Guide to the Beaches of Vendee
Bois de la Chaize
Whilst camping in Vendee, a great place to get some sun is Boise de la Chaize, a picture-perfect beach on one of the Noirmoutier Islands. With bathing huts dotting the beach and sparkling blue waters as far as the eye can see, your beach holiday scene will be complete if you spend some time here whilst on a Vendee camping holiday.
Bretignolles-sur-Mer
This beautiful Blue Flag beach is ideal for families while camping in Vendee. You can enjoy a day of family fun, with beach equipment on sale at the beach; buy a bucket and spade and you can build a family sand castle. You can stroll along this pretty coastline licking an ice-cream and enjoying the views. If your stroll should lead you just south of the beach, you'll come across some mini cliffs. Continuing further, you will find another beach, La Normandaliere, where children can spend hours discovering the wonders of the rock pools at low tide, a perfect activity for a summer Vendee camping trip.
L'Aiguillon-sur-Mer
A contrast to the golden sandy beaches typical of summer holidays, this beach will be most appealing to nature lovers who enjoy camping in Vendee. The town is known for its shellfish, sea and marsh. Bird lovers will enjoy watching wading birds in the muddy seabed, and the town is also home to some beautiful migrating birds, such as goldfinches, thrushes and innets. Whilst you can't do too much sunbathing here, it nonetheless makes for an interesting day out whilst camping in Vende.
La Faute-sur-Mer
If you have a love of oysters, this region is ideal to visit whilst camping in Vendee. The 8km of beach along the coastline here provide great fishing spots, and the water quality is of an excellent standard. You can enjoy beautiful scenery here, where a 140-year-old pine forest holds the dunes in place and provides an excellent place for coastal walks.
Le Pege
During the summer months, this area is extremely popular for holidaymakers camping in Vendee. Ideal for family holidays, this beachside area has a great attraction for children - the Atlantic Toboggan - a water world of chutes and flumes. The beach is beautiful too, and is oriented towards family beach holidays.
Le Tanchet
This beach will particularly appeal to surfers, and is a pretty beach located beyond Les Sables. If your Vendee camping holiday sees you spending some time in this area, you have more than just the beach to entertain you. An interesting zoo is located near the Casino des Pins, and your children will be delighted if you pay it a visit. You can feed the goats and watch the monkeys swinging carelessly about their enclosure, a fun way to spend an afternoon during your Vendee camping holiday.
Eamon Hoolihan is the brand and advertising manager of Canvas Holidays, one of the leading European camping and mobile home holiday operators in the UK. With over 40 years of experience, Canvas offer superb Vendee Camping holidays as well as trips to Spain, Italy and a total of 9 European countries.
Top 5 Beaches in Devon
5. Dawlish Warren.
A short train ride from Exeter and you get to the picturesque town of Dawlish. The nearby warren is essentially made up of a sand spit and blue flag beach that stretches over 505 acres into the mouth of the River Exe. This unique land feature has recently been officially named a nature reserve and is very popular with locals and tourists in the summer months. But for those who are willing to walk up the spit will be rewarded with an unspoiled, and crowd-free, beach.
4. Man Sands.
This tiny beach is very much one of the secrets of south Devon. The bay is only accessible by foot and so remains sparsely populated all year round - but is entirely worth the walk. It is situated just south of the popular tourist town of Brixham, in an area of Torbay that, unlike Torquay and Paignton, still retains some character and charm.
3. Bigbury and Bantham.
These beaches lie further south near the town of Kingsbridge, and are subsequently more popular with surfers and bathers. Their features include impressive sandy bays, tall dunes, rock pools, and great views across to Burgh Island. From Bigbury, it is possible to walk to the island at low tide, but at high tide the island (and hotel) is served by a one-of-a-kind sea tractor!
2. Saunton.
North Devon is not quite as accessible as the south coast, but this doesn't seem to affect its popularity. Saunton is not considered the best surfing beach, but it does offer one of the longest golden stretches in the county at almost 5 kilometres long. Behind the beach, Braunton burrows is the largest sand dune system in England, and is subsequently designated (amongst other things) a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
1. Putsborough.
This is essentially the quiet end of Woolacombe sands, away from the town. The surfing conditions are generally considered less powerful than neighbouring Croyde, and so are favourable for learner surfers. There are countless camping and caravan sites in the area, and the dramatic rolling cliffs of Baggy Point are also worth the walk round to Croyde village.
Sarah Maple writes about holiday in Devon for a Devon Guide