Friday 21st June 2024 Ille de Re

 I needed a rest day today, cloudy, cold, windy.Went for two chilly swims in the campsite pools, too much swell for me in the sea today.

Andy cycled to the lighthouse and back  in the afternoon  ( 25 K)  visiting Ars de Re- a small port.

Watched the Netherlands v France match at the campsite restaurant , great atmosphere and packed with both fans from both teams.

So here are some photos  and comments from Andy's  ride . He went west - upwind, hoping for a favourable run back!

Ars en Re is the next village east along  from the camp site. I didn't realise it had a harbour with a channel engineered to the north coast of the island. A mix of fishing boats and leisure craft in the tidal (lock gate) harbour.

The channel to the sea

Another 7 km on level and smooth cycle paths took me to the western end of the island. Yet another great beach, and the lighthouse comes into view.

Here's the lighthouse up close. There were lots of restaurants and souvenir/craft shops, it's a tourist honey trap.

You can go up it for a fee.

On the way back I   stopped to look at the salt pans. A large proportion of the north of the island is covered by these, though it's not clear how many are still in use. Salt is still a big thing with self serve sales points near some of the pans and a big warehouse in Ars en Re.

I'm  not sure I  would want to use the salt in cooking as the pools look pretty scummy!

Getting closer to the camp site it's apparent that the coast has been defended with long concrete sections. The whole island is made of sand, so erosion must have been a longstanding problem.

Pretty tired after that!