THE VENDÉE ❘ GREAT DESTINATIONS


“IT IS WORTH TAKING THE TIME TO UNCOVER THE VENDÉE’S RICH MARITIME HERITAGE AND FIERCELY INDEPENDENT SPIRIT”


T


wice a day, when the tide ebbs, the waves draw back to reveal the Passage du Gois, a bumpy, seaweed- strewn causeway that links the mainland to the Atlantic island of Noirmoutier. A natural phenomenon created by sand and silt deposits at the meeting of two currents, the now-paved road is one of just two of its kind in the world, and up until the creation of the Noirmoutier bridge in 1971, it was the only way to reach the island. There’s a flutter of excitement as you drive or cycle along the 2.6-mile ocean passageway, knowing that just a couple of hours from now, this island link will be submerged beneath up to four metres of water (note to self: keep an eye on the clock). One of my earliest memories of childhood holidays in the Vendée is parking our old Volvo along the Passage du Gois and hopping out to hunt for clams, cockles and wild oysters, my brother and I squelching through the bay of Bourgneuf in our wellies, digging our hands into the wet sands and inevitably ending up squabbling over who had found the day’s most prized catch. Today, travelling the Vendée, a region where my parents have now retired in our former holiday home (and my own home is just a short drive away), brings back fresh waves of nostalgia. Memories are etched in my mind of our first awe-inspiring visit to the Puy du Fou (see p.120), the Vendée’s indisputable top attraction and surely one of the world’s greatest theme parks; of seaside trips, where we would race along the seafront on a Rosalie and watch the kite-surfers zipping along the sand; of whooshing down the gigantic duck slide at the Challans Autrefois festival and dunking


112 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Feb/Mar 2023


generous slices of brioche vendéenne in our chocolat chauds. These are the simple, timeless pleasures that make up the Vendée’s charm. Just an hour from Nantes and La Rochelle, the coastal département of the Vendée is best known for its 85-plus miles of sandy, family-friendly beaches that stretch along the Atlantic shore. Blessed with a natural microclimate and an average 2,500 hours of annual sunshine, it’s little surprise that holidaymakers spend most of their time outdoors, and the varied landscapes – from wind-ravaged coastline to idyllic bays and wild expanses of forest and marshes – afford plenty of scope for fresh-air adventures through all seasons. This is a region to be discovered and savoured rather than hastily checked off and Instagrammed (although you’ll still find yourself reaching frequently for your camera), and it really is worth


IMAGES © ALEXANDRE LAMOUREUX, STÉPHANE GROSSIN, SIMON BOURCIER, JULIEN GAZEAU


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