The Grand Barachois

Where the dune isthmus ties Miquelon to Langlade, the Grand Barachois opens its tidal lagoon - a shallow basin flushing with the sea twice daily, and the archipelago's wildlife bank: harbour seals haul out on the sandbars by the hundred, heads periscoping the channels at curious range, while the flats work shorebirds in migration numbers and the eelgrass nurseries feed the whole arrangement. Kayak tours thread the channels in season at respectful distances, the isthmus road serves the binocular version, and the fog-and-dune setting - horses grazing the marram edges - carries the north-Atlantic mood entire.

History

Fishermen of the islands used to enter the lagoon for cod bait, and once La Dune had become an isthmus between Miquelon and Langlade probably also for shelter, though its shallow water and narrow entrance kept larger vessels out. The lagoon is bounded by the 12-kilometre tombolo of La Dune and opens to the sea through the Goulet de Langlade (Wikipedia, Grand Barachois, Miquelon Island).

What's there

• The seal sandbars - hundreds hauled at tidal ease.
• The periscope channels - curious heads at kayak range.
• The migration flats - shorebirds working the basin.
• The dune isthmus - marram, horses and fog light.

When to go

June to September for tours and gentler weather; tides set the seals' schedule - local guidance times the haul-outs.

What to expect

Distance rules protect the haul-outs - binoculars beat approaches; the isthmus weather changes by the quarter-hour and dresses accordingly.

Nearby

Miquelon village, the Langlade dunes and the cape trails.

Key facts