La pointe de la Varde

Rocky point located in the Rothéneuf district of Saint-Malo, the point of the Varde is a protected natural site culminating at 32 m above the sea and offering a breathtaking view of the bay of Saint-Malo. The first fortifications date from 1694 and contribute to the city's defense system designed by Vauban. The German army took over the site in 1943 and used the general structure of the fort to insert bunkers.
These unsecured ruins are now closed to the public.
Bats, barn swallows and amphibians have invaded the place. Hundreds of spiny toads and webbed newts migrate to the ponds at the end of winter. The public is channeled on a single path allowing the vegetation to develop on non-trampled areas. Moorland, coastal lawns and thickets attract large numbers of insects and passerines.
For 30 years, the Coastal Conservatory has owned the site. The Department carries out a management favorable to biodiversity there, allowing the reception of the public.
In 2015, to restore the landscape, the Coastal Conservatory demolished a small factory at the heart of the site. This operation as well as the management work carried out on this site allow the dune and the wetlands to recover.

Show less