The dune system of Gâvres-Quiberon is one of the biggest in France, and the most spread out in Brittany, with a 2500 hectars surface. This stretch of 35 kilometers long coast is named one of the “great wild spaces of Brittany”, where different landscapes lay in harmony. The “little sea of Gâvre”, paradise for shellfishing, empties out completely at every low tide. In the southern part,  the Atlantic ocean rolls on to the peninsula. The surrounding dunes harbour a wide range of extremely  rare plants, protected on a European level. The times when scrambling and 4x4 off-road motoring was possible here are definitley gone!
The famous bar of Etel, at the entry of the ria, is a moving sand bank that takes shape at the point  where the tides meet the river. For this reason, the navigation is dangerous in this area. But there are many particularly appropriate spots for all sorts of sea-activities, as for example superb fine sandy beaches sprawling close to Saint Pierre de Quiberon.
The spectacular wild coast of Quiberon, with its high cliffs battered by the waves, well deserves its name. Creeks, riffs and caves have been sculpted into the rock by rough tides. Some areas are marked out as dangerous, and you ought to be particularly careful there: the elements reign supreme , and the tidal waves really are dangerous.
Only plants with specific characteristics to fit the conditions have been capable of developing in these areas. Sea-thrift, silene(catchfly) and sea-heather cover the rocks facing the sea-spray. Birds choose the sheltered reserves in the heart of the mild heathland and tidal mud-flats of the wild coast. Migrating birds particularly appreciate this setting as a stopping place.