Included in this area
of sunshine and Atlantic air in the southwest of France are the
départements of Deux Sèvres, Vienne,
Charente-Maritime, Charente, Gironde,
Dordogne, Lot-et-Garonne, Landes
and Pyrénées Atlantiques,
the latter on the Spanish border.
The coastline has 270km (170 miles) of beaches and the 30km (20
miles) or so from Hossegor to Hendaye
fall within the Basque area and offer some of the
best surfing in Europe.
North of Bordeaux the region of Guyenne
is sometimes referred to as ‘west-centre’
as if it were a clearly defined part of France, yet a diversity
of landscapes and an extraordinary mixing and mingling of races
exists here, including the Celts, Iberians, Dutch and Anglo Saxons,
to name a few. The linguistic frontier between the langue d’oïl
and langue d’oc runs between Poitiers, former
capital of the Duchy of Aquitaine and Limoges,
creating a dialect which developed from both. These people have
in common the great north–south highway, the important line
of communication between the Parisian basin and the Aquitaine basin.
Throughout the centuries it was the route of many invaders including
the Romans, Visigoths, Alemanni,
Huns, Arabs, Normans,
English, Huguenots and Catholics
all moved along it.
Not far from Poitiers is Futuroscope, which is
the domestic answer to Disneyland Resort Paris,
offering a huge theme park containing interactive and cinematic
exhibits, as well as rides and other entertainment.
Biarritz
and Bayonne are both resorts on the Aquitaine/Basque
coast, close to the Spanish border. Biarritz has
been famous as a cosmopolitan spa town since the 19th century, when
it was popular with the European aristocracy. There are several
sheltered beaches, as well as a casino. Bayonne,
a few kilometres along the coast but slightly inland, is a typical
Basque town that is worth a visit. There is a 13th-century cathedral
and two museums and one of them devoted to Basque
culture.
Bordeaux is on the Garonne
River just above where it joins the Dordogne,
the two streams forming an estuary called the Gironde
which forms a natural sheltered inland harbour. It is flanked on
both sides by vineyards as far as the eye can see. The combination
of great wines and great wealth made Bordeaux one
of the gastronomic cities of France and the city offers an impressive
sight from its stone bridge with 17 arches that crowns the enormous
golden horn which forms the harbour. The second-largest city of
France in area, the fourth in population, the fifth port, it wasdescribed
by Victor Hugo with the words: ‘Take
Versailles, add Antwerp to it, and you have Bordeaux’.
The city is the commercial and cultural centre for all of the southwest.
Its nightlife scene is fuelled by the large local student community,
which, along with its eating and drinking scene and the new budget
airline route to Bordeaux, is bringing more and
more city-breakers into the city. South of Bordeaux along the coast
is a strip of long sandy beaches backed by lagoons, some communicating
with the sea, some shut off from it. Just at the back of this is
the Landes, covered with growths of scrubby pine.
Here in the marshes, the shepherds walk on stilts.
The hilly region between the Adour and Garonne
rivers comprises the inland part of Gascony, first
known as Aquitania Propria and later as Novem
Populena. It was inhabited by Vascones,
or Basques who, since prehistoric times, had lived
in this area and south of the Pyrénées.
In the south, the Basque language has survived
to this day, but the northern part of the area became known as Vasconia
and then Gascony, a name made famous by the swashbuckling
Gascons of literature, Cyrano de Bergerac, d’Artagnan
of ‘The Three Musketeers’ and le vert
gallant – Henri IV. In the centre of Gascony
is the old countship of Armagnac which, like Cognac,
provides the world with a magnificent brandy that bears the name
of the region. The difference between the two stems from several
factors, the type of grape used, the soil, the climate, the method
of distilling the wine and the variety of wood used in the maturing
casks. Armagnac is still made by local artisans
and some small farmers. The quality and taste varies much more than
Cognac, but it inevitably retains its fine flavour.
The Dordogne is the area where traces of prehistoric
(Cro-Magnon) man abound. The Dordogne River itself,
one of the most beautiful of all the French rivers, flows swiftly
through the region, its banks crowded with old castles and walled
towns. In Montignac, the fabulous painted caves
of Lascaux are reproduced in the exact proportions
and colours of the original, a few miles away. The reproduction
was necessary as the original deteriorated quickly when exposed
to the heat and humidity of visitors. A highly interesting and informative
museum and zoo of prehistoric artefacts and animals has been created
in Le Thot a few miles from Agen.
Around the area of Périgueux is a country
of rivers and castles and very different from those on the Loire
as these are older and, for the most part, fortified defence points
against medieval invaders. There are facilities for renting horse
and gypsy wagons (roulotte à chevaux) for slow-moving tours
of the region. Along with hiking treks, river boating and bicycling
tours, it offers a relaxed way to explore this beautiful region.
In Aquitaine and Poitou-Charentes
it is possible to find pleasant hotels and auberges for an overnight
or few days’ stay. They range from gîtes and chambre
d’hôtes, a farm bed & breakfast programme, to châteaux
hôtels with elegant restaurants. There are no less than 150
chambres d’hôtes stopovers in the Poitou-Charentes region
alone, including many on the coast, near beaches and pleasure ports.
The area of Poitou-Charentes has lovely mature woodland and an attractive
coast where oysters are cultivated. The Charente-Maritime
is known as ‘the Jade Coast’, with
Royan to the south (a fine modern resort with 13km/8
miles of fine sand beaches) and La Rochelle to
the north. The centre of the département of Charente,
amid low, rolling hills covered with copses of trees and vineyards,
is a little town of only 22,000 inhabitants whose name is known
throughout the world. Here, in an area of some 150,000 acres, the
only brandy that can be called Cognac is produced. Use of the name
is forbidden for brandy made elsewhere or from other than one of
the seven officially accepted varieties of grape. The Valois
Château located here is the birthplace of Francis
I.
The ancient port of La Rochelle, from which many
pioneers left to explore the new world, is today a popular vacation
and a sailing port. La Rochelle is becoming more
and more popular, thanks in no small part to the new budget airline
route to the city from London. The rivers of the region offer quiet
scenic walks and boating trips. Close by, the offshore islands of
Oléron and Ré are
both connected to the mainland by bridges. |
