The Île d'Oléron is France's largest island after Corsica and a favourite of day-trippers and families in the summer months for its beautiful sandy beaches. It's up the road from Marennes, joined to the mainland by a bridge. Buses from Rochefort are awkward, with irritating changes at Saintes or Boucrefranc, and it's easier to go direct from Saintes on one of the several daily Citram buses that stop at all the main towns on the island; alternatively, take a guided day-trip from La Rochelle.Flat and more wooded than the Île de Ré, Oléron has plenty of greenery, with the extensive pine-studded Forêt des Saumonards in the northeast of the island; here you can eyeball a dazzling panorama of the surrounding parcs à huitres and the mighty Fort Boyard stranded in the midst of the sea between Oléron and the Île d'Aix to the northeast. At the island's southern tip, the larger Forêt de St-Trojan creeps up the western coast along La Grande Plage, a popular spot but far enough from the main towns not to be too crowded. The island interior is pretty and distinctive. Waterways wind right into the land, their gleaming muddy banks overhung by round fishing nets suspended from ranks of piers. There are so many oyster claires that, from above, the island must look like an Afghan mirrored cushion; the stretch from Boyardville to St-Pierre – with its pines, tamarisks and woods of evergreen oak – is the most attractive. The island's most interesting attraction is off the D126 between St-Pierre and Dolus, right in the middle of the island. The bird park of Le Marais aux Oiseaux (daily: April, May & Sept 10am–noon & 2–7pm; June–Aug 10am–8pm; €3.81) was originally established as a hospital for injured birds found in the wild, but is now a breeding centre with many examples of rare or endangered species. Some 300 to 400 types of bird are given the freedom of twenty hectares of beautiful countryside, while sixty species are caged for observation alongside public walkways. Most of the little towns on the island inevitably have been ruined by the development of hundreds of holiday homes – and it can be a real battle in the summer season to find a place to stay. There are a few places that still retain some amount of charm, however, not least of which is the main town in the south of the island, LE CHÂTEAU, named after the Citadel that still stands, along with some seventeenth-century fortifications: the town thrives on its traditional oyster farming and boat-building, and there's a lively market in place de la République every morning. The chief town in the north – and most picturesque of the island's settlements – is ST-PIERRE, whose market square has an unusual thirteenth-century monument, or lanterne aux morts. A few kilometres to the northeast, BOYARDVILLE has no interest except for the ranks of bouchots – stakes for growing mussels – along the shore. It's tempting to help yourself, but these are private property and you'll be in trouble if someone sees you. Instead, head to the major attraction around here: the superb stretch of sandy beach at LA BRÉE-LES-BAINS. Halfway down the west coast is the pretty fishing port of LA COTINIÈRE, with a daily morning fish market (except Sun), Criée aux Poissons, where the fishermen traditionally cry out their wares.
Pages in section ‘Oleron’: Practicalities.
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