My plan is to leave La Rochelle and go to Pauillac in Haut-Medoc. Due to the tides I have to break the trip into two parts, one passing the Gironde entrance at relative high water and then arriving at Pauillac at slack tide since the currents are strong in the harbour. I decide to do the stop in Royan and thought it would be a good idea to go on a bicycle to Marennes from there. Marennes is famous for its oysters and a major part of France oyster production come from the Marennes-Oleron area. The Marennes harbour should however be limited in size and what is worse is that there is a power cable at the entrance that is too low for me. Bike seems to be the choice.

Melody in the harbour

Royan was a classic pre-war resort that was destroyed by English bombers in January and totally erased by American bombers in April 16 and 17 – less than a month before the WW2 ended. The latter was the first use of Napalm and it killed 1700 civilians in a horrible way. Now it is a completely reconstructed city with the only exception of the Saint-Pierre church from the 13th century. The city is centred around the beach and the harbour in a circular shape with a wider alley and square between the sea and the market that has the rooftop of a shell.

Pre-war poster for the seaside resort Royan

Morning promenade

The market

1200 Saint-Pierre church – the only old building still standing

The modern Notre Dame church

The city is filled with young people and it turns out that the world championship of Frisbee is currently going on. Amazing to see the players running around in the hot sand when it should be mandatory to stay in the water. I take a number of swims myself during the day but still feel too hot. The restaurants in the harbour offers some comfort and shadow but it is extremely hot.

World Championship of Frisbee

Teams warming up on the beach

Flags in the sun

Next day it is time to take the bike tour to Marennes. Two option – either the shorter road that has traffic and the longer that is a bike route. I think the longer route looks nices and it goes like a serpentine by the shores and is indeed very beautiful. I make stops to take a swim and enjoy the views. The last part goes through a forest by the sea which is good since the sun really takes its toll.

Going west from Royan

Plage de la Grande Côte looking west

Plage de la Grande Côte looking east

The forest at La Coubre

Lighthouse of La Coubre

The winding road makes the estimated 25 km trip turn out to be more like 50 km and I arrive in Marennes in the late afternoon. The harbour is very limited in size so even if I had the possibility to come under the power cable – I doubt that I could have found a space. The city is very sleepy and no restaurants are open. I also do not find any of the expected oyster palaces. I did not cycle all this way to eat kebab so I go into a pharmacy and ask for directions and they recommend going to the beach Marennes-Plage.

The Marenne Harbour

Marennes-Plage turns out to be a small beach community with restaurants along the beach. I manage to spot a nice seafood restaurant and can get my hard-won Gillardeau oysters. Extremely nice.

Finally. Some extremely nice Gillardeau oysters as reward

It is getting late so I bike off so I can get through the forests when there is still light and I arrive to Royan well after midnight to return my bike.

Returning the bike in the middle of the night