Dune du Pilat @ France
The Dune of Pilat (Dune du Pilat in French) is the highest dune in Europe, located in France, in the Gironde department, near the Arcachon basin. It covers an area 500 m from west to east and 3 km from north to south, facing the junction between the Atlantic Ocean and the basin. The municipality in which it is located is La Teste-de-Buch, near Arcachon, in the heart of the Landes de Gascogne. The height of the dune, which varies over time, varies between 100 and 120 meters. To promote its development through eco-sustainable tourism, it is part of the Grand site national of France circuit. The Dune du Pilat was formed relatively recently. In 1855 it measured only 35 m in height and its origin is linked, according to specialists, to the destruction of a huge sandbank that in the 18th century stretched in front of the current coast, as well as to the continuous supply of sand by the wind.