CAP FERRET DOES MORE. Half way down the Aquitaine coast from Pointe de Grave we come to the Bassin d'Arcachon, a large ingress of the sea, surrounded by a seaside strip of various resorts and holiday retreats, modelled on somewhere like Monaco perhaps and reaching a crescendo in the bustling town of Arcachon. All these places can be incredibly busy in the holiday season (stay away —unless you are intent on mingling with the sun-and-sea worshippers, or the boating and jet ski types) safe and sheltered behind the dune lines that fringe the ocean shore. Cap Ferret lighthouse therefore, lights this section of dark coast and marks the entrance to the Bassin and the harbour of Arcachon behind it. Across from the tip of the Cape is the Dune du Pilat, the highest and largest sand dune in Europe (103 metres) the ascent of which, especially with the then infant son-and-heir on my back, was one of the most sapping ascents of my extensive hill climbing career: two steps forward, one step back! See the images at the foot of this ramble.But what about the lighthouse? Well, for a start, there has been a phare here since 1840. That one bankrupted the builder as lighthouse building seems prone to do. The current edifice is a copy in concrete of the original masonry lighthouse, which was unsportingly dynamited by German troops on 22 August 1944. Huelse has a postcard view of the historic tower, so all is not lost. This construction is equipped with an lift in addition to the traditional spiral staircase and was built in 1949. The station includes a rather too child-targetted museum in the former keeper's maison.
The focal plane of the light is 53 metres (174ft) giving up a red flash every five seconds over a range of 22 nautical miles, augmented at 46 metres (151ft) by a white light occulting three times every twelve seconds. Two functions you see: Cap Ferret does more! The tower is 52 metres or 171ft overall; the top section of the tower (the red painted bit) is twelve-sided and I think is of steel construction. The lighthouse (yes, yes, of course, a Monument Historique) stands at the end of the peninsula that shelters the Bassin d'Arcachon, which I have sort of indicated already, is the only large harbour between the Gironde and the Spanish border. We went up CF in 2003 during our sojourn at Lacanau-Océan. The views from the gallery are rather splendid. There used to be a web cam up there so you could take a look around from the misery of your computer station while wishing yourself up there in the fresh air and light. The JBH 20 x 60 poster that illustrates this post (to the left) hangs proudly… er… in the spare room … but takes turns with Eckmühl and Coubre to feature in the living room here at Bullsmead Villas. As if you cared!
The son-and-heir in the charge of his mother feature on the Dune de Pilat transparency, in 1993 (that's a Todt contamination of ww2 vintage pictured on the right, sliding down the dune in pieces), while the son-and-heir also makes an appearance at the top, snappng the Le Cap Ferret ten years later, on the same day as the Great Oyster Outrage… don't ask… The distant view of CF was recorded in Spring 2018 from across the Bassin while Mme Melling and I were despatching a plat-du-jour, and after bagging Hourtin in the morning, en route to the next gem of the Aquitaine, Contis, which follows, hereupon. I can hear you licking your lips at the prospect!
update: pictures taken in september 2022……
