The wilder side of Biarritz
Try France’s Landes coast for a family adventure, says
LESS famous than the Riviera, its chi-chi cousin on the Med, France’s Atlanticfacing Landes coast is a stunning combination of beautiful beaches, pine forests and tranquility, where the next adventure is just around the corner.
As a slate-grey wall of ocean builds to a peak, a small surfer springs nimbly to his feet and carves a graceful arc down the wave towards the beach.
And behind him a taller wave-rider, his sun-bleached hair distinctive against the sea, follows a similarly elegant line.
Behind them, a significantly fatter, balder and less graceful version lumbers slowly to his feet, whirls his arms wildly and falls off.
This is Moliets-et-Maa in southwest France and I’ve just watched two of my sons take their first surfing lesson – and totally eclipse their father who has been at it for years. Just three minutes after a two-hour lesson we’re back in our villa, surrounded by pine tees, with the boys wolfing down doughnuts and hot chocolate.
If you want the best of both worlds – near the beach but not surrounded by crowds, in the countryside but not miles from the coast – then this really is the perfect place.
An hour’s drive north of Biarritz, or 90 minutes south from Bordeaux, Moliets-etMaa is at the heart of the stunning Landes coastline and beautifully combines a haven of solitude with activities for all ages.
From surfing to tennis and golf, cycling to quad biking, zipwire treetop adventures to horse riding, boat trips or simply exploring miles of sweeping sand dunes, there is something for everyone.
We stayed at the Villas La Clairière aux Chevreuils run by accommodation provider Summer France.
A well-designed, small collection of around 60 individual villas, each house has its own garden and large, rectangular swimming pool.
The villas range in size from six to 12 people. Bed linen and towels are provided and there is a complimentary mid-stay clean.
Villas have a large, openplan living room with glass sliding doors opening out on to a garden and a substantial decked area around the pool.
Complimentary breakfast baguettes, pastries and croissants arrive at your door on the first morning and you can order a daily delivery to save a five-minute drive to the local boulangerie if you wish.
A welcome pack of a bottle of wine and some local produce was also a huge relief as we arrived after 9.30pm on a Sunday and there was nowhere open to get anything to eat.
Unusually, there is no barbecue as they have been banned in the area to prevent fires in the miles of pine forest which line the coast. The only sounds you can hear are birdsong and the lapping pool – it is tempting never to leave.
But with so much to do on your doorstep – much of it within walking distance – it would be a mistake not to take advantage. The region is rightly famous for its surfing and so it was that Jack, 10, and Harry, 12, were persuaded to have their first surfing lesson.
We booked with École de Surf du Golf and were taken to a quiet section of the beach by Camille Reine. Impossibly tanned, muscular, handsome – and great with kids – he was everything you’d want in a surf instructor.
After a short safety lesson in which he explained how waves work and how to avoid being caught in a rip tide, Camille took the boys through the basics of lying on a board and then introduced them to standing up.
Jack was on his feet and confidently riding a wave at his first attempt. Harry took two waves to be standing like a pro.
My husband Greg? Well, he’s willing. I’ll give him that.
He certainly had more success on the nearby golf course, Golf de Moliets, which is rated one of the top 10 courses in France.
The club has two courses. One is a nine-hole, 2,100yard short course set through the pine forest.
But it is the magnificent 18-hole, 6,874-yard main course that is the real draw. Designed by renowned course architect Robert Trent Jones in the 1980s, much of the undulating and