Walk from Nauzan plage to Pont du diable

A path to authenticity: the customs path is a small path that communicates between two worlds, between the pleasure of our senses and the understanding of our thoughts, between nothingness and reality.

More than a path, it is an atmosphere, a cloud of emotions that mixes introspection, contemplation, joy and encounter with nature.

Take a walk and watch the boats casting off, the sailors at work in the morning, the seagulls flying by, recharge your batteries by contemplating the authenticity of this panorama, the knots and ropes, the masts, the engines, the fishermen. Stop time, a parenthesis to rediscover the beauty of the landscape.

A whole history

With the introduction of the goods tax in 1667, and in order to combat illegal trade and fraudulent landings, numerous customs trails, customs houses and watchtowers sprang up along the coastline from 1791.

The customs officer walked along the coast day and night and in all weathers. Sometimes he would stop if he spotted a place that seemed suitable for landing, and he would wait...

Each customs officer had a well-defined itinerary: they painted a kind of map on a board, with signs showing the paths, the parking points, the landmarks, the places)

They guarded the coasts to prevent smuggling and to tax Anglo-Dutch goods, but also to prevent the plundering of stranded wrecks (any wreck that came ashore became the property of the State and had to be declared to customs).

Hike along paths steeped in history!

Between the Nauzan beach at Vaux-sur-Mer and the Grande Côte beach at Saint-Palais-sur-Mer, the customs path stretches for 4 km

From the Nauzan bay conch, via the Saint-Palais conch, to the Platin conch, this walk will offer you a condensed selection of extraordinary landscapes: you will discover the Nauzan beach, the Bureau beach and the Platin beach up to the Grande Côte beach.

The Devil's Bridge - Customs Trail

Punctuated by marvellous views, the route we propose begins on the beach of Nauzan.

Customs path: detailed route

Go to your right to take the Cor de Nauzan promenade towards the Bureau beach in Saint-Palais-sur-Mer (the Customs office was set up on the beach in 1792, the Bureau beach retains this name).

Once you have arrived at the Bureau beach, take the rue de l'Océan as far as the former Maison des Douanes (former National Customs Office) and you will find the customs path which, after a short walk on the cliffs, leads you to the Emile Gaboriau footbridge (in homage to this Saintongean writer who died in 1873).

After a succession of breathtaking views of the coastline and the typical carrelets (wooden fishermen's huts, emblematic of the Charente-Maritime), you will see a surprising geological formation, the Pont du Diable, shaped by nature, the erosion of the wind and the waves that come crashing down on this rocky massif.

Behind the Pont du Diable, you will discover the Plage du Platin, a superb sandy beach, and isolated in the sea, the Roche au Moine.

Platin Beach

The customs path continues along the coast to the beach of Concié and its magnificent carrelets, you will climb along the cliffs and arrive at the Puits de l'Auteure, where the waves rush in forming a natural pool. Behind the cornice, you will find the Plage de la Grande Côte, a vast beach which marks the beginning of the Côte sauvage .

Customs path: alternative route

Once on the Plage de Nauzan, on your left there is another very pleasant route: it offers a walk on a limestone cliff coast, very well equipped for hiking, which links the Plage de Nauzan with the Plage de Saint-Sordelin.