FOURAS les bains

Fouras is a small seaside resort, onetime spa, and centre for the breeding of oysters. It guards the entrance to the Charente river and its famous landmark is Fort Vauban which sits at the end of the Grande Plage and the town promenade.

The tide goes out a fair old distance, a bit like Southend, so the sandy beaches are at their most attractive at high tide.

At the Grande Plage there is a ‘Retinue d’Eau’.

Along this coast there are many of these fishing jetties, none of which seem to be active: we haven’t worked out what their purpose is yet!

To get to the town from our campsite, you walk along the north beach until you come to the ‘famous’ two oaks

then it’s a 10 minute walk up the Boulevard de deux Ports  to the town hall, the pedestrian precinct and the covered markets.

The fort and the promenade are just beyond the precinct.

 Our mobility is limited and so we took the G bus service to la Fumee at the end of the peninsula. It’s famed as the premier oyster breeding ground in France ( and therefore the World) , it’s also where you take the ferry to the Ile d’Aix ( but we didn’t) and for restaurants serving oysters ( we didn’t eat).

 There’s also a view of Fort Boyard in the distance which seems to be a major attraction…

We had a nice stroll around, looked at some rusty oyster-gathering tractors and got the bus back! The bus will also take you to Rochefort or La Rochelle.

We’re at Camping Le Cadoret which is the municipal site at the end of the north beach. It’s ACSI discount this year at 15€ plus taxes. At this time of year there are plenty of free pitches, but it’s part-wooded so satellite tv watchers may have problems – it also means that there are plenty of blackbirds singing to us.