Great dune landscape that lends itself to a circular hike. A nature trail leads through the swamp area, on which dogs are unfortunately not allowed. In order not to have to climb x extra meters, we then walked back along the beach (at times dogs are also not allowed, but it's fine with a narrow lead).
A vast expanse of fresh water, isolated from the sea by a narrow dune cordon, almost all of the reserve is the property of the Conservatoire du Littoral. Before reaching the nature reserve, you have to observe it from the top of the perched dunes, on the road coming from Biville. There, the spectacle offered by nature is grandiose... and to enter the reserve is, in a way, to enter another world. The first impression of calm dissipates with the sound of the wind in the reeds and the surf of the sea. The protected territory presents a vast complex composed of fixed dunes, hygrophilous grasslands and small temporary ponds (called wet pans) which contains an exceptional floristic diversity and allows many rare species to develop there. The plant world is represented by 333 species, 4 of which are protected at national level: the great fluke, the carnation of the dunes, the one-flowered littoral and the sea kale. The recorded fauna is made up of 147 species of birds, such as the greater plover, the ring-necked plover, the marsh harrier and the tufted duck, whose reproduction is regularly observed there; 24 species of mammals, and 19 species of amphibians and reptiles, 16 of which are protected at national level: the crested newt, the spotted pelodyte, the natterjack toad... and no less than 550 species of insects. Mowing, stripping and stump removal are practiced to control the development of vegetation and preserve the diversity of environments. Source: reserves-naturelles.org/mare-de-vauville