Aquitaine
The South at its Best
Bordered along the whole of its 250km west coast by the Atlantic Ocean and endless beaches of fine sand, Aquitaine is bathed in a mild oceanic climate with the influence of the Gulf Stream. Surfers, cyclists, enthusiasts of thalassotherapy and ornithology can all enjoy the sea air in all seasons.
Heading east from the ocean, you will cross the immense pine forest running from the Medoc down to the Landes and the Basque Country, covering a triangle of land 150 km wide and 200 km long.
To the north of the region, another big “green” area is the Dordogne forestland. Green Périgord is home to the Aquitaine section of the Périgord-Limousin Regional Nature Park. Here you will find a multitude of tree species, including oak, the preferred home of the famous Périgord truffles. Prehistoric Man probably enjoyed this delicacy 400,000 years ago…
Much further south, don your snowshoes and climb the peaks of the Pyrenees. This is the realm of hiking, fishing and winter sports.
One of the fundamental features of Aquitaine is the vine. And this has virtually always been the case: the first vines were planted here in Gallo-Roman times, a grape variety known as biturica in Latin…
With 145,000 hectares of vines, 90% of which are Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (Designation of Origin) areas, Aquitaine is the biggest region of fine wines in the world!
Viticulture represents 39% of the region’s farming production, with around 8 million hectolitres of red, rosé and white wine produced each year, making… one billion bottles.
By following the wine routes or simply by following your nose, Aquitaine is a quite exceptional wine destination! There are so many sites to discover and so many ways of visiting the beautiful region of Aquitaine, go to www.tourisme-aquitaine.fr to find out more…
A few years ago Aquitaine drew up a regional development scheme for cycling routes - green trails, cycling tracks and roads with little traffic - which will eventually total 2,000 kilometres of protected, maintained routes for bicycles. Added to this are the 2,000 kilometres of mountain-biking tracks, signposted and with indications of the level of difficulty, for more sports-minded cyclists.
The green trails are dedicated tracks especially developped and protected from any motorised vehicle. They are reserved for bikes, pedestrians, rollers and in some cases horse riders.
One of the new Green Trail to be opened in July 2007 is the “Voie Verte des Deux Mers” along a 86km stretch between St Romain le Noble and Meilhan sur Garonne. It follows the Canal des Deux Mers and is part of an ambitious project to link the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea by Green Trails following the Canal du Midi then the Canal des Deux Mers, across 3 regions: Aquitaine (Bordeaux), Midi-Pyrenees (Toulouse) and Languedoc Roussillon (Montpellier).
To find out more about cycling in Lot et Garonne , in french, “Loisirs et randonnees”, “Cyclotourisme”.
In the Gironde department, between Bordeaux and Arcachon, you will find 500 km of tracks exclusively for bicycles, 435 km of cycle lanes in urban areas, 2000 km of signposted walking paths, most of which are open to mountain bikes... the Gironde is one of France's leading cycling destinations. A perfect way to discover the richness of the area at your own pace . :Find out more….
To find out more about the Green Trail or other cycling routes, Landes Department , Entre-deux-Mers , Arcachon , Biscarrosse , Bearn- Pays Basque , Dordogne
Photo credits: CRTA
