Pirou France

---

Pirou Normandy 28^thSept 2015



Oyster farming is the main source of excitement here.



Where the tides rise and fall by as much as 13 meters oyster farmers have scores of acres of racks for cultivating oysters.



You could say those racks are on the beach. Well the beach is several kilometres wide. But by mid tide those racks are under water. Its a significant industry with probably over a dozen teams of workers in attendance – each with a tractor and various machinery. It looked reasonably rewarding if the quality and size of the late model tractors was anything to go by.



We visited soon after the equinox and just after a full moon. So the tide range was at its extremity.



There are rocky areas that were exposed on the day of our visit. These rocky outcrops are over a kilometre from the high tide part of the beach and in some parts were exposed as much as 2 meters high. Like gold fossickers ordinary Jean public from this region were out on these rocks and the sandy gullies between the rocky bits – armed with a range of sharp and blunt instruments – looking for oysters and mussels. Some had full buckets – more had very little.

---