Promenade du Bord de Mer

La Baule is a seaside resort on the Atlantic coast of the Loire-Atlantique, between the fishing harbour of Le Pouliguen and the port of Pornichet, and its seafront promenade is the thread that ties the town to its bay. The beach here is a curve of fine pale sand about eight kilometres long, one of the longest and best-regarded in Europe, and the promenade runs the full length of it, so that you can walk or cycle from one end of the bay to the other without leaving the shore. The sea is shallow and calm, and the tides are wide, leaving a large expanse of wet sand at low water.

The resort grew from nothing in the late nineteenth century. Until then the coast was a landscape of dunes that moved with the wind and threatened the fields behind them, and the shifting sands were fixed by plantations of maritime pines in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The railway arrived in the 1870s, and the pine forest behind the dunes made a pleasant, shaded setting for building holiday villas. In the decades before the First World War, the town became a fashionable resort, with rich families from Nantes and Paris building elaborate villas along the front. The seafront also acquired hotels, a casino and a long promenade. Many of these villas survive and, with their turrets, balconies, decorative brickwork and colourful names, they give the walk a Belle Époque air, and the modern apartment blocks that rose in the twentieth century are a contrast.

The promenade is a flat, paved route that suits all ages, and it is used by walkers, joggers and cyclists at all times of day. Benches are placed along the way, and cafés, ice-cream stands and restaurants are found at intervals, many with terraces facing the sea. On the beach side, you can watch the activity on the water. The bay is a good place for windsurfing, catamaran sailing and kitesurfing, and sand yachts and horse riding take place on the wet sand at low tide. In summer the beach is lined with striped cabins and clubs for children, and the atmosphere is lively. In the morning and evening it is quieter, with a gentler light on the water, and in winter the promenade is almost empty and good for a bracing walk.

The promenade is open at all times and free. It is easy to reach by car, train and bus, and the main station is not far behind. At the western end, Le Pouliguen is a charming fishing port with a canal and a small old centre, and at the eastern end Pornichet has its own beaches and marina. The Casino Barrière de La Baule is among the biggest in France and is part of the seafront scene, with restaurants and shows.

The walk suits families, cyclists and those who like simple seaside pleasures, and it offers a good way to see the architecture of the resort in a leisurely manner. A full stroll along the bay takes about two hours each way.