The Vendée

We chose to holiday in the Vendée last year, 2010. We had decided to move further south from Brittany which we loved, in search of just a little more sunshine for our summer holidays.

We had heard that the Vendee has a sort of micro-climate with as good a record for sun as the Cote d’Azur. We were certainly granted our wish as we arrived in the middle of a heatwave which lasted most of our holidays.

We had decided to stay at the “La Garangeoire” campsite which is situated in the green countryside 15 minutes drive inland from the popular tourist coastline of the Vendée. 


The Vendee is famous for its 140 km of excellent wide beaches and its popular tourist resorts. 

However as we ventured out on walks from our campsite and further afield in the Vendée by car, we began to learn some of the fascinating history of this region, much of which was unknown even to French people growing up in the region until a few years ago when the history was re-discovered and stories which had been hidden were passed on to a new generation.

The "Vendée" is named after the river which runs through the south-east of the département. The area today called the Vendée was originally known as the “Bas-Poitou” and is part of the former province of Poitou. The River Vendee crosses the forest of Mervent then flows through the town of Fontenay-le-Comte, the old capital of “Bas Poitou”. Napolean changed the region to be called the Vendée after the French Revolution of 1789 and he decided that the capital should become La Roche-sur-Yon from where his soldiers could control the Vendéans more easily. The river meanders on through the marshes to meet the Sevre Niortaise, and turns west to meet the sea in bay of l'Aiguillon.

The main seaside resorts of the area are St-Jean-de-Monts, St-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, Les Sables-d'Olonne and La Tranche-sur-Mer.

Visitors to the area will love the excellent historical theme park at Le Puy du Fou near Les Epesses,

in the east of the Vendée, with its five fantastic shows during the daytime “Grand Parc”, which is packed with fun for all ages, including a Roman amphitheatre with chariot races and gladiators, falconry displays and recreated villages from several different periods of history or you can go along to the breath-taking night-time son-et-lumière spectacle, known as the Cinéscénie.

Visitors to the Vendée can also enjoy are a day on the tranquil waterways of the Marais Poitevin, or Venise Verte ("Green Venice"), in South East Vendée. You can hire boats and punts to explore this area in the villages of Velluire, Vix, Damvix and Maillezais. Maillezais also offers a good restaurant next to the boat hire as well as the ruined abbey to visit.

There are also some lovely islands to visit off the Vendéen coast, all with a different character. You can journey across the incredible causeway that links the island of Noirmoutier (north-west of the Vendée) to the mainland at low tide or visit the popular Il de Ré which is reached by bridge from La Rochelle, or by boat from some of the coastal resorts.

It has a charming port at St Martin-sur-Re (see photograph to the left), beaches, restaurants, lighthouse to visit and is well known for its many cycle routes in the salt-marshes.

The history of the Vendee goes right back to prehistory with various ancient burial stones etc. The Romans then settled in the area and in fact there was an old roman road going through our campsite at La Garangeoire.

In the south-east corner of the Vendee, the village of Nieul-sur-l'Autise is believed to be the birthplace of Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204) and was part of her kingdom. Eleanor's son, Richard I of England (the Lionheart) often had his base in Talmont. The Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) turned much of the Vendée into a battleground.

There were a considerable number of influential Protestants in the Vendee and the region was greatly affected by the French Wars of Religion which broke out in 1562 and continued until 1598. Eventually King Henri IV issued the Edict of Nantes and the Wars came to an end. The revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 caused many Huguenots (French Protestants) to flee from the Vendée.

Moving to slightly more recent times, the main period of French history which you may be familiar with is the French Revolution. If you are a bit sketchy about your history like me then what you might know of the French Revolution was that the peasants revolted against the upper classes. Louis VI and Marie Antoinette were the rulers at the time. The country fell into the hands of the Emperor Napoleon and from that era we have the saying of France “Liberté, Egalité and Fraternité” (Freedom, Equality and Brotherhood).

There is much to discover about the history of the Vendée and in fact there is a display at the Puy du Fou theme park showing this era. In fact many locals are only now discovering about their history, a history which was not taught to them at school and they are discovering more about the 100,000s of Vendeens who were massacred at that time.

Here is a short version of my understanding of the history which I have gathered and which I must emphasise could well be inaccurate but I hope might at least help you to begin to understand this area’s history (Any improvements or comments gratefully received !) :

At that time, class differences were not as great in the Vendée as in Paris or in other French provinces. In rural Vendée, the local nobility seems to have been less bitterly resented than in other parts of France. Many people in this area of France also had a strong adherence to their Catholic faith.
The Vendéen peasants initially fought on the side of the revolutionaries but they resented the changes imposed on the Roman Catholic Church by the Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790) and eventually broke into open revolt in defiance of Napoleon’s Revolutionary Government's military conscription requiring Vendéans to fill their district's quota of 300,000 in March 1793 as they wanted and needed to return to their farms to continue their labours The populace took up arms as "The Catholic Army", "Royal" being added later, and fought for "above all the reopening of their parish churches with their former priests. This guerrilla war, known as the Revolt in the Vendée was led at the outset by an underground faction called the Chouans (tawny owls).

However Napoleon finally got wind of this and sent his forces to sort it out. Initially the Vendéens had the upper hand as they were familiar with their land and the twisty lanes and high hedges. They also used the windmills which were throughout the area to send signals from village to village. The windmill sails were used to send signals across the countryside by being set either vertically or horizontally meaning either safe or watch out troops coming. However, eventually Napoleon sent his forces in columns through the land, burning and pillaging as they went. Many were killed and captured and to this day the Vendéen countryside bears the scars with low population and very few old houses remaining from those times. Examples were made of the people and thousands were taken to Paris and thrown in the Seine. The people had managed through this to try and hide their priests and this is tied into the history of this time. By the end of 1796, more than 100,000 Vendeens had been killed. Much of this history can be viewed in displays at the excellent Puy du Fou historical theme park.

In the 19th Century, the wild coastline of the Vendée was tamed when pine forests and grassland were planted to stabilise the sand dunes and with the rise in popularity of sea bathing, holidaymakers began to come to the Vendée. With the arrival of the railway in 1936, the popularity of the Vendée as a tourist destination was beginning to increase !

There is some history of fishing at St Gilles Croix de Vie, where sardines were a popular catch. The “label rouge” sardines from St Gilles Croix de Vie, fish from Les Sables d’Olonne and eels from the nearby marshes are all served in all the best restaurants along the coast. You can find out about the fishermen from Morroco who lived here and brought their talent for fishing to the area. Apart from this, the Vendeen people did not have a great history of fishing, and tended to see the sea more as a threat with the constantly shifting dunes.

You will also see the Vendée-Atlantique oyster being produced in oyster beds all along the coastline and particularly in the Baie de l’Aiguillon and also on the Il de Ré.

Another industry you will see in the Vendée makes use of the extensive salt marshes to harvest salt. The Vendée was once the Western world’s main salt storehouses.

Salt was a valuable commodity in times pre-electricity when it could be used as a preservative for meats. Salt from Brittany and the Vendee were traded as a commodity. Nowadays salt production still carries on at Les Jardins des Salines in the north of Les Sables d’Olonnes. The skills have been passed down through the generations. The marshes and salt flats are cleaned out over the winter and then early in the year the sea water is brought in. The water then evaporates with the higher temperatures of the summer and salt crystallises out and can be harvested. The clays of the soils give rise to some trace elements in the salts and give the salt its distinctive grey colouration. However the most prized salt is that which crystallises on the top and is called the “fleur de sel”. You can go on boat trips to see what is going on. These marshes are also home to some wonderful birds and there are bird sanctuaries and the area is very popular with ornithologists.

The Vendée also manages to produce some very fine wines from the sandy soil which can be very hard to dig. However the long days of sunshine lead to wonderfully ripe berries and some lovely wines. In 1984 they were given the appellation “Fiefs Vendéen”, which covers red, white and rose wines which have been produced in the region since roman times. The wines are produced today from a variety of grapes which are suited to the locals soil and ground and the relatively cool maritime climate.

The reds are made predominantly from Gamay and Pinot Noir, complemented by Cabernet and Negrette grapes. The whites are made from Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. The appellation is broken down into four sub-zones named after villages at their centre : Brem, Mareuil, Pissotte and Vix. None of these villages are further than 20 miles from the Atlantic coast and the climate plays a big part in the style of these wines, which are generally slightly lower in alcohol and sweetness, but fresh, crisp and with noticeable acidity. We enjoyed trying some of the red wines last year and the shop at “La Garangeoire” stocked some good examples, including some Fief Vendeen wines. I also brought one home to keep for Christmas - to get a reminder of sunny Vendee in the middle of our British winter !

Since 1989, the famous Vendée Globe round the world yacht race has set off every 4 years from Les Sables d’Olonne.

So if this all appeals to you then why not think of visiting the Vendée next year.
I can recommend three campsites in the area, all with very different characters.
To the north, on the coast at St Jean de Monts you will find the busy campsite of Le Clarys Plage right in the heart of one of the main tourist areas. Inland in the quiet of the lush green countryside yet only 15 minutes drive from the coast is La Garangeoire where we stayed. And if you would like to be based in the Southern Vendée then Bel campsite at La Tranche Sur Mer is a lovely base, near the beach and is ideal as well if you have a young family.


Go Back to Best French Campsites

Learning French

If you hated learning a foreign language at school, don't despair !  There are some fabulous online resources which make learning fun and you can find something to suit you, whatever level your language learning is at. And, these resources are all free ! 

We have picked out a few of our favourites here but if you find any others to recommend please let us know - you can comment here.

There are some great websites and in some you can even listen to how the phrase should sound ! RFI from French TV channel TV5monde is a great site aimed at presenting the French news for those learning French - there are exercises to try. It would be ideal for school learners as well as those trying to learn French for holidays or business :

http://www.rfi.fr/lffr/statiques/accueil_apprendre.asp

The BBC Language resources are also very extensive and offer something for every standard of learner !
If you really only want to get away with the absolute minimum of French then here are the 10 essential phrases to make life go just a little more smoothly while abroad ! You can even listen to how they should sound.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/quickfix/

Ski phrases - 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/quickfix/ski.shtml

Beach phrases - 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/quickfix/summer.shtml

Rugby phrases even from RFi ! http://www.rfi.fr/lffr//images/141/FP_regles_rugby.pdf

And then there are online dictionaries too which offer all sorts of help and you can listen to the words and phrases here too !

Larousse - http://www.larousse.com/en/dictionaries/french
Collins French English dictionary - http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english-french

For Children and Primary School learners (or those who want to keep things fairly simple !) the BBC Primary languages resources are fun - with games included ! You just dont realise you are learning ! http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primarylanguages/

Go Back to Best French Campsites

Camping in Northern Western Brittany

We had a recent camping holiday in the North Western area of Brittany - the area is called Finistère (Finis - Terre - or "end of the world"). Just like Lands End in Cornwall ! 

It is an area of coves and inlets and lovely white beaches. We had chosen to go to this area as it was our first expedition to France with our dog and we didnt want to take her to an area where temperatures would be too high. Mind you with Summer 2012 I think we would have been safe to go anywhere ! We had visited this area in the past and were looking forward to exploring it again. In fact we didn't travel very far and enjoyed numerous dog walks and coastal walks around Carantec, Roscoff and on the Ile de Batz and Ile Caillot.

Carantec
Carantec has at least two lovely sandy beaches including the Plage du Kelenn main beach, which has some pizza/creperie restaurants overlooqking it. if the tide is in, and you are brave enough then you can dive in from the diving board into the clear blue sea.

You can also hire a beach hut, something I have always wanted to do !  There is a sailing school, which runs classes in a weekly basis during the main French school holiday period, early July to late August. Children can learn to sail a dinghy or a catamaran. If you want to take advantage of this, it is probably better to book in advance as it can get booked up for certain weeks.  A market takes place in Carantec each Thursday morning and has some excellent local produce from the local organic farm as well as some great fish and shellfish that has been caught locally. To get around during the French school holidays (early July and August), a free bus service runs in the town.

A campsite we recommend in this area is Les Mouettes : www.bestfrenchcampsites.com/carantec.carantec.html

The GR34 coastal walk goes around the Carantec coast, along the cliffs, past the beaches and beautiful holiday houses and then on past the oyster farms and the Prat Ar-Coum oyster and seafood sellers.

Ile Caillot
A more adventurous day out from Carantec is to make the crossing to Ile Caillot, an island which is cut off by the tide except for two to three hours at low tide.  The causeway at Low tide is shown in this photograph :

Ile Caillot has a small chapel and some lovely beaches. However if you are going to make the crossing please ensure you have the tide times or preferably go on an organised walk ! The tide times are displayed at the start of the causeway.

Roscoff
The granite walls of Roscoff have stood here for centuries, welcoming seafarers. It was at this port that the young Marie Stuart arrived at the age of 6 to become Queen of Scotland and France. You may recognise her more commonly as " Mary Queen of Scots"! We ate in the lovely Marie Stuart restaurant, which you will find near the seafront.  The fishing harbour is backed by some streets with lovely shops and restaurants. You can take a ferry to the lovely Island of Ile de batz. The main ferry port for the Brittany ferries ships is set slightly round from the fishing port and pier at the more modern ferry terminal and the new marina that opened in 2012.

Ile de Batz
Take the ferry to this island from Roscoff. The island has some lovely beaches, houses and farms where you will see onions growing and the potatoes which are hand picked in the fields. The ferry service runs half hourly during the summer months and you can hire a bike once you are on the island. There are some creperies and cafes on the island. The ferry takes dogs.

Morlaix
About five miles from the open sea, at the head of the winding river Morlaix, you will find the ancient, medieval town of Morlaix, which is dominated by the high and dramatic viaduct which arches over the town.. It has a marina that is in a locked basin. There are cobbled streets, boats and yachts, numerous shops, half timbered houses, cafes etc. which all make an interesting day out. You can walk over the viaduct (not right along the top, about half way up there is a perfectly safe walkway). Our favourite shop here is the patisserie which we found listed in the petit fute.

St Pol de Leon
This is a very nice town based around the cathedral. Our favourite shop here is the bookshop "Livres in Room" which has a good selection of books, as well as a small section of English books. However,what sets it apart from a normal bookshop is the lovely Salon de the serving all sorts of teas, (coffees, chocolate and juice too!) as well as lovely cakes and flans. You can sit out in the tea garden as well.

Voies vertes
There is a voie verte green cycle route which runs between Morlaix and Roscoff. It is part of a wider network of routes. However, the section which can be joined fairly near the Les Mouettes campsite and runs to Roscoff (about 11 miles ?) is apparently off road on an old railway route. The weather was too wet the day we planned to try this. However we had seen the sign for it at the road very near to the entrance to a campsite and a shop selling local produce. However please take care as this is a very fast road to cross. From Morlaix, you can join the route if you park the car adjacent to the yacht marina/harbour and you wil see signs to join the route about 500metres downriver from the viaduct.

Go Back to Best French Campsites

Paws in France - taking a dog to France

We are just back from a camping holiday in Brittany in France and this time we took our dog with us!  It all went pretty smoothly!  Although, I must admit there was more planning went into making sure we had the dog organised than there was for making sure the rest of us were organised !  However it all went well and we enjoyed our holiday.

We had booked a fast ferry sailing from Poole on the South coast of England. As it was an early morning sailing involving a 6am check-in, we decided to stay overnight in Poole. We couldn't stay at our usual (budget family travel !) hotel, the lovely Holes Bay Premier Inn as they don't take dogs. However we found another couple of options, the Thistle Hotel and the Salterns Hotel. We chose to stay at the Salterns Hotel and it was a great choice. Here is the view from the room :

We had to leave the hotel at 5.30 to get to the ferry on time but look at this fabulous Continental breakfast which was delivered to our room. What a great start to a day !

We had decided to travel by the Brittany Ferries/Condor Ferries crossing from Poole to Cherbourg as it is a Fast Ferry crossing of round about 2.5 hours. (It also has a very nice gift shop on board with lots of lovely perfumes !!) 

Our Pet Passport was checked along with our own and the microchip was read with a microchip reader at this stage. They then placed a "Pet on Board" sign on our windscreen. I had read beforehand that we would be placed together with other pet carrying cars in a ventilated area and in theory if it is a smooth crossing they might agree to accompany you down to check your pet. However on both journeys we made I cant say I noticed us being treated any differently to other cars. We left all our windows open a couple of inches to ventilate the car, and certainly we werent crossing on warm days and the car was sitting in a shaded spot. Both our crossings were slightly "wavy" and as all the staff seeemed pretty busy, we didn't actually ask to go to check her. (although as I will explain our return crossing ended up longer than expected)

Anyway, the outward crossing went well and she was perfectly happy when we returned to the car.

We then journeyed to our campsite Book a Holiday at Les Mouettes Campsite with Eurocampat Carantec in Brittany (this is an affiliate marketing link).
En route (that's French !) we were able to stop at some motorway "stopover aires" - open spaces with toilet areas and grassy picnic areas - ideal for a quick dog exercise and toilet stop.

Here she is settled in at the campsite !

The campsite was pretty good for dogs - we had chosen to have decking at our mobile home and we had requested a stair gate which we were able to put across the entrance to the decking. We had asked to be put in a fairly out of the way spot to avoid too many passing people. 

Dogs are not generally allowed on tourist beaches in France, but near this campsite there was a small beach and country road area and as it wasn't apparently classed officially as a proper "tourist" beach then dogs could be exercised on it. Obviously we took her to the far end well away from holidaymakers at the end nearer the campsite. However this walk made a nice end to the evening each day. And on the campsite itself, dogs were made welcome. She was able to sit with us in the bar or on the terrace. She was well behaved and sat quietly. There were a few other dogs on the campsite and we met those as well, including two lovely French Shetland Sheepdogs - 3 year old Nina and her 1 year old toyboy husband !
We were even able to take her into a restaurant in nearby Roscoff at one point - the excellent Marie Stuart Restaurant in Roscoff (named after Mary Queen of Scotland and France who left from Roscoff as a young girl).  I don't know how widespread this would be but certainly when the weather is sunny there should be no problem sitting in pavement cafes.

There were plenty of walks around Carantec. There is a coastal path which goes right around the town and in fact the whole peninsula and this offers some lovely views. On another day we took the short ferry crossing from Roscoff to Ile de Batz and again that is great for walking dogs.

If you enjoy cycling with your dog, there is a stretch of Voie Verte green cycle route not far from the campsite which takes you into Roscoff (about 11 miles) - I believe it is off-road but as the weather was too mixed when we were on holiday we never got round to trying this.

A Pet Passport requirement is that you must visit the vet between 1 and 5 days before you return to the UK. The vet must give them a tapeworm worming tablet. We had booked beforehand with the Feydy Veterinary Practise in St Pol du Leon, about 5 miles from Les Mouettes campsite. She was given a Milbemax worming tablet, the microchip was scanned and the Pet Passport was stamped. We found them to be a very nice vets practise. Thanks to them !

The only problem in our whole holiday planning came from the fact that we got a message half way through the holiday to say that our return ferry trip had been cancelled due to technical difficulties. Brittany Ferries thankfully moved us to the only other possible crossing from Normandy on the day we were due to travel, which was the other fast ferry crossing from Caen (Ouistreham) to Portsmouth.

Our final campsite stop was at the lovely Chateaux Lez Eaux campsite near St Pair Sur Mer in Normandy (this is an affiliate marketing link). Chateaux Lez Eaux is a lovely campsite in spacious, green grounds. There was an area where they said we could exercise the dog and also the long driveway was fine for a quick morning walk.  We were able to take her into the bar that evening, when there was an excellent Celtic band playing music from the lands of the Celts - Brittany, Ireland, Cornwall, Wales and Scotland.  Great fun ! The Bar is very nice - cosy and snug. With the weather we had that evening (early summer? 2012), we could have been in the Highlands of Scotland ! 

From Chateaux Les Eaux it is approximately an hours drive to either Caen or Cherbourg Ferry terminals. We had been changed to the Caen (Ouistreham) crossing with the Normandie Express ferry. The crossing was due to be a 3.5 hour crossing but due to the weather, it ended up as a 4 and a quarter hour crossing. So that was definitely the upper limit of how long our dog could possibly spend in a car. However I must admit she had had a good spot of exercise beforehand as we walked her just near the end of the beach at Ouistreham - just round from the ferry terminus, and she had also got out while we were waiting for the ferry so she had had chances to stretch her legs before the trip.

Here is a sign from the Ouistreham beach, this sign says the beach (la plage) does not allow our doggy friends (est interdite a nos amis les chiens) even if they are on leads ! (meme tenus en laisse) - except on the small eastern area of the beach (la partie EST)

We made sure she would be comfortable in the car by leaving plenty of water on board and we didn't feed her beforehand just in case she was sick on the crossing. This worked fine for us as she is not normally fed until lunchtime anyway so her meal was just a little later than normal. In fact she was fine when we returned to the car and didnt seem to mind the crossing - unlike a few other members of our party ! We discovered why these fast ferry crossings have the rather unpleasant nickname "Vomit Comets!"

So overall, it was a successful and enjoyable holiday. For crossing the channel, the simplest option to consider must be the Eurotunnel Le Shuttle service which is only 35 minutes and you can keep your dog with you in your car.

Or take a Dover to Calais crossing which would be a shorter time. However those of us travelling from Scotland, West or SW of England or North of England will probably still find the Poole to Cherbourg crossing to be a good option.

So, overall would we do this again - the answer is YES ! and finally of the two teenagers and one other child and the dog who we had on the trip - who do you think was the easiest to entertain and best behaved ? - yes you got it in one ! - THE DOG !!

Here is an interesting book you might like to try :

Go Back to Best French Campsites

Camping near Blue Flag Beaches in France

Our favourite beach near Nevez which has won again !

The blue flag eco-labelled beach awards have been announced for 2012.

The awards are voluntary but winning beaches are found to have :

• quality bathing waters,
• good waste management, and have,
• made efforts with environmental protection as well as environmental education. 

 Winning Beaches can fly the recognisable blue pendant flag during the summer. 

In France, 377 beaches and 87 marinas have gained an award this year, with 15 new winning beaches this year. New awards have gone to 8 beaches on the Atlantic Coast and one on the English Channel.

Languedoc-Roussillon is still at the top of the labeled regions with 28 communities winning awards, followed by Cote d'Azur with 19, Pays de Loire with 15 and Basse-Normandie  with 15.

Some beaches which were commended for gaining awards for a continuous 25 years are : "Le Grand-Village-Plage" (Charente-Maritime), "Villeneuve-les-Maguelone" (Hérault), "Argelès" (Eastern Pyrenees) and "La Londe-les-Maures" (Var). We have campsites near Argelès on the Mediterranean listed at http://www.bestfrenchcampsites.com

To gain a blue flag award, bathing waters should be found to be classified as "Excellent" when tested at least five times over the season. The results should be displayed on the beaches.

You can check the beaches in France that have won awards at :
http://www.blueflag.org/Menu/Awarded+sites/2011/Northern+Hemisphere/France

Go Back to Best French Campsites

Blue Green Algae - What are the Dangers ?

Excessive blue green algae has been a problem in various coastal and river estuary areas of France for a number of years.  Although the algae is harmless while at sea, the danger is from the hydrogen sulphide gas that is given off by the algae as they decompose when they form in large quantities and when they end up out of the water and decaying on the beach.

So far this year there have been deaths of 30 wild boar in an estuary in Brittany (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14324094) and (http://www.francesoir.fr/actualite/scienceecologie/algues-vertes-mysterieuse-hecatombe-sangliers-bretons-122622.html) and this month the deaths of two dogs on the Tarn River in the Lozère region in the South of France (http://www.francesoir.fr/actualite/faits-divers/tarn-baignade-mortelle-pour-chiens-124642.html).

Blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) are natural inhabitants of many inland waters, estuaries and the sea. In fresh waters, they are found in suspension and attached to rocks at the bottom of shallow water and along the edges of lakes and rivers.  In small numbers they are important and useful parts of the aquatic ecosystem. They convert energy from sunlight into chemically useful forms, liberate oxygen into the water, take up minerals and produce substances which enter and support food chains.

Like other floating plants, blue-green algae need nutrients to grow, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus. If the water is enriched with nitrogen and phosphorus, for example from excess farm fertilisers ending up in the water and if there is also enough sunlight , a suitable water temperature and the water flow is not too hight then the numbers of blue-green algae can become excessive. Such extensive growths are sometimes referred to as BLOOMS.

Such algal blooms sometimes cause foaming on the shore-line and during calm weather they can form a SCUM. They may also use up so much of the oxygen in the water that this can be a problem for fish.
Depending on the exact species involved, scums may appear blue-green, grey-green, greenish-brown or occasionally reddish-brown.

All blue-green algae contain blue pigment in addition to green chlorophyll pigment, although the blue colouration cannot normally be seen in the living cells.  However, when blooms and scums decay, the pigments are released and a bright blue appearance may persist for days or weeks.

Blue-green algal scums can form quickly on calm days, but can be dispersed rapidly if wind and wave action increases. For reasons which are not yet fully understood, bloom and scum forming blue-green algae in freshwaters, brackish water and seawater are capable of producing TOXINS. These toxins have caused the death of wild animals, farm livestock and domestic pets in many countries.  In humans, rashes have occurred following skin contact, and illnesses have occurred when blue-green algae have been swallowed. Blue-green algal blooms and scums are not always toxic but it is not possible to tell from its appearance whether or not a bloom or scum is harmful. It has been estimated that 50% of blooms could be toxic. Waterusers, particularly children, farmers and pet-owners should treat all blue-green algal blooms and scums with caution.

A massive beach cleaning effort operates on many beaches in the Brittany area and in some places it takes up a third of a town's budget just to clear this stuff. The men or women who operate the machines wear gas monitors at all times and if these alert the to high gas levels they have to stop work. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14182135) It is a problem which towns do not want to shout too much about in case this would then affect the tourist trade, but there were recent calls for the French national government to help to tackle the problem.

Excessive nitrates used as fertilisers by farmers are blamed as these run off the fields and into water courses. The algae then feed on these nutrients. A solution may be a move to more organic or natural farming methods eg a return to leaving fields for a year of fallow with clover grown to add nutirents to the soil perhaps ? Raised water temperatures perhaps from global warming may also be an additional factor.

Could children be in danger ? Well yes, possibly, as small children are the same size as some of the dogs who have died. So it is important to take note of any warning signs and maybe avoid areas with excessive seaweed or algae unless you know how to identify the dangerous types. In the Lozère area they have recommended that the smallest children do not bathe in the area where the dogs died in the Tarn river. More information should be available in the locality where you are holidaying. However lets hope this problem gets sorted out soon !

NEWS UPDATE - 10th August 2011 - The French Minister for Ecology, Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, has ordered the closure of all beaches with green algae, which cant be cleaned within 24 hours.
http://www.francesoir.fr/actualite/scienceecologie/algues-vertes-des-plages-vont-fermer-126148.html
http://www.francesoir.fr/actualite/scienceecologie/algues-vertes-il-faut-interdire-l-acces-aux-plages-125884.html

Have you come across any algae while on holiday or did you come across warnng notices ? Let us know what your experiences were and would it make you avoid holidaying in certain areas ?
For further information about algae : http://www.pawsonthelevels.org.uk/public/for_info-blue_green_algae%5B1%5D.pdf

Go Back to Best French Campsites

Wild Camping - UK, France and Europe

This article summarises the laws about wild camping in the UK, France and the rest of Europe.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2010/may/15/wild-camping-europe-uk-legalities 

So if you dont want to camp with everyone else in a campsite and want to "get away from it all" for a while then this has some great advice. I havent tried wild camping yet - I like a few camping luxuries like running water! But I have certainly seen some lovely spots in Scotland where I would love to camp. I think this would also be much easier if you have a smallish tent which we dont.

Go Back to Best French Campsites

What Do the Beaches Look Like in that Area ?

To check out what the beaches are like in the area where you are planning your French holiday, have a look at this site :
http://www.maplage.fr/

You can also upload your own images of beaches. More photographs are being added all the time ! I dont think they have a link yet to Tahiti Plage at Nevez though which is the fantastic beach near our holiday last year and which can bee seen in this photo. It has to be one of the best we have seen in France. (Campsites nearby include Les Deux Fontaines and Raguenes Plage, which can be booked via Keycamp and/or Eurocamp) :

Go Back to Best French Campsites

Blue Flag Beaches in France

Here is a link to a list of the blue flag beaches in France. The blue flag is awarded based on :

• water quality,
• information displayed,
• cleanliness of the beach,
• toilet facilities etc
• in addition there must be some environmental education linked to the beach.

It does surprise me to see that some of my favourite beaches aren't listed. Also, some of the supposedly "great beaches for young children" aren't listed which is disappointing.

If you haven't decided which campsite to stay at yet the list of blue flagged beaches might help you. http://www.blueflag.org/Menu/Awarded+sites/2011/Northern+Hemisphere/France

What do you think about the beaches listed ? Have you found a beach which seemed really nice or one that wasn't so great ? We were slightly disappointed with the beaches at Trinite Sur Mer last year. I was a bit suspicious about the amount of green seaweed which had to be removed all the time in the early mornings - I wondered if this might be a sign of pollution and the water wasn't always all that clear. The only place that has so far tempted me in for a swim was the beach at the St Cast le Chatelet campsite on the north of the Brittany coast.

Another useful site that I have found to check water quality is http://baignades.sante.gouv.fr/editorial/en/accueil.html which allows you to search for water quality results at any of the beaches which have been tested. It's a slightly tricky site to use but its possible to get right down to some quite detailed information allowing you to check out the beaches before you book your holiday !

Go Back to Best French Campsites