The Breton marshes, the Bay of Bourgneuf and the Passage du Gois: a day in nature from Bourgneuf-en-Retz
Behind the house, the Breton marshes and their canals; at the end of the bay, the Passage du Gois, a road that vanishes under the sea twice a day. A one-day itinerary through oyster harbours, birdlife and the island of Noirmoutier.
Start with the marshes, right behind the house
Bourgneuf-en-Retz sits where the Pays de Retz meets the Marais breton vendéen, a former gulf turned into a patchwork of canals, salt meadows and bourrines, the low thatched houses of the marsh. The quiet roads and cycle paths south of the town lead into it in minutes. Go early: herons, egrets, storks in season and, in winter, thousands of migrating birds. The Port du Collet, at the mouth of the Falleron, is the first stop, a small oyster harbour with its huts and flat-bottomed boats.
The oyster harbours of Bouin
Follow the bay south to Bouin, a former island of the marsh. Its harbours, Port des Brochets and Port du Bec, are lined with wooden footbridges and oyster huts; the Bay of Bourgneuf is one of the main oyster-growing areas of the Atlantic coast. Some producers sell directly at the huts. Bouin also has one of the marsh's remaining windmills.
The Passage du Gois
About half an hour from the house, the Passage du Gois is the reason many people come to the bay: a 4.1 km paved causeway between Beauvoir-sur-Mer and the island of Noirmoutier that is only above water for a few hours around low tide. Tall rescue posts mark the route for anyone caught by the rising sea. Check the crossing times (posted at both ends and online) and cross about an hour and a half either side of low water. At low tide the surrounding flats fill with shellfish gatherers.
Noirmoutier, if time allows
Once across, Noirmoutier-en-l'Île is twenty minutes further: the harbour town, its castle, the salt marshes and the Bois de la Chaise with its villas and pine-shaded beaches (Plage des Dames). You can return by the bridge whatever the tide.
The day at a glance
- Morning: marshes and Port du Collet by bike or car.
- Midday: Bouin's oyster harbours, a tasting at a producer's hut.
- Afternoon: the Gois at low tide, then Noirmoutier.
- Evening: back by the bridge; barbecue in the garden at La Maison du Bonheur.
Practical
- Never cross the Gois on a rising tide; the times are not a suggestion.
- Bring binoculars for the marsh and boots for the mud flats.
- Tide tables and Gois crossing times are available at the tourist offices of Pornic, Machecoul and Beauvoir-sur-Mer.
