The Dune du Pilat. is an incredible geological feature in the basin of Aquitaine 🌊

Touristic on the north side, calm and relaxing on the south side, where the paragliders are. You can park on the side of the road to avoid the 8 euro parking fee on the north side.

It's slope is between 30 and 40 degrees and its formation is a consequence of the Banc d'Arguin. This Bank is basically an inverse of how the Riverbanks form. In a river, generalizing, the deposition of sand always occurs on the convex margin, because of the speed of the water. Here also the strongest currents in the Biscay Bay slowly deposit sand where the currents flow slower. Then, on low tides, the wind carries the sand from the bank to the dune. Vegetation should also have played a role, making it difficult for the majority of the sand to continue being carried inland by the wind. 🌬️

This is a very slow process and it is estimated that the dune started forming 8000 to 2000 years BC. When walking in the dune, and if it has 🌧️ rained in the previous days, you can clearly see different densities of sand and particulate matter at different heights, revealing the four major paleosols (fossilized soils).

In the 17th and 18th centuries the dune was called Dune de la Grave and was 30 to 40 meters smaller. Now a days the dune reaches 102 meters, with the record being 115m height in the beginning of the 20th century.