Le Pain de Sucre

Le Pain de Sucre is a viewpoint in Salies-de-Béarn featuring two walking routes through an eight-hectare natural area. The site is maintained by animals grazing in semi-freedom year-round, which naturally keeps the green spaces open and accessible.

The viewpoint sits above Salies-de-Béarn, a town renowned for centuries for its salt springs. Salt production shaped the region's landscape and economy for generations.

The site takes its name from its distinctive cone shape, which resembles a sugar loaf. Visitors traditionally tie ribbons to a fence at the summit, leaving small personal messages for others to discover.

Both walking routes start from the Saint Martin Church parking lot, with a one-hour short route and a two-hour longer option available. Both paths are straightforward and require no special skills or equipment.

The site uses an eco-grazing program where llamas, donkeys, Chinese pigs, deer, and chickens naturally maintain the landscape. This unusual approach to land management offers a working example of sustainable stewardship in action.