Tuiles port, Biganos
Landes de Gascogne Regional Natural Park, Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
This small oyster farming port appears at the end of a narrow road, nestled in the Leyre Delta. It has retained its colourful or simply whitewashed wood cabins, some of which continue to house fishing and oyster farming activities. Surrounded by reed bed prairies, the freshwater of the river meets with the ocean’s salt water, creating a paradise for
migrating birds. © Hervé Lenain / hemis.fr
Forming a mosaic of salt marshes, dykes, reedbeds and environments under tidal influence such as sandbanks and mudflats, the Leyre Delta, overlooking the Bay of Arcachon, in the heart of the Regional Natural Park of Gascony Landes, constitutes a major landscape entity. Set on one of Europe’s most important migration routes, the delta is a bird heaven, as nearly 300 species migrate or nest on the Teich Ornithological Reserve. A few unmissable spots are to be visited to discover this territory, its species and human activities, such as the Ornithological Reserve, the coastal footpath, the Certes-Graveyron Domain, or the small oyster-farming ports of Biganos, Tuiles, or Audenge. Biganos has retained its wild character in a lush natural setting. Its typical colourful huts which bask in the shade of great oaks are a favourite amongst nature lovers. In addition to port activities, it is home to painters, photographers, and hikers. The richness of this ecosystem is remarkable, but its balance is nonetheless fragile.