It has its own Statue of Liberty, yet it is not New York. There is an ‘English Way’, although this town is not in England (writes Fabienne Reynolds). When you first arrive there, you’d be forgiven for thinking it is just another resort.

Often described as ‘the town at the end of the world’, Soulac sur Mer is located on the French Atlantic coast, 100 kilometres north of Bordeaux. Nestled between the sea and the Gironde River, at the tip of the Médoc peninsula, this welcoming and unspoilt place will offer you sea, sand, sun - and a few surprises along the way.

Soulac has one of the oldest spas on the Atlantic coast, and throughout its history it has remained a good choice for a stopover. It enjoys a privileged location by the sea and its own microclimate. Here you can experience the invigorating sea, a seven kilometre long sandy beach, hiking paths, wildlife and a vegetation of maritime pine trees, mimosa and broom, all within close proximity of the Médoc vineyards and its hundreds of chateaux.

Soulac today

Soulac offers all types of sports and activities: land, air and sea to suit every inclination and level of excitement; but here, nature also makes a play for your attention. This is a place to arouse the senses: the intoxicating smell of the ocean and pine trees, the regular rolling of the waves, the fine golden sand, a view that stretches as far as the eye can see, and the traditional Médoc dishes.

If you have time, a visit to ‘La Guinguette de la Plage’ by the river in St Vivien is an absolute treat; try the local giant prawns with a glass of white wine. You should also try the ice-cream parlour on the high street. Established in the 1920s, Maison Judici has a reputation second to none and its ice creams are homemade and wickedly delicious.

Soulac is a place for all seasons, and when summer gives way to autumn, beach activities become long hikes, hunting or foraging for Cèpes mushrooms or chestnuts. Whatever the season, there is plenty to do and see.

During the first week of June, the town holds its annual ‘Soulac 1900’ festival, a weekend-long trip into the past, when everyone dresses up and relives the year 1900. This includes a steam train from Bordeaux, classic cars, live music, a circus, a funfair, a market and much more.

Throughout the summer there are many events taking place: concerts, fireworks, markets, exhibitions, festivals and fairs to provide entertainment for all. A few kilometres out to sea and standing on a rock bed is the lighthouse of Cordouan, the oldest functioning lighthouse in France. This is well worth a visit, and day trips are available by boat from the port in Le Verdon.

Experience the past

The history of Soulac spans two millennia, although little is known about the town's history until the Middle Ages. Archaeological findings  (including an impressively stylised Gaul emblem of a wild boar) place the first signs of civilisation around 2,000 years ago. These are on display at the museum of art and archaeology.

First there is the legend of the astonishing Noviomagus, a Soulac from antiquity mentioned by Ptolemy in his Geography. No one knows if the site of this fabulous and splendid city was indeed Soulac, but at low tide in spring, one can still see some Roman remains under the water.

In the 11th century Benedictine monks built a monastery in what would have been a hostile and remote environment.  In the 12th century, the current basilica was built: ‘Notre-Dame de la fin des Terres’  ('Our Lady of the end of the Land'), now a UNESCO world heritage monument.

At the time, Soulac was one of the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostella in northern Spain. Otherwise known as the "English Way", it was here that pilgrims disembarked from across the channel to undertake the rest of the voyage on foot.

Soulac under the sand

In 1742, the inhabitants had to evacuate the town due to the capricious sands, and relocated a couple of kilometres away in a new village they named New Soulac. 

The church too had fallen victim to the sands and was completely buried from view. The only point visible was the tip of the steeple, which was used to tie up horses. It remained there until 1849, when Antoine Trouche acquired the sand dunes of the ‘old’ Soulac. To contain the advancing of the dunes, he ordered the plantation of a forest of maritime pine trees now stretching to the Pointe de Grave, where the ferry from Royan operates.

New beginnings

The church was retrieved from its grave of sand in 1859 and restoration completed in 1905. This gave the town its motto ‘ex arena rediviva surgit’, or ‘risen again from the sand’. Soulac grew with the arrival of the railway, and by then the hub was no longer in New Soulac but back in the old town of Soulac sur Mer. 

It is at this time that the town became a popular spa, and remnants of its former grandeur can be seen throughout Soulac and its distinctive ‘villas’. The 500 villas are in the characteristic style of red and orange bricks and decorated with chiselled wood. Each has a unique name and its own history. If, for example, you walk along the beach towards l’Amelie, you will come across ‘Surprise’, its feet now almost in the water, a present from a Belgian businessman to his wife. Soulac is still known as "the village of the 500 villas" - when you get there, see how many you can spot.

When you walk along the promenade you will be greeted by the town’s own Statue of Liberty. This is the work of Bartholdi, designer of the New York landmark, who was commissioned to design a fountain for the town of Bordeaux. The statue remained there until 1941, when German troops decided to take it to Germany to melt it into a cannon. The statue never made it there as French railway workers hijacked it. She reappeared some years later on the sea front in Soulac, where she tries in vain to catch a glimpse of her big sister.

Soulac offers a stroll in a town that has embraced its past and is resolutely turned towards the future, having lost none of its character or uniqueness.

Images credit/Crédit photo : Henri-Paul ARNAUD

About the author

Fabienne Reynolds is a British/French freelance journalist and marketer who currently resides in England. She has traveled extensively throughout Europe and likes to discover new places, foods and wines.

http://www.flair-marketing.co.uk/fabiennereynolds.html