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Fully deserving of a chapter all to themselves,
the beaches are where you will probably spend a large part of your holiday.
The most beautiful beaches are mostly situated
on the south and west coasts of the island, flanked by dunes and forests, they
are better protected and more suitable for bathing than the north facing coast
which is rocky and offers small coves. Basically, the best beaches stretch
between Le Bois-Plage & La
Couarde and from the Phare des Baleines, next to
Saint-Clément, along the coast to Les Portes.
Rivedoux : as you cross the Ile de Ré
bridge, you get a first breathtaking look at the endless sandy beaches that
Rivedoux has to offer, whether it be the south facing beach which overlooks La Rochelle and the Ile
d’Aix, or the north facing beach opposite the Vendée coast. These wide strips
of sand which stretch on the south side from the old embarkation site of the
Ile de Ré ferry to the Chauveau point and on the other side as far as the port
of Rivedoux are greatly appreciated by those who want to bathe, but also by
windsurfers and kitesurfers who appear to literally fly across the surface of
the water, like great winged creatures circling the bridge.
Sainte-Marie de Ré: Notre Dame beach
is good for rock pool fishing, Montamer and La Salée beaches allow bathing at high tide while
the beach at Les Grenettes is reputed for surfing (like le Lizay near Les
Portes).
La Flotte & Saint-Martin de Ré: the Arnérault beach at La
Flotte and the Cible beach at Saint-Martin (also known as the
Citadelle beach as it lies next to the fortified city) are family beaches and
are quite similar – they are not far from the centre of each village and reveal
pebbly and also muddy areas at low tide. In periods of very high tides, the
strip of sand at La Flotte
disappears completely as the water reaches the sea wall. On the plus side, both
beaches are great for digging for molluscs and shellfish on foot at low tide.
Le Bois-Plage: the beaches here are very popular
with family groups as certain amongst them are supervised and bathing is
possible even at low tide. The Gollandières and Gros Jonc beaches offer various
nautical sports.
La Couarde: the Pergola beach is very lively
at nightfall as it hosts the nightclub of the same name and other bars.
Windsurfers will appreciate the Charge-Neuve beach while all the beaches along
the coast going towards Ars, parallel to the Chemin des Brardes are superbly
sandy as far as Le Martray.
Loix: the beach at Loix has an
exceptional view of Saint Martin and is never
too crowded. Underfoot tends to become muddy which makes sea bathing more
palatable at high tide.
Saint-Clément-des-Baleines: the Conche des Baleines beach is
one of the best on the island, stretching for 3km from the lighthouse to Les
Portes. Certain parts (Le Lizay and Le Petit Bec) are renowned for surfing,
other parts offer naturists the possibility to strip off and the whole beach
formed a backdrop for certain scenes of the famous film “The Longest Day”. Such
is the attraction of this beach that many who live at the other end of the
island will willingly make the 30km trek to stretch out on the sand here.
Les Portes en Ré: this village offers a wide variety
of beaches: La Patache
is good for walking, Trousse Chemise is for strong swimmers who aren’t put off
by the strong currents in the area, while le Lizay beach has clear waters and,
along with Le Petit Bec, offers good surfing opportunities.
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