|
|
| Home Page | Location | Gites | Getting Here |
| Things to do | Places to visit | weather | Visitor Book |
| Photo Gallery | Rates and Availability | Special offers/travel discounts | Contact Us |
The island of Oleron
The island of Oleron is the most Southern of the islands of the French Atlantic coast. You can visit there all the year round.
The island of Oléron has been a holiday destination since the development of sea bathing, during the second half of the 19th Century.
The bridge which connects it with the mainland since 1966 has made it easily accessible. The summer months are particularly busy but it is worth spending at least a day of your holiday, if you are staying in the region, visiting and discovering Oléron.
It
is the most Southern of the islands of the French Atlantic coast and the west
coast is influenced by the Gulf Stream.
Its climate is gentle which is shown by the presence of the mimosas and it is
sometimes called the Island of Mimosas.
From the mainland to the island of Oleron
The point of departure from the mainland is obviously the town of Marennes where the D26 road leads to the bridge.
Crossing the bridge there are beautiful views of the coast, very different from high tide to low tide, at which time you will be able to see the oyster beds.
After crossing the three kilometres of the bridge, you have three options: either take the westward direction Saint-Trojan-les-Bains, or take the eastward direction Le Château d'Oléron, or take the central D734 road and follow this for 30 km to the lighthouse of Chassiron at the extreme northern point of the island.
The west coast, facing the ocean, is the continuation of the west coast of the peninsula of Arvert, Côte Sauvage and Forêt de la Coubre.
Westward, the first place to stop is Saint-Trojan-les-Bains, a very old seaside resort.
The beach, with its promenade, offers a magnificent circular view, from left to right, of the bridge of the island of Oléron, the bridge of Seudre, the beaches and the forest of Ronce-les-Bains.
At low tide, the sea goes out a very long way and uncovers a vast stretch of beach.
The Grande Plage of Saint-Trojan, facing the sea on the West , is accessible through the forest and by a tourist railway, boarding point at the Saint-Trojan railway station.
The national forest of Saint-Trojan, with its pines and holm oaks, is the biggest forest on the island, and stretches for eight kilometres, up to the beach of Vert-Bois and then La Rémigeasse and La Perroche, which are the beaches of Dolus d' Oléron.
La Cotinière is the most important fishing port of the island and one of the ‘big three’, with La Rochelle and Royan, of Charente-Maritime. The fishermen of La Cotinière concentrate on the principal sorts of fish, sole, sea dace, langoustine.
Three kilometres further inland, the D274 road leads to the "Capital" of the island, Saint Pierre d' Oléron.
At Saint Pierre, take the D734, to go to Saint-Denis d'Oléron, passing through Chéray and Saint Georges d'Oléron, to reach the most distant point North of the island and the lighthouse of Chassiron.
