France (Vendée) – 2010

We originally visited the Vendeé in 2007, staying at Le Pas Opton (LPO) a holiday camp located near the pretty little seaside town of Saint-Giles-Croix- de-Vie.
We returned in 2010.
This time we crossed via ferry from Dover to Calais before journeying South along the Fast French Toll Roads.
We stopped off on route in Angers on the Loire where we had a wander around the town and grabbed some lunch.

Angers

City of Anger

Leaving Angers we headed South in the warm sunshine arriving at LPO in the evening – amazingly we had the exact same pitch and tent as our previous visit.

The weather was good so we made full use of the pool. This time around we generally spent a little more time on sight relaxing, but used our afternoons and evenings to visit local towns and beaches.

Le Pas Opton

Saint-Giles-Croix-de-Vie (S-G-C-D-V)
A lovely place to spend the evening. To stroll through the streets, enjoy an ice cream, browse market stalls,soak up the atmosphere.

Grand Plage
The weather remained good throughout the holiday and we spent a few afternoons on the sandy beach near S-G-C-D-V.

Notre-Dame-de-Monts
We had a great evening watching the sun go down and enjoying a meal. There was also the opportunity to try the bungee trampoline.

France 2010

Water Towers
The Vendée region is low lying and is dotted with ornately painted Water Towers.

Noirmontier

This island joins to the mainland via a causeway which floods at high tide.

La Rochelle

Beyond the Vendée lies La Rochelle a good place for a day trip – with its medieval fortress in the harbour.

The Feeling Forest
This place was similar to “Go Ape” in the UK series of high level walk ways, obstacles and zip wires. There were two different levels of difficulty based on your height.

The River at Apremont
Returning to Apremont we decided to spend time on the river and enjoy a pedalo journey complete with a surprise swimmer!

Le Trou du Diable

We returned here one evening, Anita having missed out on our previous visit). Then a walk along the beaches watching the waves crash.

France 2010

Bretagnioles

A little seaside town south of S-G-C-D-V where Anita and I escaped one afternoon for a cuppa while the kids were at a group!

The Journey Home

Having had two glorious weeks is was time to return back to the UK, but we made the most of the journey visiting two places on route.

Fougére

Anita and I had first visited Fougére back in 1996 on route to our Holiday Gite near the Loire. It is a fabulous ruined castle with lots of ramparts to climb and towers to see.