We don't need to go into detail about the state of the south coast
of Brittany all the way to Sables-d'Olonnes last Spring and Summer
... It was ugly, filthy, oily, smelly to say the least. Here (on
the right) a picture taken at Pouliguen in December.
More photos
here!
(June 13th, 2000) Azureva.com can confirm that the sand
in now clean almost everywhere. To be honest, the larger beaches
are impeccable. I would even go so far as to say that they are so
clean that if there are two or three little blobs of oil left, they
would certainly catch your eye. No more seaweed, no more squid bones,
no more dead shellfish, no more Cartier watches buried in the sand,
no more dog poop, garbage or cigarette butts. (that's
great!)... Jokes aside, it's a real miracle. Just the same, try
to stay on the "marked" beaches. Elsewhere it is still pretty terrible.
It's everywhere, on the pebbles, rocks, dunes, little coves. You
won't come back without a stain somewhere. There's no way around
it, you can't avoid it if you go off the "beaten path". |
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Latest News : November 1st, 2000. IT'S A LOT
BETTER EVERYWHERE. To our knowledge, only one beach at Moutiers-en-Retz
is still closed. Elsewhere, according to information we have received,
everything is clean except for a few oil covered rocks in the zones
without major tides, and a few coves that are inaccessible to swimmers.
But the sand is clean almost everywhere. However, you should watch
out for seaweed, squid bones, drift wood and miscellaneous plastic
utensils that have been throw overboard, often covered with oil; but
that is been the case since before the Erika accident! La-Baule,
Batz-sur-Mer, le Croisic (today) |
After six months spent on these beaches,
here's our advice:
- Wear plastic shoes (they aren't all ugly) all the way from your
car, keep them on while you swim and when you return to your car.
If your feet are wet and cold and covered with sand, the tar won't
stick to your feet, (except between your toes).
- Watch the other swimmers as they come back to their cars. Mothers'
screams, fathers' swear words.
- Bring a good amount of butter with you, salted of course, (this
is Brittany after all). Recipe: Slather the butter on any traces
of petrol on your skin (this works on clothes too... good bye oil,
hello grease stain!); rub a little; and keep the rest of the butter
for your picnic... Plus it will make your skin so soft! |
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