Overview: La Voie Littorale/La Voie de Soulac/La Voie des Anglais in the Gironde department
From the mouth of the Gironde down the coast to the Bassin d'Arcachon.
The Route. The complete Voie littorale runs the mouth of the Garonne, where pilgrims coming from further north would have crossed the river from Royan, to Hendaye/Irún on the Spanish border. (Those who wish can therefore continue on from there to Santiago via one of the Caminos del Norte.)
The section described here is situated west of Bordeaux in the region
known as the Parc des Landes, in the département of the Gironde
(see map overleaf). The footpath starts at the Pointe de Grave (or
at Verdon-sur-Mer) and runs south, passing directly through or very near
to the villages of Soulac, Grayan-et-L'Hôpital, Montalivet-les-Bains,
Hourtin Plage, Hourtin, Carcan Plage, Carcan, Lacanau Océan, Lacnau,
Le Porge, Ares, Andernos-les-Bains, Lanton, Audenge, Le Teich and Fontaine
St. Jean, from
where the main route continues to Sanguinet, Bayonne and the Spanish border.
(Otherwise there is a link via Vieux Lugo and Belin-Béliet to the
main Tours route.). The overall distance is approximately
140kms but you should allow an extra 30-40km if you wish to visit all
the small villages - which is definitely recommended.
An article in the newspaper Sud-Ouest of 3 October 2005 reports the inauguration (and complete waymarking) of the whole route from Sanguinet to Tarnos, a total of 165 km.
Waymarking. This is in the form of posts painted yellow on the top or with a yellow arrow and is excellent throughout the entire length of the footpath - even in towns and villages. Some sections, which coincide wih the GR8, are waymarked with the red and white balises (flashes) of the French long distance footpath network.
Terrain. From the Pointe de Grave to the Bassin d'Arcachon the footpath runs through forests and borders the Atlantic ocean, lakes and canals. It is almost all flat and on level ground! There are a couple of small hills which cannot be more than 100 feet high. Around the Bassin d'Arcachon you take the seashore footpath which runs through countryside, towns and villages.
When to go. Anytime, but beware of July and August when all the accommodation is at a premium because of the holiday season.
Accommodation. Plenty of good campsites. There are small hotels and chambres d'hôte in all villages but pre-booking is advisable. There are no pilgrim hostels. Details sent to you by Mme Lafon (see under Maps and Guides, below) will give you telephone numbers for all tourist offices in the villages.
What to see. Splendid churches, nearly all of which have statues of St James and a lasting connection with the pilgrimage. Both Charlemagne and Eleanor of Aquitaine have associations with the area. Wonderful countryside which borders the Atlantic, lakes and canals and always through beautifully shaded forests of either pine or oak. Plenty of wildlife, including many kinds of birds. There are also deer, wild boar and - be careful - ticks!
Maps and guides
- A diagrammatic walking map of La Voie Littorale with information leaflet can be obtained from the Association des Amis de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle de Bordeaux et de Gironde, 58 Rue de Lyon, 33000 Bordeaux. Tel: 05 56 22 73 45. Their prédsidente, Françoise Lafon, is very helpful and will give you every assistance with your enquiries, as well as supplying information about train and bus schedules if required. The leaflet is also available through the Tourist Office.
- IGN maps 14330T, 1337ET, 1336ET and 14340T are essential.
Cyclists. Certain parts of the walkers' route are accessible to
cyclists but in other places alternatives need to be taken (see information
in the above mentioned leaflet).
Thanks to Dermot Wynne, January 2005.