On the road of the Canal des Étangs in Gironde (2/6): between two lakes, a stroll away from civilization

Along the canal, between the lakes of Carcans-Maubuisson and Lacanau, offers a stroll on foot or along the water with views, as you choose, of the marshes or the Cousseau pond reserve.

A two- hour walk, in sneakers or barefoot, in the sand, with no motors for miles around. The same goes for a kayak or paddleboard. The old canal, connecting the lakes of Carcans-Maubuisson and Lacanau, offers a 6-kilometer stroll away from any civilization. You can choose to work your arms with a paddle or work your calves on one of the two trails along the waterway, created just over 150 years ago, in 1870. "There's a lot of sand here, so things don't grow well," warns Franck Quenault, director of Siaebvelg, the union managing the Médoc lakes. "There's very little plant production and therefore few species." Still, the walk is worth a look, even in summer.

So, no vroom vroom, only the chirping of crickets or the clucking of herons. For the past ten years, boats have stopped navigating there to prevent them from carrying the dense waterweed to Carcans, an invasive plant that has already colonized Lake Lacanau. And cars, except for 4x4s, cannot travel along the canal, on a track that is almost entirely sandy. "Seven or eight years ago, the Waze app mistakenly included this route to connect Lacanau to Carcans," explains Franck Quenault. "We had to intervene, day and night, with our pick-up truck equipped with a winch, to rescue people who had found themselves stuck. Since then, we've installed barriers..."

On a hard surfaced track, more comfortable for pedestrians and cyclists, the first kilometer, starting from Maubuisson towards the south, remains the busiest. Dozens of small boats are docked there for the first few hundred meters: the Carcanais appreciate it on Sundays, for a digestive stroll. At the end of autumn, especially, walkers take a good quarter of an hour's walk to admire the ballet of the common cranes , when around ten thousand of them come to take a break on their migratory route. "A magnificent spectacle!" confirms Franck Quenault.

In these marshes, which have expanded over the past fifteen years, nature is beautiful, including in summer. To the right, the Cousseau pond reserve where the lucky ones can spot the recently reintroduced water buffalo . To the left, another marsh offers a huge reed bed, the cladiaie, with sharp leaves, where European otters also live. Perhaps some keen observers will come across their prints rather than their snouts: it is practically impossible to come across them, as they are so discreet, and to establish their population in the area.

"It's also a dream location for spider specialists; there are loads of them there," says Franck Quenault. And then, a little higher up, there are the birds: grey and even purple herons, green-necked ducks, and sometimes gulls that come to feast.

In this wet heathland, the blue moor grass and the black choin also flourish, two plants that provide a habitat for the rare and protected butterfly: the sedge blight. On the canal water, kayakers may encounter one of the fifty or so species living in the area, or even numerous dragonflies. If they are quiet, they may also spot the European pond turtle.

"When it's very hot, you can see them basking in the sun on a tree trunk lying in the water," explains Franck Quenault. While two other species of turtles (the Florida turtle and the snapping turtle), both exotic and imported, live in the area, an inventory of these cute shelled creatures is underway by the Médoc lakes association.

After an hour's walk, we reach a more shaded path. We feel the return to civilization as we approach the Pitrot estate with its motorboats pulling water skiers. We head gently towards Moutchic, where eel fisheries once existed. Today, along the canal, enthusiasts fish for perch or pike.