The ground gets firmer as you go south. As the landscape of France’s mid western province, the Vendee, begins to firm up underfoot heading south towards La Rochelle you will find the quiet marshy countryside around Jard Sur Mer. Vendee veterans, and there are many of us who have learned to appreciate the value of limiting your drive at the end of the ferry, often end up there. It combines the attractions of the Vendee with the excitement of what lies further to the south.
This is a short five hour drive from Cherbourg. And this year Irish Ferries have a new more luxurious ship to bring us there. And the changing dynamic of campsite holidays in France means that prices for your week in a luxury mobile home or pre erected tent are staying steady while everything else is being driven north by the gush in oil prices.
Here you can get all the different types of landscape from the Vendée in one compact region, beaches, dunes, meadows, pine and green oak forests, marshes and a rugged coastline. Nature here is intact; it is wild and it is preserved. If you respect it, you will enjoy it at its best.
Talmont-Saint-Hilaire, with Port Bourgenay, Poiroux and Grosbreuil, takes you into a world that lies between the land and the sea.
The overall effect is of a sort of marshy middle earth, which recreates the summers of our childhoods no matter how dimly they have receded into memory.
King Arthur or Monty Python, it doesn’t matter how knights got into our childhood memories, but they are an important part of this countryside too.
History hangs heavy round the medieval castle of Talmont St Hilaire. This was a playground of the Angevin dynasty that once reigned from Pau to Portlaoise, and in some senses has remained so ever since.
It was in the village of Nieul-sur-l’Autise that Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204) was born and brought this hinterland into her Kingdom when she married Henry II, the man who sent the Normans to Ireland.
Eleanor’s son, Richard the Lionheart, often based himself in Talmont and, although the castle is ruined and decayed, a magnificent local initiative has managed to bring the era back to life.
The whine of medieval pipes, the call of courtiers, a dress up wardrobe for knights, princesses and peasants, a rites of passage where eight year old children learn to swing a wooden sword and then kneel to be knighted and (our family’s favourite) crossbow practice, make the afternoon last most of a millennium.
There is a terrific story to be told and they have a terrific way of telling it.
There was more warfare, the Angevin’s attempts to hold the French part of their kingdom meant that the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453) turned much of the Vendée into a battleground. In Jard Sur Mer church, opposite that new religious icon the Super U, you can find a historic painting commemorating the turbulent religious wars which saw the siege of the Huguenot stronghold of la Rochelle, while the Vendee uprising against the revolution, a 1798 rebellion in reverse, has been described as the first modern genocide.
Surprisingly, the coast of the Vendée usually has better sunshine than regions further south – more than 225 days of sun every year.
The region snakes along 160 km of mostly sandy beaches and the several generations of campers have been descending on popular resorts include Les Sables-d’Olonne, La Tranche-sur-Mer and Saint-Jean-de-Monts.
But you miss part of the action if you cling to the coast. Apart from the flagship commercial attractions such as Parc Sauvage and Puy du Fou, there is a natural wonderland just behind the shore waiting to be discovered, the Marais Poitevin (an area of marshlands famed for wildlife), the forested area around the village of Mervent, and the rolling countryside of the Bocage.
There are thousands of marked footpaths, a signposted bicycle route running along the coastal mudflats, and marshes that attract unusual birds.
Speciality products include a distinctive brioche (now recognised by the “Label Rouge” designation) and a raw cured ham (“Jambon de Vendée) similar in flavour to bacon.
Each village has its cave and the local marchais has local wines on offer, produced around the communes of Vix, Brem, Pissotte and Mareuil-sur-Lay generally marketed under the “Fiefs Vendéens” label.
Quality of the production has improved markedly over recent years, and having already achieved the appellation VDOS (Vins Délimité de Qualité Superieure) the wines are on their way towards AOC status (Appellation d’Origine Controlée).
- Imagine yourself at the wheel of one of the most beautiful cars in the Vendée Automobile Museum.
- Have your senses working at the Folie de Finfarine, ‘The House of Trees and Honey’.
- Meet the guides to the salt marshes, the oyster farms, the animal life and the plant life.
- Enter the artists’ workshops and discover their handmade creations: watercolours, historical figures in lead or in pewter, painted furniture and coloquintes.
- Take advantage of your stay to try out the local products: oysters and other seafood, salt, local wine, préfou (heated dough with butter and garlic), brioche (sweet spongy bread) from the Vendée. They will all make your mouths water.
- Check out the 630 deep water berth marina, the Pavillon Bleu sandy beach, which is accessible to people with disabilities and which has a lifeguard station and a surf school during the holiday season, and the 18-hole golf course next to the sea and an 18-hole pitch and putt course open to everyone.
- Laze along 150km of paths for cycling and walking.
- Visit Avrille (nicknamed the Carnac of the Vendeé) and its many megalithic remains, in particular the Menhir du Camp de César, one of the largest standing stones in France.
- Enjoy some superb views from the top of the keep at the Château de Talmont (7km), which reputedly belonged to Richard the Lionheart.
- For further details see www.canvasholidays.ie
- Jard Sur Mer region see www.ville-jardsurmer.fr and www.ot-talmont-bourgenay.com
- Camping les Ecureuils in Jard Sur Mer is a family-run site in a forest of pine and mature oaks, awarded a three “red tent” rating from Michelin. It is a short walk from the beaches and tidal rock shoals of Jard Sur Mer, perfect for exploring rock pools. The L-shaped pool with separate children’s pool is at the heart of the site and its broad sun terrace and distinctive colourful rose filled flowerbeds reflect the pride of the owners, it is suited for families with young children as it has a safe and friendly environment with plenty of space. There is a covered pool located by the bar and a lively programme of family entertainment including magic shows and live music.
- Eoghan Corry travelled to France with Irish ferries. The new Oscar Wilde will begin service on the Rosslare to Cherbourg route in December. See www.irish-ferries.com for details.
