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The red and white lighthouse near the Pointe de la Coubre sits on moving sandbanks watching over the incoming waves of the ocean. Built in 1904, it's not the first lighthouse here, but earlier construction have fallen victim to erosion. When the lighthouse was finished it was almost 2 km from the coastline, now it is just 150 m away. You can walk 300 steps up to the viewing platform to views of tens of kilometres including the Coubre Forest, the Gironde estuary, Île d'Oléron and the Côte Sauvage. Next to the lighthouse is a museum about the lighthouses that have functioned here and their equipment (admission is included in the ticket to the lighthouse). On Facebook.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Plages de la Côte sauvage
Making up the western flank of the municipality, the "wild coast" is a stretch of about 20 km of white sand beaches, facing the ocean directly. Five sections have been developed for swimming, but given the currents and waves, swimmers need to be careful, especially with children. The beaches popular with surfers, though. Plage de la pointe Espagnole is the northernmost, is surveilled by lifeguards during the summer months and has a snack bar and a dedicated parking lot. South of it is the naturist beach with the same name. Then comes Plage de la Bouverie which likewise has lifeguards, a snack bar and a parking lot and Plage du Vieux-Phare which has no services. The southernmost, partially in the municipality of Mathes, is Plage du phare de la Coubre near the lighthouse with parking and lifeguards - this is the beach with the strongest currents.
Forêt de la Coubre
One of the largest forests in Poitou-Charentes, it covers an area of 8000 hectares and extends to four municipalities. This pine forest was planted in the 19th century to stop the movement of the sand dunes, and has a characteristic similar to the nearby Landes de Gascogne forest, though many other tree species grow here. Wildlife includes deer, wild boars, birds and insects. There are around 25 km of biking paths, and 50 km of riding and hiking paths in the forest (also the long distance hiking trail GR4 goes through here). Near Galon d'Or there's a small lagoon.
The 21 km railway section from Saujon to La Tremblade was turned into a tourist railway in the 1980s. The "train of the seagulls" is hauled by the oldest working steam locomotive in France, at a speed of 30 km/h across the marshes of Seudre and past the oyster basins. There are also three diesel locomotives being used. On the way the train also stops in the oyster port of Chaillevette, and in Mornac-sur-Seudre which is listed as one of the most beautiful villages of France (les plus beaux villages de France). On Facebook.