Built on a rocky plateau visible at low tide and surrounded by shifting banks of sand, the Cordouan lighthouse is a monument that must be approached from the sea. It stands tall amidst sandbars at the point where the Gironde Estuary – which is shared by the Garonne and Dordogne rivers – flows into the Atlantic Ocean. As the first stage in our journey to Cordouan, let us get acquainted with this powerful natural environment.
Griffonnement la tour de Cordouan avec légendes. Plan manuscrit par Claude Chastillon, ingénieur du roi daté de 1606. Service historique de la défense, 1 VH 2223