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Nearby La Rochelle and Fort
Boyard
 We
first discovered the Île de Ré back in 2002 when we were in
Chatellerault for a major hot air ballooning championship. My
colleagues and I, on a day when all flying was cancelled took the
opportunity to visit what we'd been told, was one of the most
beautiful parts of France next to the Loire. In fact it is
aslo described as the 'jewel' of the coastline and I certainly can't
argue with that. It has
some of the most amazing beaches, which remind me of the Florida
shoreline being pounded by the waves. Both of course, are on the Atlantic
coastline, only on opposite sides of the pond.
This island is completely
flat so relaxing and gentle cycling when there are no strong winds
as it is so very exposed. A
3 km bridge, completed in 1988, connects it to
La Rochelle on the
mainland. Just a half-hour drive west
across using the bridge, the Île de Ré is a
low, narrow island, approximately 30 km long and 5 km wide, fringed by sandy beaches to the
southwest and salt marshes and oyster beds to the northeast, with
the interior a motley mix of small-scale vine, asparagus and wheat
cultivation. All the buildings on Ré are restricted to two storeys
and are required to incorporate the typical local features of
whitewashed walls, curly orange tiles and green-painted shutters,
which give the island villages a southern holiday atmosphere.
 Out of season the island has
a slow, misty charm, and life in its little ports revolves
exclusively around the cultivation of Oysters and mussels. In
season, though, it's extraordinarily crowded, with upwards of
400,000 visitors passing through. The crowds mainly head for the
southern beaches; those to the northeast are covered in rocks and
seaweed, and the sea is too shallow for bathing.
The island has a resident
winter population of approximately 16,000 residents and a resident
summer population of about 160,000. Since the local population is
distributed all over the island, it never gets too crowded per say.
Many different water sports and boat-trips are available as well as
many different tours
The island is covered by
bicycle tracks, with many residents rarely using cars for
transportation. Cycling is a great way to discover Ré, with
some 100km (62 miles) of cycle paths winding through fields, salt
pans and oyster farms to the northeast, beaches in the south and
small villages and colourful harbours all over the island.
However, despite it being a very bike-friendly island, with numerous
cycle paths across the island enabling cyclists to avoid the roads,
please note however that these cycle paths are very busy with
leisure cyclists and are not ideal for 'serious' road bike cyclists
- especially as the roads are rather congested with cars during the
peak summer months.
 Camping grounds and hotels
abound on the island, as well as large supermarkets and all modern
amenities. Most families stay on the island for the duration of
their vacations. Famed for its long beaches, sand dunes and
unique sunlight (not to mention its oysters), is known as the St
Tropez of the Atlantic, is a popular holiday destination.
The Phare des Baleines
(literally ‘Whales Lighthouse'), at the westernmost point on the
island, is thus called because numerous whales used to come ashore
here. The 57m- (187ft-) high lighthouse was built in 1854 to replace
one dating back to 1682. Its light can be seen from as far as 45km
(28 miles) away. Once a thriving international port, St Martin de Ré
in the north is the capital of the island. Today it is a small
fishing harbour surrounded by whitewashed houses and boasts typical
Vauban architecture, including stone gates, 17th-century
fortifications and a citadel, long used as a prison, which was
originally built to fend off the English and the Dutch.
 The
island is connected to the mainland at LA PALLICE, a suburb of
La Rochelle, by a three-kilometre-long toll bridge constructed
in 1988 (€16.77 round trip per car). La Pallice was once a big
commercial port with important shipyards, and although it still
serves as a naval base, times have changed. As you drive past,
you'll notice some colossal weather-stained concrete sheds,
submarine pens built by the Germans to service their Atlantic U-boat
fleet during World War II. Too difficult to demolish, they are
still in use. As an alternative to the toll-bridge connection,
Interîles, 14 Cours des Dames, La Rochelle also runs a bus and boat
service to Sablonceaux on Ré (€16.77 return with a car), and
combined trips to the Îles de Ré and
Oléron.
The alternative is to
rent a bike
from
Cyclo-Surf Location, 14 Rue
Henri-Lainé (tel 05.46.09.51.60) or
Cycland, located either in St Martin or La Couarde on the southern
side of the island.
ST MARTIN, the island's
capital, is an atmospheric north coast fishing port with whitewashed
houses clustered around the stone quays of a well-protected harbour,
from where trawlers and flat-bottomed oyster boats, piled high with
cage-like devices used for "growing" Oysters, slip out every morning
on the muddy tide.
Wall mural/map of the island and
geographic map marking l'Île de Ré in orange
The quayside 'Café
Boucquingam' recalls the military adventures of the Duke of
Buckingham, who attacked the island unsuccessfully in 1627. To the
east of the harbour, you can walk along the almost perfectly
preserved fortifications – redesigned by Vauban in the late
seventeenth century after Buckingham's attentions – to the Citadel,
long used as a prison. From 1860 until 1938, it served as departure
point for the bagnards – prisoners sentenced to hard labour
in the penal colonies of French Guiana and New Caledonia. Most were
headed for swift death and oblivion; one who wasn't was Henri
Charrière, aka "Papillon", who floated away from Devil's Island on a
sack of coconuts after nine escape attempts and 13 years in the
colonies, and went on to write a bestseller about it.
The "white gold" had
contributed to the island’s and more particularly the harbours’
economic prosperity for a long time. Then after a long period
of disfavour, salt has known economic revival. Today more than
80 salt workers keep traditions alive and notably produce the flower
salt that enhances the taste of the island's delicious new potatoes…
Night life consists of going
to Saint Martin, the main port, or to La Flotte, to walk along the
quays and to potter around the shops, which are open very late.
Restaurants abound. At night, visitors can also watch the buskers,
have a drink and enjoy the island's delicious artisanal ice cream,
all set in a family-friendly atmosphere.
The bridge under construction,
the sea salt harvest also known as the white gold of the island in
Loix-en-Ré, the harbour at St Martin and the lighthouse at sunset.
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