Côte Sauvage, which translates as “wild side” in English, and known as the “wild coast” of Brittany, is a stretch of untamed beauty in the Charente-Maritime department on the Atlantic seaboard of France. Rocky cliffs, dramatic seascapes, sandy beaches and thumping waves are set against a backdrop of towering pine forests. And in the middle of it all, the Arche de Port Blanc – a dramatic arch in the rocks formed, over time, by sea erosion.
It’s little wonder that Dominic Earle, editor of France: Time Out’s Perfect Places has labelled Côte Sauvage as France’s best wild beach. As he puts it, “the gloriously unspoilt Côte Sauvage is hemmed in by the towering pines of the Forêt de la Coubre. It’s only accessible by a good 10-minute hike [or bike] from the D25 between Ronce-les-Bains and La Palmyre. After a slog up the dunes and through the coarse beach grass, the reward is 30km of unadulterated white sand and Atlantic…