with Spain, the longest, straightest, sandiest coastline in Europe. Few small touristic villages alternate with long stretches of wild landscapes and an abundance of camping resorts. Hotel accommodations are quite limited, and this maintains the beauty of the wild nature .
I really wanted to reach Capbreton because here you can still see several WWII Bunkers half-sinked in the immense sandy beach. And what a sight they are! Their presence is even more impressive in this gloomy day.
We continue coasting the Ocean, though the sea is hidden by dunes and forest. Rain comes and goes, from drizzle to downpour. Thankfully we brought with us all the rain gear needed: from helmet cover to bags&backpack covers, rain pants and jacket. Only the shoes get soaked.
As we pedal along the forested path we spot an inviting lonely pizzeria, where we stop just in time for lunch. And as we park the bikes under its roof, all hell breaks loose. With another 35km to go, we spend a couple of hours here weathering the storm.
We then continue along a beautiful wild section. Today it has been all on dedicated paved bike lanes, most of them in the forest under the shade of maritime pines.
And at last the rain has stopped; we arrive at this super cute boutique hotel at Contis-Plage. After 75km of ALL-DAY RAIN, this is a fantastic reward. It looks like an old-maritime villa with dark wood frame and interior details, right on the beach. And the village is a charme, looking as a typical small fish village lined with small tourist shops, surfing items and small restaurants. And on that note, we will eat fish tonight.
On the beach, some surfers are riding the waves at low-tide. The beach is long and wide, but today it is forbidden to swim (I guess the surfers have a special pass).
Not wanting really to leave this place in the morning …… but tomorrow we are booked 65km north, so we will have to.
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DAY 5 : Bike Contis-les-Bains -Biscarosse: EV-1: 64km (+180m)
Pretty cool surprise this morning ….. we come down for breakfast and there is a film crew just in front of our hotel, shooting a scene for a French movie!
All packed, we move again north, and no rain this time. We continue crossing the immense outskirts of the Landes, through the same dedicated paved path of yesterday, still immersed in the tranquility of the forest, though today the path is occasionally interrupted by small ocean-side or lake-side tourist villages.
A cloudy enough day protects us from the heat and sun exposure on some long bare stretches.
Tonight rest spot is an old lake-side hotel near Biscarosse, surrounded by the calm of nature. They offer a great french dinner, which we don’t hesitate to take since we are far from any restaurant.
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DAY 6 : Bike Biscarosse -Arcachon: EV-1: 51km (+380m)
Ahia! As we leave the hotel in the morning, rain starts pouring down and we stop to put on all our rain gear: helmet cover, jacket and rain pants, as well as bag covers (always carry the rain gear in places with uncertain meteo…..). But the rain will last only a couple of hours. Not too bad.
The landscape has changed. We left behind the thick pine forest and we are biking for half of the day along sandy plains with low vegetation and sparse trees.
As we approach Arcachon, the pine forest gives way to lower brushes on one side and the famous tall sand dunes of Pyla/Pilat on the other. Pyla or Pilat is the highest sand dune in Europe, about 100m high, 500m wide and 2,7km long from North to South. I find a secluded entrance where to park my bike for a second and try to run on the sand up to the dune. But it is too high and too long and it will take too much time, so I walk on it to catch a bit of the panorama and then turn around.
And now my shoes are not only wet but also full of sand.…..
After the Dune of Pilat at the mouth of Arcachon Bay, we enter the urban landscape, with residential low buildings and villas typical of beach resorts.
We seamlessly enter Arcachon in late afternoon during low-tide. We bike directly uphill to stroll the charming Winter Quarter (Ville d’Hiver). This is a calm, residential quarter lined by innumerable incredibly picturesque 19th century mansions and smaller houses , some looking literally like dollhouses, with pastel colors and carved wooden decorations.
Indeed, Arcachon flourished in the 19th century when a train line was built to connect the bay to Bordeaux. It is the oldest beach resort on the Côte d’Argent and still immensely popular with Bordeaux residents.
We are spending the night in this elegant seaside resort town, in a little boutique hotel. After a nice shower and change of clothes (and yes, clothes-washing), we takeoff to wander its seafront quarter (Summer Quarter or Ville d’été), where we find elegant shops and restaurants along the beach promenade.
As mentioned before, we arrive at low-tide and we can see the wide beach from the retreating sea. From the pier we try to spot Birds Island within the bay (a famous spot for migratory birds) and the traditional wooden fishermen houses built on stilts, though they are way too far for the naked eye. The Bay is in fact also known for oyster harvesting.
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Day 7 : Bike Arcachon – Saint-Médard: EV-1 to road connection to EV-3: 78km (+220m)
Today is a mix&match of routes to finally close our loop. We start along EV-1, then we are on a busy road, and we lastly reconnect with EV-3.
From Arcachon, we continue for a while coasting the bay eastward in the direction of Bordeaux, along several oyster ports, the most picturesque of all being probably the Port of Larros.
After the long-stretch on a large busy road we finally stop at an amazing bakery. Well all the bakeries are quite amazing when biking, but this one really has tons of savory goodies and good coffee.
Well restored, we continue inland and stop briefly to see the 11th century church of St-Martin (in Leognan) on the Camino of St Jacques de Compostelle and on the Bordeaux Wine Route. This church was marked as a must-see site along EV-3.
At the end, with the wind in our favor, we arrive early enough to our Hotel (set in a vineyard complex).
So we drop the bags and, still in bike clothes, we rush to visit a beautiful 13th-14th century moated castle nearby (first time we are able to sneak in an indoor visit!). The Castle of La Brede is the birth place of Montesquieu (18th century), and a place where he returned often and wrote many of his works. Amazingly, this 14th century castle remained in the hands of the same family of Montesquieu until 2004, when the last heir died and donated it to the private foundation that now operates it.
During our 1-hr guided tour we are able to go through several furnished rooms from the time of Montesquieu, as well as stroll through the park.
Tonight’s dinner will be in the elegant restaurant of the vineyard domain.
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Day 8 : Bike Saint-Médard – Saint-Symphorien: EV-3: 60km (+110m)
And the pilgrimage continues on EV-3…….
At about half-way, we make a detour near Hostens to see the Gothic chapel of Ste-Catherine (15th-16th century), on one of the routes to Santiago de Compostela. It is found along a countryside route near an agglomerate of farmhouses. This small chapel has a front porch to protect pilgrims, and its façade has a typical fortified bell-wall. The chapel is locked by an iron gate. One cannot enter but can see ex-voto and old maps of the route pinned to the wall. It is pretty impressive.
We continue along long stretches of calm and secluded paved bike paths (the usual repurposed old train tracks), and at last we settle for the night in St-Symphorien, in a quaint old farm/B&B, full of charm and with a lovely host.
This time we dine out at a surprisingly good pizzeria, that we find a couple of km out in a small strip mall (indeed, it feels like we are in the US!).
On the way there we stop to see the outside of chalet Mauriac, built by the mother of François Mauriac (Nobel prize in Literature) in the 1890s, on the style of Arcachon’s Winter Quarter.
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Day 9: Bike Saint-Symphorien – Fontet: EV-3: 58km (+190m)-THE END
It is the last day, and we feel tired but these last couple of days have been quite easy biking segments: short, flat, and with good temperature/weather. The bike path has also been perfect with paved calm separate trails often secluded in woods. This last day will be more varied and full of landmarks, but it is not too long so we can allow ourselves some extra time for sightseeing .
We start with the ruins of the 14th century castle just within the village of Villandraut. We walk around and peek in the courtyard from its old drawbridge. It can also be visited for a small fee, I guess what remains of it, but we do not feel leaving the bikes unattended and so we move on.
In the small town of Uzeste, instead we check out the gothic collegial church of Notre Dame (14th c.). We quickly alternate going inside and see the tomb of Pope Clement V (who died in Gard in 1314, after 9 years of pontificate). Clement V was buried in this tomb 45 years after his death, to respect his will to be buried in his native Gascony. Looking at the external side of the church, it is impressive to see remnants of original colors on its 14th century tympan (indeed, the statues were painted in the Middle Ages).
Further along on the bike route we spot an imposing church on the hillside: Saint Sauveur in Saint Macaire. It is a beautiful site and it is crazy that it is not mentioned on the EV-3 website as one of the landmarks to see along this bike route. Needless to say, after some rubbernecking I cut to the chase and quickly climb the mound to visit the church.
This church, from the 12th century, is once again on the Camino to Compostela, and it is one of the most important Romanesque churches in the Gironde. It has been modified several times but the magnificent portal at its entrance is from the 13th century. Inside there are also beautiful frescoes on the ceilings. Next to the church are the rest of the Romanesque cloister.
As we cross la Garonne at Castets-en-Dorthe, we see the beautiful Château du Hamel dominating the river (modified multiple times from the 12th to the 19th century). Here, EV-3 rejoins the Canal de la Garonne, where we can see 3 locks to help small boats overcome the difference in water levels.
We bike the last few km along the Canal, et voilà, we have completed the journey! We arrive early at our B&B in Fontet, the same one where we left the car and from where we will depart tomorrow morning towards home. And a light but delicious home-made dinner is waiting for us for an extra fee of 27€ (parmentier de canard, jambon de Bayonne, foie gras, salade et fromage, dessert et vin) !
All in all we have done 9 days of cycling, for about 640km with 2,500m elevation gain. Tomorrow, will drive a full day back home.
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Links to Introduction and other multi-day trips outside Switzerland:
- BIKING THROUGH SWITZERLAND (with an electric bike)
- NORWAY – EV1, Lofoten : Cycling above the Arctic Circle
- GREECE -EV8, 7-Day Cycling Igoumenitsa to Patras, the Mediterranean Route
- FRANCE – Cycling the Route des Grandes Alpes (southern half)
- FRANCE, Via Rhona (Northern part) , 7-day bike tour
- FRANCE- Perpignan to Avignon, EV8-Mediterranee à Velo (south) in 8 days (510km)
- FRANCE- Cycling in the Prealps d’Azur -4 Days (Grasse-Aiglun-Gorges du Cians)
- FRANCE – Cycling the Grande Traversèe du Jura
#eurovelo #cyclingeurope #bikepacking
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