The Eyre is a coastal river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 that flows through the Moors of Gascony, in Aquitaine

Aquitaine

Aquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 27 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. It comprises the 5 departments of Dordogne, :Lot et Garonne, :Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes...

, Southwest France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

.

The river is generally presented as the confluence of:

• the Grande Leyre (Large Leyre), its principal course, upstream from Moustey
  Moustey
  Moustey is a commune in the Landes department in Aquitaine in south-western France.-See also:*Communes of the Landes department*Parc naturel régional des Landes de Gascogne...
  
  ,
• the Petite Leyre (Small Leyre), its main tributary.

Note that Leyre is a variant of the name Eyre, affected by an agglutination of the Romance article.

Geography

The basin of the Eyre in included in the parc régional des Landes de Gascogne (National Park of the Moors of Gascony).

The river takes form in the Plantiet Marsh, in Grande Lande near Sabres

Sabres, Landes

Sabres is a commune in the Landes department in Aquitaine in south-western France.-See also:*Communes of the Landes department*Parc naturel régional des Landes de Gascogne...

, Landes.

It flows north into the Bassin d'Arcachon, a large bay on the Atlantic coast, in the Pays de Buch

Pays de Buch

Pays de Buch is one of several areas that make up the Landes forest in France. It extends across seventeen towns around the Arcachon Bay and the valley of the Eyre River...

, Gironde

Gironde

For the Revolutionary party, see Girondists.Gironde is a common name for the Gironde estuary, where the mouths of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers merge, and for a department in the Aquitaine region situated in southwest France.-History:...

. Its delta

River delta

A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...

 of 30 km² contains the Le Teich

Le Teich

Le Teich is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:-See also:*Communes of the Gironde department*Parc naturel régional des Landes de Gascogne-References:*...

 ornithological park.

The Eyre flows through a preserved environment. Its banks are bordered by a broad-leaved forest. Branches join over the river, forming a gallery forest

Gallery forest

Gallery forests are evergreen forests that form as corridors along rivers or wetlands and project into landscapes that are otherwise only sparsely treed such as savannas, grasslands or deserts....

, that contrasts with the Landes forest

Landes forest

The Landes forest or the Landes of Gascony , in the historic Gascony region of southwestern France now known as Aquitaine, is the largest maritime-pine forest in Europe...

, planted with maritime pine

Maritime Pine

Pinus pinaster, the Maritime Pine, is a pine native to the western and southwestern Mediterranean region. The pejorative name 'pinaster' is derived from pinus + aster, translating as 'a poor imitation of a pine' Pinus pinaster, the Maritime Pine, is a pine native to the western and southwestern...

s.

Départements and towns

The Eyre flows through the following départements and towns:

• Landes: Pissos
  Pissos
  Pissos is a commune in the Landes department in Aquitaine in south-western France.-See also:*Communes of the Landes department*Parc naturel régional des Landes de Gascogne...
  
  
• Gironde
  Gironde
  For the Revolutionary party, see Girondists.Gironde is a common name for the Gironde estuary, where the mouths of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers merge, and for a department in the Aquitaine region situated in southwest France.-History:...
  
  : Belin-Béliet
  Belin-Béliet
  Belin-Béliet is a commune in the Gironde department in southwestern France.-Population:-See also:*Communes of the Gironde department*Parc naturel régional des Landes de Gascogne-References:*...
  
  , Salles
  Salles, Gironde
  Salles is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:-See also:*Communes of the Gironde department*Parc naturel régional des Landes de Gascogne...
  
  , Mios
  Mios
  Mios is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:Its inhabitants are called Miossais.-Sights:...
  
  , Le Teich
  Le Teich
  Le Teich is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:-See also:*Communes of the Gironde department*Parc naturel régional des Landes de Gascogne-References:*...
  
  

Tributaries

The main tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the Eyre is the Petite-Leyre. It rises between Luxey

Luxey

Luxey is a commune in the Landes department in Aquitaine in south-western France.-See also:*Communes of the Landes department*Parc naturel régional des Landes de Gascogne...

 and Retjons

Retjons

Retjons is a commune in the Landes department in Aquitaine in south-western France....

, in Landes, and flows northwest to join the Grande Leyre downstream from Pissos

Pissos

Pissos is a commune in the Landes department in Aquitaine in south-western France.-See also:*Communes of the Landes department*Parc naturel régional des Landes de Gascogne...

.

• (R) Petite Leyre

N.B. : (R) = right tributary; (L) = left tributary

Historical anecdote

During the creation of French départements in 1790, it has been suggested to create a large département matching with the natural region

Natural region

A Natural region is one which is distinguished by its natural features of geography and usually more important, geology. The natural ecology of the region is likely to be significant but one of these factors tends to influence the others....

 of Moors of Gascony, that is the today Landes forest

Landes forest

The Landes forest or the Landes of Gascony , in the historic Gascony region of southwestern France now known as Aquitaine, is the largest maritime-pine forest in Europe...

 (by the time not yet planted). The name of this département would have been the Eyre.

Name

Eyre is an Aquitanian hydronym

Hydronym

A hydronym is a proper name of a body of water. Hydronymy is the study of hydronyms and of how bodies of water receive their names and how they are transmitted through history...

. It can be found in names as Eyres-Moncube

Eyres-Moncube

Eyres-Moncube is a commune in the Landes department in Aquitaine in south-western France....

, Landes, or the craste de l'Eyron (Eyron ditch) in Lacanau

Lacanau

Lacanau is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France. Lacanau is a surfing area.Lacanau is a member of the Community of Municipalities Médoc's Lakes which includes the municipalities of Lacanau, Carcans and Hourtin : the territory Médoc Océan :...

, Gironde.