On the doorstep of the Maison du Traict, the salt marshes of Guérande.
Le Croisic is a peninsula bordered to the south by the Atlantic Ocean and to the north by the Traict, a natural inland sea where seawater flows in and out with the tides, feeding the Guérande salt marshes.
Today, I’m taking you on a drive through the salt marshes just outside the village of Batz sur Mer, just 2 kilometers from the Maison du Traict.
This is a unique site, a landscape shaped by man for over 1,000 years, famous for its artisanal production of sea salt and in particular the famous fleur de sel.
You’ll love strolling here, at any time of day or at sunset, to admire the reflections of the sky coloring the surface of the 7,000 “oeillets”, a veritable magic mirror, where the water takes on shades of orange, pink and even purple!
It’s also a unique ecosystem, an incredible habitat for remarkable flora and fauna.
You’ll see grey herons, egrets, ducks and avocets, especially in winter when they migrate. As for the flora, we harvest samphire, which we prepare in vinegar like gherkins, wild fennel and obione, and I like to pick a few sprigs of wild dill to flavour a grilled fish.
The marshes are brought to life by the salt workers, who shape small piles of salt into white pyramids in summer, perpetuating an ancestral know-how.
Using a las or a lousse, a kind of long-handled rake, the salt worker caresses the surface of his “oeillet” to gather either the coarse salt or the salt crystals that have formed on the surface of the seawater under the action of the sun.
In winter, the work consists of maintaining his “oeillets” by shaping the clay edges that will retain the seawater.
Paludiers still use traditional techniques that have been handed down from generation to generation.
As you stroll through the marshes in summer, you’re bound to come across salt workers at work in their “oeillets”, and you can stop and watch them as they talk about their trade and pass it on.
They’ll tell you that their best allies are the tides, the sun and the wind, guaranteeing a good harvest.
A visit to the Guérande salt marshes means exploring a place that’s unique in France, discovering a craft that goes back over 1000 years, men and women who are passionate about their land, and tasting an exceptional product: fleur de sel, a true flavor enhancer.
You’ll love getting lost on foot or by bike along the dirt paths that cross the marshes, forgetting yourself for a few hours at dusk when the setting sun offers a spectacular panorama, or gliding along the traict in a kayak.
To find out more, I recommend visiting 3 sites: Terre de sel in Guérande, which offers guided tours with salt workers, the Maison des paludiers in Saillé, an eco-museum on the history and techniques of salt harvesting, and the Musée des marais salants in Batz sur Mer, a museum of the people and crafts of the salt industry.
