Dune du Pilat or The Great Dune of Pilat or Pyla Hill is a unique sand dune, unlike other sand dunes. This hill is not just a silent pile of sand, but it is able to move as if alive.
This 135-hectare sand dune stretches for 2.7 km from north to south, with a width of 500 meters from east to west. It is located in La Teste de Bunch, in the Arcachon Bay district, about 60 km from Bordeaux, France. The Great Dune of Pilat was 106.60 meters high in 2018. It is the highest hill in Europe, and is a popular tourist spot that is visited by tourists every year.
This sand dune with a volume of about 60,000,000 cubic meters is never stationary, and continues to move, although at an erratic speed. The speed of movement is sometimes very slow, not up to 1 meter per year. However, sometimes also fast, up to 10 meters per year.
The Great Dune of Pilat continued to advance parallel to the coastline towards the mainland, and slowly covered the forest area, roads, and many of the surrounding buildings.
It is suspected that the wind gusts from the sea that pushed the sand dunes continued to move away from the beach. Therefore, the part of the dune facing the sea has a gentle slope, making it easier to reach, while the part facing the forest is steeper.