Top sustainable activities to experience between land and sea

Do you want to combine nature discovery and photo practice by the sea? Focus on the introductory workshops of animal photography in the Marquenterre Park! In the heart of the Somme Bay nature reserve, its 200 hectares of dunes, forests and marshes are a refuge for thousands of migratory birds from Europe and Africa. To capture snapshots of wildlife and beautiful lights, you can set up your cameras early in the morning or at sunset for guided walks followed by workshops. But you can also watch for wading birds, waders or birds of prey during the "high tide" walks when hundreds of birds chased by the waves take refuge on the sandbanks. And feel all the sensations when you're out at dusk. There you can put your camera down, and listen to the songs of the natterjack toads, the melodies of the nightingale and the concerts of the cormorants.

Nature experiences in the Somme Bay, in the Hauts-de-France

Understand the benefits of the leash, this accumulation of marine waste where birds feed, flush out the clams or locate the traces left by the clams in order to fish them without damaging the sand. In Blainville-sur-mer, in the English Channel, in Normandy, we are initiated to sustainable fishing with the guides of the Association For a Foot Fishing Respectful of the Resource (APP2R). Oysters, clams, crabs, prawns, shrimps. We fill our baskets in a reasonable way and the motto of this association is: "fishing well is better than fishing more". They are committed to safeguarding the natural environment of the coastline and the ancestral practice of fishing on foot.

Workshop on sustainable fishing in Normandy Discover the history of fishing on foot in an eco-museum in the Manche

Observe, touch, and... bite! Between pink rocks and coves of golden sand, we escape into the 100% local and natural world of seaweed on the shores of Perros-Guirec, in Brittany. Identify the edible species, pick dulse, kombu, nori or sea beans without damaging the foreshore. Under the guidance of Escapade Glaz guides, a team of committed eco-animators, these marine plants will soon have no secrets! But did you know that they can also be cooked, including for tasty desserts or cocktails with flavored seaweed balls? Let's see what you can do with seaweed during a workshop full of energy and iodine. Seaweed is rich in iron, fiber and calcium!

The discovery workshops around the seaweed of Perros-Guirec Explore the Pink Granite Coast, in the Côtes d'Armor, in Brittany

In Pornic, a stone's throw from the coastal path, a committed farmer opens his open-air farm to visitors: 90 hectares of moorland perched on the Atlantic Ocean where heather and gorse flourish. In this idyllic setting managed by the Conservatoire du littoral, sheep from the moors of Brittany and goats from the ditches, two hardy local varieties that are adept at natural spaces, lead their peaceful lives as herbivores while participating in the maintenance of the environment and the vegetation. A life in the open air that can be appreciated while strolling to discover pastoralism and the extraordinary symbiosis between the animal and plant world of the coast.

La Petite maison dans la prairie, nature walk in Pornic Explore the Atlantic Coast in Pays de la Loire

Do you know how to study the migratory movements of birds? Meet a professional bander and a coastal guide in the middle of the moorland with wandering heather of the domaine d'Abbadia close to Hendaye and you will learn how to spot the migratory strategies of common passerines! Perched on the Basque corniche, this 65-hectare site classified as a Sensitive Natural Area (ENS) is a fabulous reservoir of biodiversity where you can observe some thirty species of nesting birds and rare orchids. During the visits, you can also learn about the geology of a unique coastline shaped by the meeting of the Pyrenees and the Atlantic, the flysch cliffs are 60 million years old!

Escapades between sea and nature in Hendaye, Basque Country Explore Biarritz and the Basque Country in New Aquitaine

Early riser or late sleeper? It doesn't matter, in Gruissan, in the heart of the Regional Natural Park of La Narbonnaise, between the lagoons and the Mediterranean, the beauty of the natural spaces belongs to everyone from morning to night! You can watch the sunrise at the first light of dawn, when the birds start chirping on the banks of the ponds. We awaken all our senses in the evening when the sky lights up the horizon on the Ayrolle pond. The fishermen's huts appear in shadow, a group of pink flamingos crosses the sky, the decisive moment to reconnect with an incredibly rich nature.

Discover Gruissan Staying in the Aude, in Occitania

Do you dream of swimming in the turquoise waters of the calanques, lulled by the chirping of cicadas in the pine trees? To help preserve this unique site and fight against pollution in the Mediterranean, go on a garbage hunt! Between two stops on the coastal path of the Blue Coast in La Ciotat, it is possible to participate in regular operations or in large-scale campaigns organized by associations such as "Calanques propres" (Clean Calanques), which brings together hundreds of volunteers for a large-scale clean-up day every year. After the effort, let's go to the Big Blue!

Association MerTerre Explore the Calanques National Park from Marseille