La dune du Royon

Starting point

Towards Bay Fort -Mahon Plage Car park Eau

Scrub covered D 332 From the Fort-Mahon-Plage car dunes Galets park, take the path that leads Belle Dune Wooded Golf Course dunes into the dunes Beach Dune of Royon, At the junction take the path to Plage protected natural area the right which leads towards Quend-Plage. The path to the Belle Dune left takes you to Belle-Dune Aquaclub White dunes Turn to the right and follow the path alongside the car park until Cultures you reach the beach dune slacks Follow the foreshore to return to Fort-Mahon-Plage Boisements Wooded dunes Take the Avenue de la Plage back to the starting point Fond de vallée humide D 332 © B. Teissedre © B. Water View Point Starting point: Car park Beach at the centre of Fort-Mahon- Be Careful: The Dune of Royon Plage or the car park at the Wooded dunes This trail is not suitable Prairies for cycling or horse-riding entrance to Quend-Plage. Scrub covered (dunes) Situated between Fort-Mahon- Quend plage dunes Fort-Mahon, Balisage Continuité d'itinéraire Mauvaise direction Changement de direction This trail is maintained by Quend-Plage, 12km Plage and Quend-Plage. Duration:Fourrés 1 hours 30 mins White dunes the Syndicat Mixte Baie de from Rue, 40km from The Dune of Royon is a fragile and – Grand Littoral Picard Towards the Somme 0Bay 250 500 750 1 km (SMBS-GLP) protected natural habitat. To explore Village Distance:Roselière 4km the area please use the marked trail.

Sign posts Route continues Wrong direction Change of direction For more information: Route: easy • Tourist Offices: Fort-Mahon Montagne Fort-Mahon-Plage : 03 22 23 36 00 Quend-Plage Quend-Plage : 03 22 23 32 04 Rue 0 250 500 750 1 km www.office-tourisme-quend-plage.com • Syndicat mixte Baie de Somme - Abbeville Grand Littoral Picard : 03 22 20 60 30 Spring www.baiedesomme.org Péronne • Somme Tourist Board: This leaflet was created by www.somme-tourisme.com SummerPelouse graveleuse the Somme County Council www.somme-nature.com 43, rue de la République - 80026 Amiens cedex 1 Autumn 03 22 71 80 80 Pelouse rase www.somme.fr Winter

Walk

Exploring the natural sites Dune boisée

Summer 2012 Summer Updates and printing: imp. Cg80 - Translation: C. Carnel - - Carnel C. Translation: - Cg80 imp. printing: and Updates Written by: Nathalie Saillard - Design: L’Agence par A Propos Propos A par L’Agence Design: - Saillard Nathalie by: Written 2 Dune arbustive

Dune blanche

Larris © G. Rollion - SMBS-GLP © G.

An Informative Route Because the dunes are a fragile habitat The Dune of Royon a discovery trail has been created to The trail through the Dune of Royon allows you to explore an extremely fragile natural avoid unnecessary disturbance. Coast- Turning now to the right, you line guards maintain and preserve habitat. Although Marram Grass reigns upon this coastal fringe, many other types of will find an area sprinkled with this remarkable site and ensure that vegetation have also colonised the area and it is the home to many different species of Marram Grass. visitors respect the regulations. birds. On the edge of the sea, Marram Grass is accompanied Hermann - SMBS-GLP © N. A Fragile Area A Variety of Habitats and by Sea Spurge, European Thierry Huet, Species of Wildlife The walk starts in the area of Searocket and Sea Holly. Quend-Plage dunes in the centre of Fort- After the first turn you will “I’ve been Mahon-Plage. These natural start to notice carpets of These plants are often found in exploring this ramparts against attacks from moss spreading out across the the white dunes. path since I was the sea represent a fragile ground. These carpets are made Sea Holly small; it’s like my The vegetation and wildlife playground. It’s natural habitat. Trampling is, up of mainly Screw-moss. This © B. Teissedre Teissedre © B. varies as we leave the coast Passerines, squirrels and deer for example, a menace. This is plant is characteristic of grey as if we are in the and enter into the grey dunes. are very happy in this middle of nowhere, surrounded by why the site is protected and dunes, a habitat favoured by Depressions in the ground environment though. sand dunes. It’s a fragile area that walkers are asked to follow the rabbits. This is where seedlings known as dune slacks dry up must not be disturbed! In the early marked trail. develop, like Wallpepper and in the summer months and You may be lucky enough to morning or in the evening you may the Common Storksbill. see some of them. be lucky enough to see animals, such The first thing you will host a remarkable flora as well as deer. And everyone is very friendly, as many types of amphibians notice is that Marram Grass Afterwards, you will cross the Leaving the pine forest, you Teissedre © B. always greeting those we meet along is abundant here. This plant scrub dune covered with spiny (toads, frogs and newts). will come to the town of the way.” is essential to an area of sand thickets of Common Sea- Quend-Plage. Take the turning Common Sea-buckthorn is A New Landscape progressively colonising the grey dunes. Its role is to stabilise buckthorn and Privet. Evening to the right and follow along You will see a change in the dunes, which are gradually becoming the dunes by weaving its roots Primrose, a plant with yellow About the site landscape as we enter the forest the side of the car park until covered with scrub. In autumn, into a web. The grass drives its flowers and used in cosmetics, you reach the beach. Here, you passerines, nightingales, larks, warblers, > Proprietor: Conservatoire du of pine trees. roots two metres deep into the is also very common in this will be able to see the mussel etc. feast on the orange berries (which Littoral sand, which creates a stabilising These pine trees were planted are rich in vitamin C) in order to build > Size: environment farm and different species of 102ha th up their strength for winter! > Managed by: Syndicat mixte Baie effect. Marram Grass is during the 20 Century, both seabirds, such as gulls and de Somme - Grand Littoral Picard characteristic of the zone of to hold the dune and for the waders. On arrival at Fort- > Maintenance partners: dunes known as “white dunes”. timber industry. Vegetation Mahon-Plage take the Avenue Conservatoire botanique de struggles to grow here because de la Plage to return to the Bailleul, Fort-Mahon-Plage Hunting the undergrowth is covered starting point. Association with a thick blanket of > Financial partners: Somme County pine-needles. Council © SMBS-GLP

Evening Primrose - SMBS-GLP Jacq © R. Common Sea-buckthorn