La Palue beach. In Brittany, anyone who has ever managed to get up on a surfboard has heard of this spot. Nestled in the sumptuous and wild peninsula of Crozon (Finistère), the beach regularly offers waves very popular with board sports enthusiasts. In recent years, however, the spot has paid the price for its popularity. But also the rise of surfing, bodyboarding and windsurfing, which are gaining new followers every year. In the water, this increasing attendance does not yet pose too many problems, if we omit a few grilled priorities on busy days. On land, on the other hand, it’s more complicated. Faced with the influx of vehicles, the mayor of Crozon took a radical decision by closing access to the parking lot located near the beach during the two summer months when the site is even more frequented. Which provoked the anger of some users.
“I am only defending the territory”, explains Patrick Berthelot. Surprised by the scale of the protest, the mayor procrastinated: “We are not forbidding access to the beach, we are simply trying to preserve a fragile site which is not made to be so frequented. »In this wild environment complicated to deal with, the municipality will put a shuttle from a new free parking lot located 1.5 kilometers from the beach. The objective is twofold. Avoid seeing the cars piling up in a very small wild car park set up a little lower. And limit the passage of vehicles in the narrow village of La Palue. “It’s about changing habits. I am well aware that it is not easy, ”adds the mayor, who has also banned overnight parking in order to limit the presence of vans and equipped trucks. Only surf schools and people with reduced mobility will be able to get as close as possible to the water.
Once again a wonderful day ☀️👍 – short tour by “La Palue” #Crozon – we never tire pic.twitter.com/4noFEesOJX
– – (@Yann_Ty_Coz) May 31, 2020
Elected last year, the mayor announced in January that he wanted to regulate access to the beach. However, the formalization of this project has made some beach regulars jump, especially surfers. Spontaneously, several opponents of this project created a collective called “The users of the beaches of Crozon” and launched a petition. “This decision was taken without any consultation and it risks causing enormous frustration. We are not asking to park on the beach, but just to be able to simply access the site, while protecting it, ”warns Olivier Marquer. Former opposition city council, the collective’s spokesperson is a regular surfer and windsurfer. He specifies that he “does not defend the interests of surfers but of all users”.
“The practice of surfing has exploded”
Until now, people wanting to get to La Palue had to drive through the small village and could park below, a few steps from the beach. From July 12, this access will be permanently closed. Only an unauthorized car park with around thirty spaces will be maintained upstream of a barrier. “The practice of surfing has exploded for three or four years, it must be admitted. There are more and more cars to pass and it must be organized. But not with a nine-seater shuttle which will quickly be overwhelmed, ”warns Olivier Marquer.
The town of Crozon, which has about 7,500 inhabitants in winter, accommodates up to 35,000 people in the heart of summer. Visitors that the town tries to better distribute over its fifteen beaches. But also on the surrounding sites, in order to avoid the harmful effects of overcrowding. Anything but simple.