20 minutes along the coast to the foot of Europe's tallest sand dune — skip the saturated car park and arrive from the water.
The dune's car park saturates every summer morning; the D218 through Pyla-sur-Mer crawls, and from the car park you still climb the landward side with the crowds.
20 minutes from the jetée Thiers along the Pyla beaches, then you land on the ocean-facing beach at the foot of the dune — the skipper picks the landing spot with the tide.