Le Mans to L’Ile de Ré

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Driving day today. Due south or as much so as Bob could persuade Tina Tomtom to take us.

He instructed her that we didn’t want toll roads, motorways or even dualled N roads. She was a bit surprised at first but rose to the challenge and plotted us a straight line route through France with barely a major road in sight.

A very easy drive all the way (certainly for me as passenger !), along some pretty country roads, past fields full of nodding sunflowers and ripening corn, then vineyards as we approached the Loire valley.

The traffic was light being a Sunday and indeed as we drove through some of the towns we did wonder where everyone was as we saw very few people out and about. Must have been extended Sunday lunch time.

We crossed the Loire at Saumur but didn’t stop to visit as we’ve been there lots of times before. We gave a cheer once south of the river as we always say that the river marks the line across France where the weather improves and the temperature rises by 5 degrees.

Tina Tomtom did us proud. Some of the straightest roads we’ve ever driven along, making driving a pleasure as it so often is in France and we only used the motorway to get us to the Pont de Ré to cross to the island.



We headed straight for our chosen campsite, La Tour des Prises which is centrally located on the island, only to find it was “complet”. Not a surprise, this is a very popular holday destination especially for people like us who use Acsi discount in September to get super cheap rates at super campsites. A quick change of direction and we headed for Loix where we found a really lovely campsite and decided to stop here for the planned 3 days on the island.



I had a swim in the super pool. Almost fell out with a French man who for no reason at all decided he wanted my sunbed while I was swimming and moved my towel one bed along, throwing my phone on the floor in the process. Fortunately for him it landed on the plastic cover so no harm done.

While I was swimming, Bob sat in the sun relaxing and as he discovered later, unsuspectingly donating blood to a hungry family of mossies.



More than happy with the campsite. It has a shop and a bar and the bar served some very good frites to accompany our egg and beefburgers. We walked down to the sea after dinner, a rocky part of the coast but still lovely to stroll by the sea.





Campsite is (acsi) Flowers Camping Les Ilates. Super site with a lovely pool and excellent sanitaires.

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