france’s western isles:

île de ré

related pages :
France’s western iles: Ile d’Oleron
transborder bridge, Rochefort-Martrou

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introduction - île de ré and île d’oleron
île de ré

•   braking the summer traffic jams from 2017

•   climate   •   île de ré bridge
•   beaches   •   cycling
•   agriculture   •   bird watching
•   salt production/saliculture    •    lighthouses
•   other places to visit
•   After the storm Xanthia

end notes

 

île de ré and île d’oleron

On the western edge of France, and facing into the Atlantic Ocean, these two islands are remote from, yet close to mainland French society. Both islands were part of the English empire of the 13^th and 14^th centuries. Both islands are now connected to the mainland by modern, arching bridges. Both islands rely on tourism and marine industries for the most part of their incomes. Both are somewhat reminiscent of the British Channel Islands, with sandy beaches, low road speed limits, little high street commercial development, white or brightly painted cottages in narrow-laned villages, and lots of sunshine.

But here the similarities end. The Île de Ré, the smaller of these two islands, is close to the major provincial town of La Rochelle. Both before its viaduct was built (finished in 1998) and now, the island was a favoured holiday retreat for affluent Parisians. In summer, the island is even nicknamed the 21st arrondissement of Paris. One such affluent Parisian who has a holiday home there is former Prime Minister (1997 to 2002), Lionel Jospin. Its less developed cousin, the Île d’Oleron, has not yet received the same attention, even though some may prefer its quieter roads and beaches.

Plenty of hotels, vacation homes and lots of camping opportunities abound. the climate is usually mild and offers plenty of sunshine. The locals are known for their friendly and laid back temperament.

île de ré

This island is low-lying, its highest point at Peu-des-Aumonts being a lofty 27 metres/29.5 yards, while the average height above sea-level is 20 m/22 yards.
Île de Ré is 26 km/16 miles long and
its width varies between 70 m/76 yards and 5 km/3 miles wide.
There is 100 km/62 miles of coast-line, half of which is beaches, mostly to the south-west.
Its area is about 85 km²/a bit over 21,000 acres, and approximately a quarter the size of the Ile de France [the region surrounding Paris].

Originally three small islands, the spaces between them either silted up or were filled by the extensive salt beds that are a major part of this very flat, lowland island’s landscape. [Here is a four-image animation of how the islets joined over the millennia.]

braking the summer traffic jams from 2017 Traffic jam on the Ile de Ré bridge. Image: Xavier Léoty During the peak of the summer, 120,000 people come to the Île de Ré, with a peak traffic flow of around 1,200 vehicles per hour. This large traffic inevitably generates large traffic jams.Faced with this influx, the ilsland Council and the Département have taken measures to limit the number of cars on the island. The objective is to develop public transport within the island, and with the mainland. Transfer stations have been created to prevent coaches from encroaching the town centres. The towns and villages can then be accessed by by electric shuttle buses. In total, five transfer stations between coaches and electric shuttles have been created : in Sablanceaux, Sainte-Marie, La Couarde, Saint-Clément-des-Baleines and Saint-Martin-de-Ré. The last has been operational since 3 July. The main objective of the € 250,000 project, financed by the transport portion of the ecotax, is to preserve the classified site of Saint-Martin-de-Ré. The plan, built with the backing of the  Bâtiments de France (Buildings of France), also avoids the entry of coaches in the town centre thanks to the electric shuttles. Another measure, aimed directly at motorists, is a website called Respiré info trafic that also enables real-time monitoring of traffic conditions on the island. This project, with a total budget of 96 000 euros, aims to make traffic more fluid. Four cameras have been set up in the commune of Rivedoux, so go to the mobile site to watch the traffic conditions in real time. seven cameras In addition to these webcams, there are Bluetooth sensors. These calculate the speed of the vehicles from a point A to a point B in order to know the speed of traffic. Set up in partnership with the company Lacroix Neavia, this project is not yet complete. By the end of July, the island will have seven cameras. Pierre-Yves Courtine, project manager, is reassuring: "The idea is not to monitor people, but to track road traffic. "The image quality of webcams does not allow you to view license plates or identify passers-by." In the long term, the data collected will help to anticipate the risks of traffic jams and to develop infrastructures for improving traffic conditions. By the autumn, three more sets of Bluetooth cameras and sensors will be placed on the La Rochelle bypass.

salt beds on the Île de Ré

There are ten communes [townships] on Île de Ré. The most populated town is Sainte-Marie-de-Ré (pop. 3,027), but Saint-Martin-de-Ré, a small town rich in history, together with the nearby town of La Flotte has 5,504 inhabitants, so making it the main urban focus on the island. The smallest town is Loix (pop. 703).

Characteristically, the towns have narrow lanes lined by old, whitewashed cottages and houses, colour often being provided by the ubiquitous hollyhocks. Because of their narrowness, these lanes are often difficult to negotiate by car - often only one car may pass, with tight corners and parked vehicles providing further tricky obstacles to navigate.

whitewashed, sun-drenched street in Île de Ré

climate

Île de Ré has a mild climate, thanks to its coastal position close to the warm Gulf Stream. The island has an average of 2,300 hours of sunshine a year, making it the third sunniest area in France after South-eastern France and Corsica. Île de Ré is sometimes called the “Atlantic Midi”. In the summer, heat is mitigated by the proximity of the sea. In winter, the temperature is fairly mild and snowfall unusual, though rain is more frequent in winter and autumn. This is due to the low-lying nature of the island.

There is a daily online metéo [weather forecast] service (in French, but pretty intuitive). This link is to the forecast for Saint-Martin-de-Ré.

île de ré bridge

There is a charge for crossing the Ile de Ré bridge, currently (2017) the summer rate for a car being 16€ (the winter rate is 8€.
Further information is available at the bridge's web site (i French).

At the eastern tip of the island, at Sablanceaux, the tip of the island is connected to the mainland at La Renpentie / La Pallice by the bridge of the Ile de Re, 2.9 km/1.8 miles long and inaugurated in 1988. The bell-shaped middle portion of the bridge, that rises 30 metres above the sea, was required by the Navy to allow the passage of warships. The horizontal curve [swerve] over almost the entire length of the bridge was incorporated in order to avoid a particularly deep marine trench cutting the axis of the Pallice - Sablanceaux crossing (according to a former deputy for the island).

Satellite view of the Ile de Ré bridge/viaduct, showing its curve. Note the shadow of the bridge.

beaches

Sand, sea and sun at a random Île de Ré beach

Windy and exposed to Atlantic swell, the island has many places for surfing and windsurfing, such as the Grenettes. All around the island are beaches, mostly sandy and easy to access.

The Plage de la Conche (beach of the shellfish) at the western end of the island near Saint-Clément-des-Baleines, as well as being wide and sandy with a view of the Phare des Baleines, still has the remains of German bunkers, defences built when Germany occupied France during World War Two. The film, The Longest Day was filmed here.

Beach overlooking the Île de Ré bridge to the mainland and La Rochelle

cycling

The island has over a hundred kilometres of cycle paths, cycles [velos] being a popular transport method for locals and visitors alike. You can rent bikes in many of the towns.

inter-commune cycle track

agriculture

To the east and south, nearer the mainland, the low-lying landscape is mostly agricultural - wheat, vines, greenhouses, grazing.

cycling party passing a vineyard

bird-life

For visitors, an unexpected delight (if you are that way inclined) is the sudden surges of raptors (as non-twitchers, we have not identified the raptors we saw). As an island practically in the Atlantic Ocean, this island is an important way-point for migrating birds. There are several reserves, such as the Lilleau des Niges nature reserve to the north of the island. Tens of thousands of migrating birds pass each year (geese and ducks in winter; white stilts, elegant avocets, bluethroat and terns in spring and summer). Nonmigratory birds to be seen include sheldrakes and egrets. The salt beds are also a fruitful place for bird watching.

Pasture where seven raptors suddenly sprang into the sky

salt production/saliculture

In the rest of the Île de Ré, scattered over much of the more western and northern areas, are 350 hectares of salt-beds, where seawater is evaporated and the salt left behind collected for sale. The points of sale may be a souvenir shop in one of the island’s towns, one of the many of the stalls in the market area near the Phare des Baleines, or even a producer’s hut by the side of the road. Here is sold local sea salt, salt flavoured with herbs or spices for using when cooking meats or fish, as well as a wide variety of salt pots and even slightly salted fudge [caramel].

In the past, salt was essential to the fishing industry in order to preserve fish (particularly cod), caught far out at sea, until the boats returned to port.

Salt beds being worked

Sauniers at work

Before the advent of mechanised transport, salt harvested was transported to depots for packing in paniers carried by donkeys. There were many mosquitoes, midges and other hungry insects congregating around the warm still water, so to protect the legs of the donkeys from insect bites, they were clothed in culotte, trouser leggings. Now that salt is transported by tractor and trailer, or lorries, donkeys are no longer employed. However, donkeys are still kept, dressed in culottes, to draw a cart, providing rides for visitors.

It is possible to find stuffed toy donkeys, complete with brightly decorated trouser leggings, in some of the gift shops near the Phare des Baleines.

Of course, along the coast are many small fishing ports, supplying the plentiful seafood to be found in restaurants and cafés. The marine industry also processes 10,000 tonnes of oysters annually.

lighthouses

A centre of fishing, whaling and other maritime commerce, Île de Ré has always needed warning and navigation signalling for sailors nearing the island. [The lighthouses are marked on the map above, labelled as Phare.] Thus, the main ports of the island, such as St. Martin de Ré and la Flotte, have a lighthouse, and there is also the soaring lighthouse at the north-west-most point, la Phare des Baleines, together with its smaller predecessor.

The 57-metre high Lighthouse of Whales - Phare des Baleines - was built in 1854 [on the right] to replace the Old Lighthouse [21 metres] built in 1682 by Vauban. The Phare des Baleines has 257 steps (the 61-metre Monument in London has 311 steps), which visitors may climb to reach the top and the viewing balcony.

Both lighthouses are set within the Lighthouse domain, that includes a whaling museum and a gift shop. (Note riding bicycles and picnics are forbidden here, while dogs must be on a leash.)

the lighthouse museum in front of the old lighthouse                                                                        

at the approach to the phares [lighthouses] are many tourist shops and stalls,
often specialising in all manner of flavoured salt, salt accessories, model lighthouses,
postcards, stuffed toys and other tourist treats

other places to visit

Ars

• Ars en Ré is located in the northern island of Ré (remember that the Île de Ré was originally three separate islands.).
• There are many bike paths.
• The port, with 550 moorings, opens on Fier d’Ars bay to the north by a channel through the marshes. From the port, you may explore the marshes and its many migratory birds.
• The church was built in the twelfth century and rebuilt in the fifteenth, its bell tower still being used as a landmark for navigation.
• The former windmills at la Boire milled cereals from the mainland.

St Martin de Ré

• Many of this small town’s historic buildings date from the 17^th century.
• In the 1620s, Cardinal Richelieu fortified the island as part of the siege against nearby La Rochelle. This included the Citadel [la Citadelle du Dépôt des Forçats] at St Martin de Ré, but much of the town’s defences were subsequently demolished to remove potential threats to French royalty.
• In the 1670s, as part of an overhaul of the island’s defences, St Martin de Ré was enclosed by 12 kilometres of new, 8-metre high, 2-metre thick walls and embankments, protecting the town and the island’s major port. Built by Vauban, these walls are now part of a UNESCO world heritage classification.
• The citadelle was later used as a prison [forçats] for convicts on their way to French Guiana.

17^th century map of St Martin de Ré and its walls and fortifications

• Today, the town is a time capsule of old houses and the picturesque port, enclosed by the massive walls pierced by a substantial gateway.
• There are plenty of cafés and restaurants by the sea front and the port for relaxing before the expanse of Atlantic dotted by fishing boats, tankers and private yachts.
• There is also a 18m lighthouse; painted with black and white bands, built in 1867.

end notes

1. The inverted v-shaped accent (or Chinese hat!) over the ‘I’ of Île, called a circumflex, is used in French to indicate a silent ‘s’. Thus the French word ‘Île’ is very closely equivalent to the English word ‘Isle’.
   
   
2. La Rochelle was a major port in the era of sail in the Atlantic Ocean. It is still has many nautical connections, often being the starting or ending point for ocean-going sailing races. La Rochelle has a very picturesque port area, now making much of it pedestrianised while providing ‘free’ bicycles.
   
   In the past, La Rochelle was controlled by the Dukes of Aquitaine who made it a free port. Thus, when Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry Plantagenet of England, La Rochelle became English until won back by Louis VIII in 1224.
   
   During the Renaissance, La Rochelle adopted Protestant ideas and from 1568 became a centre for the Hugenots, declaring itself an independent reformed republic (as had done Geneva). This led to continuing conflicts with the Catholic central government. With the rule of Henry IV (a Protestant who converted to Catholicism to become King of France - “Paris is worth a mass”), La Rochelle had some freedom and prosperity, but this changed when Henry IV’s son Louis XIII became king. Under the supervision of Cardinal Richelieu, La Rochelle was besieged for fourteen months in the 1627-1628.
   
   
3. As a result of the popularity of island property, property prices have risen to such an extent that young locals are no longer able to buy a house, while local property owners, often retirees, find that they have to sell part of their property in order to pay annual local taxes based on the current property value, rather than on their income.
   
   
4. Until the Middle Ages, the Île de Ré was composed of islands: Ré, the largest, corresponding to the southern part of the actual island and the islets of Ars and Loix (the islet of Portes became attached to Ars islet from the first millennium). Gradually, the channels between these islands were filled by naturally deposited silt clay: the bri. The build-up of these waterproof sediments, as well as the suitable climatic conditions, give the idea of making marshes/salt beds. To create them on a large scale, land has been taken from low tide areas by building levées [levees or dykes] to keep out the sea at high tide.

   The first salt beds were probably built from the twelfth century by monks of the Abbey of Saint-Michel-en-l'Herm (on the mainland to the north of La Rochelle), and by the lords of Loix and Ars islets, commercial salt extraction did not really take off until the fifteenth century. In the nineteenth century, there were 1,550 acres of salt beds being worked (that is,18% of Île de Ré’s area). At its peak, salt production reached over 30,000 tonnes per year and provided much of the island’s wealth.

   From the 1850s, a long decline began with much of the salt beds being abandoned. Reclaimed salt marshes were lost again to the sea because the levees were not maintained. By the start of the 1990s, the salt miners, the sauniers, seemed doomed to disappear. Fortunately, during the past ten years, an vigorous policy to boost salt extraction has allowed young farmers to settle and rehabilitate abandoned marsh, thus perpetuating age-old skills and knowledge.
   
   

5. Weather alerts are made by Méteo de France, the last local Red Alert being for Têmpete Klaus in early 2009. Yellow or orange alerts occur more frequently. The alerts are also given as part of the news and the méteo on the television (at 13:00 and 20:00).
   
   
6. Tidal coefficient
   Instead of looking at tide heights, the French use a different system, based on percentages, known as the tidal coefficient. A coefficient is a non-dimensional way of expressing size, and is independent of the units used. The Service Hydrographique et Océanographique de la Marine [SHOM - web site in French], the French Hydrographic office in Brest, produces a table of tidal coefficients for the year.
   
   The coefficient is calculated for the open sea. It is the result of dividing the predicted tide height by the average deep-water equinoctial tide. By convention, the 100 coefficient is assigned to the daily tidal range in medium-deep waters (about 6m) measured at the equinoxes (March 21 , September 21).
   
   Examples of tidal coefficients and how they translate into tide sizes:
   120 = a very big Spring tide
   95 = a Spring tide (vive eau)
   70 = an average tide
   45 = a Neap tide (morte eau)
   20 = a very small Neap tide
   
   

7. The longest day 20th Century Fox Run Time: 178 minutes DVD: 2003 ASIN: B0000DK4RJ 2003: £4.98 [amazon.co.uk] {advert} ASIN: B000EHSVRS 2003: $17.49 [amazon.com] Blue-Ray: ASIN: B00158K0RY 2009: £17.99 [amazon.co.uk] ASIN: B002COJEMW 2008: $20.49 [amazon.com]

   
   
8. From the twelfth century with the construction of dykes, the inhabitants of the Île de Ré - the Rétais - took land from the sea in order to create salt beds (called in French, salt marshes - marais salants). Over the centuries, more than 1,500 hectares of salt beds have been dug in clay sediments, the salt being then one of the most important resources of the island economy.
   

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