Fort Vauban - Dunes of La Slack (Ambleteuse, France)

June 13, 20252912 Views 6 min read

This 17th-century fort (built in 1680), designed by none other than Vauban, is located on the outskirts of the village of Ambleteuse at the mouth of a small river called La Slack.

The fort itself is maintained by an association of volunteers: Les Amis du Fort d'Ambleteuse. It can be visited regularly (especially on Sundays). Consult their opening calendar.

Right next to the Slack is a protected dune area. This area has some high sand dunes and is currently under restoration. You can't enter this area yourself, but via a footpath between the Slack and the dune reserve on the one hand and the beach on the other, you can still take very nice pictures. You can compare the area somewhat with the Duinenreservaat "De Westhoek" of De Panne.

Tip 1: If you want to visit the fort itself, it is best to park your car in the village of Ambleteuse itself. The fort is located on the outskirts of the village. Please note that you cannot just go from the village to the dune reserve (and vice versa). The reed bed itself can be just too deep at low tide and at high tide there is the danger that you cannot go back. Then you have to make a whole detour to get from one to the other.

Tip 2: if you want to visit the dune reserve, you can use (if there are not too many people) one of the 2 parking lots belonging to this area. If you choose the North parking lot, then you can reach the beach via two walking paths next to the Slack. You will also pass an additional protected area where some protected bird species live. Obviously, you are not allowed to enter this area either. It is a small parking lot, so it fills up quickly. Being there on time (e.g. before 11 am) is recommended. You cannot park there with mobile homes either (max. height is 2m 10), they have to go to the south parking lot.

AMBLETEUSE France

Indication of the location of the Fort Mahon on the tourist map of Top.Flanders.
Indication of the location on Google Maps.
Wikipedia page about the Fort of Ambleteuse: Dutch-language - French-language - English-language
Wikipedia page about the river La Slack: Dutch-language - French-language - English-language
Social media of the association Les Amis du Fort d'Ambleteuse: Webstek - Facebook - Instagram.