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Introduction

The département of Landes, at 9 360 km_ the second largest in all France, is one where the presence of nature is felt at every turn, ordered and moulded by the work of generations of farmers and foresters.
Traditionally, Landes has always conjured up image of vast expanses of beach, the fine sand edged with dunes beyond which the forest stretches away as far as the eye can see, but the département in fact boasts four major tourist areas, each with its own marked character:
- the Coast,
- the Forest,
- Sud Adour
- and finally Armagnac

THE COAST

Stretching from the Adour estuary all the way to that of the Gironde -a distance of more than 220 kilometres- the coast is one long unbroken beach, half of which lies within the département of Les Landes.
There are 16 supervised beaches, some with several sectors, they are maintained in good order all year round. Most of these belong to well-known and much frequented seaside resorts, but the remainder lie well away from the towns.

THE FOREST

The swathe of forest covering the Landes de Gascogne is entirely man-made, having been planted in the nineteenth century as a way of cleaning up the vast stretches of sand and swampland that used to occupy a rough triangle almost 11,000 km_ in area. In the space of some fifty years, the old moorland landscape with its wandering flocks of sheep watched over by the famous Landes stiltwalkers has given way to a rich growth of maritime pines.
The most important tourist site in this region is unquestionably the Ecomusée de la Grande Lande at Marquèze (Sabres), where on of the traditional forest Farmhouses, known as an “airialî, has been preserved and restored just as it might have been at the beginning of the last century. It is a wonderful journey into the past.
Other aspects of life in the upper Landes can be appreciated in the rural districts of Pissos, Moustey, Luxey, Brocas, Sore and Labrit, while the towns of Morcenx, Tartas and Roquefort- although still very much of the forest- are already characterised by many of the features typical of the neighbouring region.

SUD ADOUR

The Adour divides Landes into two parts which are geographically very different: plateau ond forest to the north, and to the south a landscape of rolling hills, home to oak, maize and vineyards. This is also the most populated region, with a great many small villages scattered across the contryside.
The Barthes de l'Adour or floodplains of the Adour river are planted with oak forests that contrast with the pine-trees so evident elsewhere, while the Barthes de Saubusse- floodplains of the Saubusse -are home to the last fifty specimens of the Barthes Pony which live there in a semi-wild state. Man has left his mark on these lands since prehistoric times. The caves at Brassempouy witnessed the discovery of the oldest known sculpture to date -the Dame à la Capuche (Hooded Woman). There are some noteworthy ruins from the Gallo-Roman period, particularly at Dax, while Aire sur l'Adour bears witness to the days of Sainte Quitterie and the Visigoth kings. Remains dating from the Middle Ages as well as more recent times can be seen in most villages, in particular the Romanesque churches of Ste Quitterie, St Sever, Montfort, Sorde l'Abbaye, Brassempouy, Arthous, Pimbo, Cagnotte, Amou and Audignon, not to mention the wonderful crypt of St Girons at Hagetmau.
France's foremost spa town, DAX, was known even before the Roman conquest for the curative properties of its hot springs.

ARMAGNAC IN LANDES

This is the smallest distinct geographical region in Landes, but between Villeneuve de Marsan and Gabarret the landscape is more varied than in any of the three regions described above, with many different kinds of countryside- and architecture too- passing by in quick succession. Little by little the pine forest disappears, blending gradually with oak and chestnut. Vineyards take pride of place, however, for this region is home to the wine from which ARMAGNAC is distilled.

www.tourismelandes.com

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