Latest news with #sanddunes
CBC
4 days ago
- CBC
Stay off the dunes, Parks Canada reminds visitors to P.E.I. beaches
As P.E.I. National Park sees a record number of visitors this summer, some residents are concerned about the health of sand dunes. Parks Canada says some people might not know much about the sandy ecosystems and how important they are to the Island — or that walking on the dunes is actually illegal. CBC's Gwyneth Egan reports.
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Travel + Leisure
20-07-2025
- Climate
- Travel + Leisure
The Tallest Sand Dunes in North America Have a Seasonal 'Beach' That Only Appears Once a Year—What to Know
Located in southern Colorado's San Luis Valley, Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve is home to North America's tallest sand dunes. These dunes, which rise abruptly from the shadow of Colorado's Sangre de Cristo Mountains, are formed by the interplay of winds funneling through mountain passes and the ongoing recycling of sand via wind. While the star attractions, Hidden Dune and Star Dune, tower approximately 750 feet above the valley floor, one of the park's extraordinary features is Medano Creek, a seasonal stream that emerges in spring and early summer. Fed by snowmelt, Medano Creek—called Colorado's Natural beach—flows at the dunes' base, creating a shallow, inland beach-like playground where visitors can splash, float on tubes, and build sandcastles. The flow typically begins in late April and peaks by early June, with water depths reaching ankle to calf level—often around 20 inches—before drying out during mid-summer. Visitors flock to the dunes when the creek is in bloom as well as for exhilarating activities such as sandboarding, sledding, and dune hiking. It's worth noting that, on warm days, sand surface temps can soar to 150 degrees, so hiking shoes or socks are a must. The best time to visit the park is in spring and early summer, when daytime temperatures are mild and Medano Creek flows with cool, refreshing water. Since the park is designated an International Dark Sky Park, the dunes also offer remarkably clear night skies for stargazing. Before planning your visit, be sure to check the real-time flow of Medano Creek, available from spring through fall, via an online graph that tracks the creek's volume in cubic feet per second (cfs). While the data is collected about five miles upstream from the main Dunes Parking Area, it offers a useful snapshot of current conditions and whether water levels are rising or falling. This year, flow levels aren't expected to top 20 cfs, which is a reminder to plan your visit accordingly. The park is well-equipped for visitors, with dune-rover wheelchairs, convenient dune showers, and the Piñon Flats Campground. Families can participate in a variety of programs, including the National Park Service's Junior Ranger program and Family Archaeology Days. For a unique place to stay near the dunes, consider Dunes Desert Camp. This eco-luxury glamping site has just two spacious safari tents, offering a private and immersive experience in nature. Guests can opt for customizable meals and activities through the camp's Dune Experiences program. For a more traditional stay, Great Sand Dunes Lodge provides a variety of standard room types, as well as campers and geodesic domes.
BBC News
16-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
What is a links golf course?
A links golf course is the oldest and most traditional form of course, with origins in courses are typically built on sandy coastal terrain, offering firmer playing surfaces than those found on parkland or Great Britain and Ireland, such courses are commonplace, with Scotland and Ireland holding deep historical ties to the development of links Open Championship always being contested on links courses is one of its most distinguishable term 'links' comes from the Scots language and the old English word 'hlinc', meaning 'rising ground' or 'ridge'.It has been used to describe coastal golf courses since at least the 18th century. What makes a links golf course? While there are no set rules for what makes a links golf course, they are traditionally on or near the coast - often set among sand means links courses often lack trees or water hazards - largely due to limited resources available to early course links courses therefore more open, wind and challenging weather conditions make for particularly challenging play. Links courses typically favour controlled players, with a requirement to play low shots and use the bounce of the course to avoid the wind. Famous links courses Royal Portrush - the home of the 2025 Open - is one of many famous links courses, as are fellow Open hosts St Andrews and 2015, the US Open was held at Chambers Bay, near Seattle. The course is one of a few examples of where a major championship was played on a links golf course outside of Great Britain and article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team. What is Ask Me Anything? Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you team will find out everything you need to know and be able to call upon a network of contacts including our experts and will be answering your questions from the heart of the BBC Sport newsroom, and going behind the scenes at some of the world's biggest sporting coverage will span the BBC Sport website, app, social media and YouTube accounts, plus BBC TV and radio. More questions answered... What is the prize money at The Open 2025?How does qualifying for The Open work?What is a mud ball?What is a birdie, eagle and albatross? Golf terms explained
The Guardian
10-07-2025
- The Guardian
Giant sand dunes, splash parks and cycle paths: discover family-friendly adventure beyond Bordeaux
More than 140 miles of sand dunes stretch along the Atlantic coast of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, a rich ecosystem that includes vast maritime pine forest. Indeed, the coastline is one immense length of gorgeously soft sand beach, broken only by the inlet to Arcachon Bay, 40 miles west of Bordeaux. But there is so much more than magnificent dunes to discover along the Médoc-Atlantique. At the Hourtin dunes and marshes nature reserve, 40 miles north-west of Bordeaux, you can discover not only the dune ridge and pine forest, but marshy meadows, lakes – and a much quieter, off-the-tourist-trail experience. There are self-guided hikes along waymarked trails, including boardwalks above the vegetation, in addition to guided walks from the reserve visitor centre with expert naturalists. Both help visitors appreciate this extensive and important ecosystem without causing sustained damage to it. Discover self-guided hikes at Hourtin dunes and marshes nature reserve; try canoeing at Le Moutchic or windsurfing at the UCPA Centre Nautique. Photographs: Medoc Atlantique Tourisme; Jean-Emmanuel Jay; Shutterstock Inland from Aquitaine's beaches and sand dunes are Lac d'Hourtin and its smaller neighbour, Lac de Lacanau, both popular with watersports enthusiasts. At Hourtin Port, the UCPA Centre Nautique offers kitesurfing, windsurfing, catamaran sailing and paddleboarding on the huge, shallow lake, with instruction in French and English. There's a water garden adjacent to the centre for little ones, with specially adapted equipment, too. Hourtin also has an inflatable water park, Splash Park, on the lake (for children from seven years), with a similar facility at Le Moutchic at the north end of Lac de Lacanau, too. Here, you can hire canoes and paddleboards to venture off to find the secret, hidden beaches on the west shore of the lake. It really is a wonderful, tranquil place to explore the natural surroundings and wildlife from the water. If staying on solid ground is more your thing, the hundreds of square miles of pine forests offer cool, scented respite from late summer temperatures for cycling, with waymarked cycle trails throughout the Médoc-Atlantique. It's a very pleasant way to reach the little beach resorts, such as Lacanau-Ocean, Carcans-Plage or Hourtin-Plage. My pick is a stop at La Benarderie, a fantastic farm shop supporting local agriculture north of Hourtin, to pick up picnic treats on a bike ride. Arcachon is home to 15 miles of cycle paths; you'll find 19th-century stilt cabins on the Île aux Oiseaux; visit Source des Abatilles, a colourful kiosk where mineral water comes up from the ground. Photographs: Kevin Biette; Shutterstock; Alamy Or you could simply set off by bike to explore the 15 miles of waymarked cycle paths that crisscross Arcachon, discovering the town's marina, its beaches, and the beautiful belle époque architecture while admiring the views over the Arcachon Bay. This sheltered aquatic playground is a must for lovers of outdoor activities. Be sure to stop by at the Source des Abatilles, a pretty and colourful kiosk from the belle époque period where the famous mineral water (served in high-end restaurants throughout France) comes up from the ground having travelled through volcanic rock from the Auvergne. To experience the Arcachon Bay at an even slower pace, though, step on board a pinasse, the traditional wooden boat that's emblematic of Arcachon. You'll see the sights of the bay on your boat trip, including Cap Ferrat and the Île aux Oiseaux with its characteristic 19th-century stilt cabins – perched above the water. You'll also pass by the Dune du Pilat, the most famous of Aquitaine's dunes and the highest dune in Europe, which is labelled as a Grand Site de France. With its incredible dune-forest-ocean panoramas, the Dune du Pilat is one of France's most visited natural sites. Passing it at sea level on board a pinasse brings its sheer scale into awe-inspiring focus. But, perhaps, the best part of the trip is stopping off along the way for a one-hour yoga session on the beach, with the sound of the sea as your soundtrack. Inland, a popular excursion from Bordeaux is cycling along the Roger Lapébie cycle track, a 35-mile, traffic-free cycle path between Bordeaux and Sauveterre-de-Guyenne. Créon, a bastide town along the route, is a fabulous stop for lunch with several good restaurants. You'll pass through varied countryside along the greenway, including Entre-Deux-Mers vineyards. The Roger Lapébie cycle track will take you from Bordeaux to Sauveterre-de-Guyenne (bottom right); discover the history of the region at Saucats-La Brède geological nature reserve. Photographs: Le temps d'un week-end; Shutterstock It's hard to tell by sipping a glass of chilled white in a local restaurant, but Aquitaine was once – 20 million years ago! – a tropical sea. A visit to Saucats-La Brède geological nature reserve, 18 miles south of Bordeaux, helps bring this to life. At the visitor centre you'll see shark teeth, corals, and tropical shells from Aquitaine, alongside fossils on a guided walk through the forest – a last reminder that this is one very special landscape. Bordeaux: where to eat, sleep and visit Eat … Fleur des Pins, Arcachon This is culinary art at affordable prices. Go for the lunchtime Menu de la Semaine for best value. Expect oysters and other local, seasonal …Les Cabanes Girondines Opt for fabulous treehouses and handmade wood cabins surrounded by prestigious vineyards, only 15 minutes from miss … Ouvre la Voix (5-7 September) September's Ouvre la Voix cyclo-musical festival at Entre-deux-Mers, has gentle bike rides for all, music, heritage and gastronomy. If you'd like to discover more on Bordeaux and why sailing to France with Brittany Ferries is the best way to start your holiday, then visit Set sail from Portsmouth, Poole or Plymouth and enjoy up to seven days in France from just £206, based on a car and two passengers
BBC News
10-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Volunteers asked to plant grass to protect Cornish dunes
Residents in Cornwall have been invited to plant grass at the dunes of a Cornish beach to try and stop changes to sand National Trust and the Making Space For Sand project said "dramatic changes" had been seen to the dunes at Crantock Beach in recent said the dune system was a "dynamic environment" which would continue to shift and change over time but it was changing too Pickard, a National Trust ranger, said an increase in planting marram grass would help with spring tides and stormy weather. She said: "The dunes are important for wildlife but also to provide a natural defence against increasing storms and rising sea levels."Planting more marram grass aims to improve biodiversity and also binds with the sand to reduce erosion of the dunes."The trust said it was working with Plymouth University to understand how the beach and dunes could change in the long term and to help plan for the event will take place on Wednesday from 10:00 BST.A spokesperson said anyone was welcome to join in and no experience was necessary.
