The forest, 40 kilometres of marked footpaths in the forest and 20 kilometres of cycle trails, cycle lanes and green way along the forest.

A walk on the numerous footpaths will enjoy your stay. The Landes forest is very appreciated for the quality and the importance of its fauna and flora. Together with your family you will enjoy the changing of nature with the passing seasons. The nature and photography lovers will discover this diversity going for a walk on the numerous footpaths or for a ride on the many cycle trails  or enjoy the green way. A map of marked footpaths in the forest for walking, mountain biking, cycle trails and lanes, green way is available at the Tourist Office Seignosse. Another circuit "Parcours Belherbe" of 2,5 km will make you discover with your family the landscape of Les Landes, in safe, comfortable conditions and full respect of the environment.

The tapping is the way of collecting the resin of the pine. The worker who did that activity was called a tapper.

The pine sap collection :the resin was collected when the pot was full. This process, which was as well called amassa,  took place roughly every 5-6 weeks. This activity was done with the family. The pots were emptied with a scraper and the sap was gathered in a sort of wooden basket called quarta.

The resin was then used in different ways :  

 

• Turpentine used for : cleaning solvents, paint thinning, varnishes, cleaning products (shoe polish, wax), paint, perfumes, air freshener, celluloïd, films, pharmaceuticals, textile…)
• Colophany and pitch, a solid component, used in paint, varnishes, soaps, glue, industrial grease, ink, linoleum, insulating material, adhesives...

The barking of cork oak : the bark of a cork oak tree is thick, insulating and rugged and may be 25 cm thick. The first cork produced by the tree is « male » cork, it is rugged and of poor quality ; it must be scrapped off when the trunk is 70 cm in circumference, this is called « démasclage ». A new layer will grow, the« female » cork, it will be scrapped off every 9 to 15 years (according to the areas), when the thickness reaches roughly 3 cm. The first cork is cut from generally 25 year old trees. Another 9 to 10 years is required for the second harvest, always in July and August when the phellogen is active. Female cork is used for bottle stoppers and male cork is ground for composition cork as insulation corkboards. 

The lakes : Etang Noir and Etang Blanc

Discover these two lakes at Seignosse :

The Etang Blanc is shallow and has a sandy bed. It is a protected area with a rich and varied fauna and flora.

You can go angling.

Discover the nature reserve of Etang Noir either by your own or with your family, it is exceptional for its varied flora and fauna. The site offers a characteristic landscape of wet moors. Dense and lush marsh where a wooden footbridge leads you among a chaos of trees with leaning trunks and intermingled boughs, strewn with majestic primitive ferns and dishevelled tufts of carex.

 Guided visits during the season, year-round book ahead.

In July and August :

• from Mondays to Fridays : 10:30 and 15:00. 
  

• on Sundays : 10:30

Admission : 3,50 € per pers. (from age 6).

• On Wednesdays at 17:00 : for families on reservation

Admission : 3 € per pers. (from age 6)
 

From September to June :
Guided visits and educational workshops on reservation.
Groups must book ahead to visit the Nature Reserve.

Open day on Sunday 07 July : discovering the nature reserve, workshops, exhibitions.

In case of rain the guided visits may be cancelled

 Réserve Naturelle de l’Étang Noir

Avenue du Parc des Sports
40510 SEIGNOSSE
Tel. 05 58 72 85 76

http://sites-nature.aquitaine.fr/reserve-naturelle-de-etang-noir
e-mail : rn.etangnoir@libertysurf.fr

Opening time of the pavilion :

• in July and August : Mondays to Fridays 10:00 – 19:00 and on Sundays 10:00 – 17:00.       Closed on Saturdays.
   
• the other months : Mondays to Fridays : 10:00 - 12:00 / 14:00 - 17:00.

The golf course Golf Blue Green Seignosse

In the pine trees and cork oaks forest, you will enjoy this beautiful walk in the open air while playing golf. You will discover hundred-year pine trees in this wild nature, an 18-hole golf course for everybody in a preserved nature.

 Follow the link

The coastal dune

In the end of the Middle Ages there were marshes instead of forest and near the coastline the sand was blowing inland. Later works have been set up for the stabilisation of the dunes as hoardings and planting of marram or lyme grass. Today the dune is a natural heritage where vegetation develops and that need a continuous protection.

As early as spring, the Tourist Office Seignosse with the co-operation of the Forestry Commission (ONF) organizes guided walks. 

Information and booking :

Office de Tourisme de Seignosse

Tél. 05 58 43 32 15

The ancient public washhouse

Facing the nature reserve of Etang Noir. Come discover the public washhouse where the washerwomen met to wash the clothing. Clothing was washed every two or three months when there was no urgent farmwork such as sowing or harvesting. It was called « bugade ».

Avenue du Parc des Sports
40510 SEIGNOSSE

Free access.

Follow the link

Photo credit, banner : Damien Poullenot