At the roundabout, yes you will find this a bit out of place in the forest in the middle of the Medoc but well.... straight on if you are coming from the village centre of Grayan & Hopital or right if you are coming from Soulac sur Mer or left if you are heading up from the south and the village of Montalivet.
The Gurp is a little paradise all on its own in France, situated on the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the pine forest that covers this part of the Aquitaine. The Gurp is made up of a big campsite run by the village, its got over 2500 placements for tents, camping cars, caravans and mobil-homes. Otherwise you will find the local shops a bit limited (all are closed in the winter) a bar, a couple of restaurants, snack bars and a large car park on top of the dune.
The main interest of Le Gurp is the beautiful 7 km sand beach in the form of a small bay which has been dug out by the Atlantic Ocean over the generations, which have lifeguards on duty from June to September.
The beach is still littered with the German WW2 bunkers which where built on top of the dune and since this time have fallen on to the beach as the sea erosion has eaten up their foundations, giving you places with a bit of shade in the afternoon sun if the tide is out.
As for activities you'll find football, beach volley, tennis open in the summer and lots of bike cycle tracks in the forest. The beauty of the sun setting over the ocean will always hold a place in my heart as the Atlantic swells produce a mystic light through the dunes.
A place to check out in September and October when the summer rush has finished and take a few waves. If you are in the region in January take a trip down the beach to watch the Gurp TT enduro motorbike race the French Trophee des Sables.
written : 2015 / latest update : 2021
