Island Life

A few Days on the Ile-de-Re June 24 - 28

Hollyhocks and shutters - so Ile-de-Re!

The Ile-de-Re lies just off the west coast of France, close to the city of La Rochelle, to which it is linked by a 2.9km long bridge,making it easy for the 200,000 holiday-makers who visit each summer to access the delights of this special place.  It is famous for its sunny climate, oysters and mussels, salt, long sandy beaches and pretty villages which are linked by an extensive network of cycle paths.

Hollyhock Heaven - St Martin

 The two great symbols of the island are the hollyhocks which seem to grow out of every nook and cranny in the stone walls and cobbled village streets, and the hairy, pyjama-clad donkeys which toiled in the salt marshes in days gone by.  The long-haired donkeys are now retired to a peaceful life of grazing in the fields - no longer needing the leg coverings which protected them from mosquitoes in the low-lying fields of salt.

Donkeys in pyjamas - Ile-de-Re (archive photo)

Although the island does have all mod-cons such as supermarkets and main roads, the great appeal of the place is that one can happily potter about in the villages with limited traffic, lots of quaint little white-washed houses, narrow cobbled lanes, interesting shops and markets, harbour-front restaurants all of which evoke a totally laid-back atmosphere.

Narrow village lanes and happy hollyhocks

 Alternatively it is wonderful to  spend a happy day on a rented bike following the coastal bikeways through wheat fields, vineyards and pine forests  from one village to the next. With a highest point of 20 metres and being only 5 km wide and 30 km long, island cycling is easy.

Island cycling - this is Cheryl

 Those with an inclination for seafood can stop along the way to dine on freshly harvested oysters or mussels, washed down with a glass of the local wine, at one of the sea-farms that dot the mainland-facing coast.

Degustation - oyster farm tasting bar beside the cycle path

  On the other side of the island long sandy beaches provide plenty of opportunity for swimming, sunbathing and a variety of beach activities.  During the endless summer evenings the favourite pastime is strolling beside the harbour and dining at a waterside restaurant.  The sunsets are not bad either.  While there are many holiday cottages all over the island, it is also a mecca for campers with several of caravan parks, most sheltered under the pine trees.  The beautiful quality of the light makes the island very popular with artists - there are some lovely galleries to visit in most of the villages.  All in all a very idyllic and restful place for a holiday -very popular apparently with well-heeled Parisians - property prices are sky high on the island.

Typical village house - St Martin

St Martin-de-Re
Our pretty terrace house is located in the middle of St Martin, the island's largest town and we lost no time exploring the little lanes that lead down to the harbour.  Most of the houses are white-washed with green or blue shutters and there are tantalising peeks through gates in the high stone walls that protect the gardens.

A peek through our garden gate

  Close to the harbour are streets filled with small shops offering a wide range of clothing, homewares, souvenirs and local produce, including a number of artisan ice-cream places.  Around the harbour there is a wide quay side  for pedestrians and cyclists which is lined with restaurants and at one end is a covered market which offers a delectable range of fresh and prepared foods.

St Martin-de-Re 

We were happy to load up with some delicious chicken dishes, quiches, warm bread, fruit, olives, and of course an array of wonderful cheeses which we enjoyed in the warm sunny evenings sitting in our beautiful walled garden -all washed down with a fantastic Sancerre white wine that we discovered in the supermarket.

Our fabulous walled garden - favourite place for dining!

 The town has some impressive harbour fortifications, dating from the 1600s, courtesy of the French engineer Vauban.  Today they are UNESCO protected and in remarkable condition.

Leaving town through the fortifications

 Just past the main fortifications is a small beach, La Plage de la Cible, where cute little white beach huts overlook a sandy bay.  Kristy had her first Atlantic swim here - only a short cycle ride from our house.

Plage de la Cible, St Martin

  Besides shopping, eating ice-cream and soaking up the holiday atmosphere, we climbed the rickety narrow stairs of the church bell tower for a spectacular view over the town and much of the island.

View over St Martin from the belltower

Having exhausted the scenic  delights of downtown  St Martin we found a bike rental shop near our house and had soon acquired our island transport for the duration of our stay.  Really great bikes with very comfortable seats (very important!).

Cycling Adventures
Although we had but a few days on the Ile-de-Re we were able to explore several villages by bike.   There is something magical about cycling along by the sea with little yachts scudding along in the breeze on one side and golden fields of wheat or hay rolls on the other.  The weather during our stay was warm and sunny - not too hot and really pleasant for cycling - just a light salty breeze off the sea.
Our first afternoon cycle was to the nearby village of La Flotte.  We took the inland route through the fields and arrived at the seafront promenade which has a few restaurants and lots of places to sit and soak up the view.

La Flotte promenade (great for taking it easy)

  Just around the corner is the small harbour with the usual assortment of eating places - here again ice cream, oysters and mussels feature prominently.  We parked our bikes and strolled through the streets behind the habour - more quirky shops with really nice clothes and homewares on sale.  We found a charming antique shop and could have happily loaded up a container load of goodies but managed to  restrain ourselves.  I did find a charming teacup and saucer featuring a painted pyjama donkey (not as tacky as it sounds haha).

La Flotte harbour

After the obligatory ice-cream (salted butter caramel of course) which we enjoyed from a nice vantage point by the harbour we headed back to St Martin along the coastal path.

Cycling between La Flotte and St Martin - blissful!

 Such a lovely ride past fields, oyster farms, pretty white cottages -

Seaside cottage - this one will do me!

 and finally back to Plage de la Cible and through the fortification walls into the town.

Taking in the view from the sea wall at St Martin

  Another day we cycled further afield, along the coast past vineyards, (Ile-de-Re if known for its Pineau, a fortified wine) and then into the marshlands where oysters are abundant and the famous salt pans still produce a very high quality salt using traditional methods that have been followed for centuries (although tractors have replaced the furry donkeys now).

Salt Marshes

   The shoreline is rocky and seawalls protect the marshes from storm surges which occasionally blow in from the Atlantic during winter.  It is very unspoiled and a haven for all kinds of birds and insects.  A few kilometres along the coast we turned inland and headed towards the church spire of the village of Couarde-sur-Mer which is close to the opposite side of the island.  This is another pretty village with a lovely town square and interesting little streets radiating from its central point.

Couarde-sur-Mer

  We browsed the shops and checked out some of the restaurants but not being especially hungry we decided to continue on, out past the salt marshes to the coast again.  It is delightful to just cycle rather aimlessly along beside the water and enjoy the fresh air, sunshine and peace  - no motor traffic in this neck of the woods.

Cycling near Couarde-sur-Mer

We finally arrived back in St Martin and had yummy quiches at the harbourside boulangerie.  A good reward for our cycling efforts.  Most of our other cycling was around and about St Martin - what a place for a holiday -not too crowded in late June and highly recommended.

Out in the Car
Besides cycling, meandering, shopping, exploring and lazing about we did make a couple of excursions in the car just to give it a change of scenery from the carpark (free just outside the village, ten minutes from our house).
Kristy was keen to swim on the other side of the island and we though we should visit Ars-en-Re (along with La Flotte it is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France).  Ars has a small harbour which is at the end of a long channel that leads out to the open sea and is surrounded by salt marshes.

Ars-en-Re Harbour

 It has a stone  church with a tall white belltower capped in black - most unusual and a landmark for many kilometres.  There are pretty pale coloured houses and hollyhocks galore.  This village is a mecca for artists and we enjoyed visiting a couple of shops where work on typical island scenes was in progress.  I bought a pretty aquarelle to hang at home as a reminder of our visit.

Belltower - Ars-en-Re

Although it was late in the day the sun was still high in the sky so we drove through the pine forest (Bois du Henri IV) that borders the sand dunes and found a long sandy beach, (La Plages des Prises), perfect for Kristy's swim (older members of our group were content to paddle!).  I can imagine that in the coming weeks these superb beaches will be crowded with holiday makers ("Le depart" begins the day we leave the island).  The beaches are very unspoiled and not at all commercialised.

La Plage des Prises

The only other time we needed to use the car on the island was for a late afternoon trip back across the bridge to visit the city of La Rochelle which has great historical significance as a seaport. The harbour (Le Vieux-Port) is guarded by two huge towers, the tower of St Nicolas and the Chaine Tower which date from the 14 Century.

Sundown on the towers, entrance to  Old Port, La Rochelle

From the harbourside with its lively bars and restaurants the entry to the winding streets lined with half-timbered buildings is through the archway in the Tour de la Grosse Horloge (Great Clock Tower, 12 Century!).

Entrance to the city from the harbour

 We wandered around the charming streets and then made our way to the harbour to have dinner overlooking the water.  There is a really great atmosphere once at a good distance from the traffic that speeds along the Quai Duperre - we have become accustomed to the tranquility of the island!.  Our meal was simple and delicious - mussels for some, galette for me with salads and very good wine ( just one glass for the driver).

Moules frites for Kristy - harbourside, La Rochelle

Some street musicians provided music and it was a lovely end to our stay in the Charente Maritime department of France.  Back across the bridge we were treated to a lovely setting sun as we drove through the pretty seaside village of Rivedoux-Plage and home to our quaint little house.

Down the lane to our house - St Martin