Coastal France - Day 2 : Pen Hir Point and Les Sable de Olonne

Introduction

The second day we planned to hit the westerly coast closest to us and then drive down to Les Sable del Olone. We had picked Le Sable because we had been there on previous holidays to France when our children were much younger. But with years added to their lives I wanted them to sample the fun of the large waves hitting that part of France. You will see on the following blog post that the the waves hitting further south are even more impressive

The route is shown below it was obviously a long drive especially as we stopped off along the way

Pen Hir Point

Pen Hir point is a phenomenal place with lovely sea cliffs and views west across the Atlantic. Its also the place for old World War II forts and defence against attacks.

The area has a lot of amazing sea views as you can see above additionally there are beautiful carpet of heather that layer the landscape. You can walk around the encampment and then drive a little further up to Pen Hir Point and admire the sea views.

The area seems to have a lot of walking trails along the coast although we did not have the time to attempt any of them but they are likely to reward those who do with uplifting views of the Atlantic.

Les Sable d'Ollone  

We had first driven to Les Sable D'Olonne in 2005 when our kids were in under five years old. At that time it was largely me who experienced the fun of body boarding for what seemed like days on end, this time I wanted my now 17/14 year olds to do the same.

The water at Les Sable is warm (once you get used to it) and the waves just keep coming in. The beach is golden sand and has a gentle slope so its easy and the waves that hit the shore are fantastic with water at waist height.

The beach is a fantastically flat and the seafront is pedestrianised in the evening with band and lots going on. There is also a interesting market one end of the beach selling tinkets and the usual artisan things you would find.

Dont let the quiet water of the bay shown above fool you during certain points during the day the waves keep piping onto the beach. We spent two days in Les Sable simply to enjoy the beach and body boarding. Be warned that the weather does work its magic in Les Sable its often foggy/misty/miserable in the morning but the sky and beach come to life after mid day due primarily to the change in tides. So ask at your hotel for the local knowledge