Tues 12th Sept 2017
Following a stormy night we woke up this morning to beautiful sunshine, we decided to head to the far end of the island to visit a lighthouse – Phare de Chassiron. This lighthouse was built in 1836 and is 50m high, it takes 224 steps to get to the top and my knees knew about it when I emerged onto the viewing platform. But oh boy what wonderful views, it made the whole experience worth it.
We drove off the Ile de Oleron and 93 miles later we arrived here on the Ile de Re another large island connected to the mainland by a bridge which cost 4 euros to cross.
The Ile de Re is 18 miles long and quite narrow so you are never far from the sea. It is a very unspoiled uncommercialised island, with a very mediterranean feel. As it is very flat it is a mecca for cyclists, which is good for them but a pain in the bum for motorists trying to accommodate them. We have driven to the extreme end of the island to where the road runs out and we are parked in an aire 40 m from the beach, it is obviously a place where the mussels and oysters are harvested.
