Ilê d’Yeu, France in June 2014

In what has to be the greatest stretch of weather for western France in memory, we enjoyed four gorgeous days on the Ilê d’Yeu, a small island off the coast of Vendée, accessible from the port of Fromentine at the causeway for Ilê de Noirmoutier. Our trip started with an hour drive south along the Atlantic Coast to the ferry and a one-hour trip out to Ilê d’Yeu and the port at Port Joinville.  We wasted no time in renting bikes and a trailer for Catherine and within an hour of landing, had cycled to our AirBNB rental about 2 km from the port.

Though there are plenty of cars on the island, we decided with the weather and closeness of everything, that bicycles would be a great way to get around. We were absolutely right.

Pointe du But

We quickly stowed our bags and headed back down to the water just west of the port, found a supermarket to buy bread, meat and cheese, and enjoyed an excellent picnic of jambon cru on baguettes at the beach. This was the north shore of the island and the sand was course and the beach rocky and draped with seaweed, but still a great scene to soak in. After eating, we made our way west to the furthest point of the island Pointe du But. The sand was still course but the weather was beautiful and we enjoyed making our first of a few sand castles. There were a few jellyfish in the water, but they were easily avoided by anyone brave enough to swim in the very cold clear water.

Riding back to our rental was an easy thirty minutes along the mostly flat northern coastline. After a great meal of pasta with crème fraîche (simple and delicious), we watched a match of the 2014 World Cup and then went to bed, planning to check out the southern beaches the following day.

Plage de Vieilles

Day 2 started with our typical toast with butter and jelly and coffee. After stopping in Port Joinville for a lunch of galettes and crepes, we took the advice of Benjamin at the bike rental shop and crossed the center of the island, through the village of Saint-Sauveur (the only other sizeable town on the island), to the popular beach of Plage de Vieilles. This was a broad, flat beach with a very gentle slope into the water. There were a few jellyfish again but they didn’t seem to be a problem for the many people playing games and swimming. We found an excellent place in the shade of large rocks and spent several hours enjoying a world-class beach.

Evening dinner was pasta again, but this time with lots of melted morbier cheese and crème fraîche. We were in bed early and asleep quickly after a very full day of riding and playing on the beach.

Plage de Soux

For our last full day on the island, we took the advice of Joachim at the crepe restaurant in Port Joinville and made our way down shady, dirt roads that brought us to a much quieter and very pretty beach just west of yesterday’s. There was a narrow path through the scrub on a hill overlooking a series of coves, and then an easy path down the cliff to the beach itself. The sand was every bit as good as the previous day, but the water was deeper and the scenery more “Côte Sauvage,” the classic jagged, rocky shoreline of Brittany just to the north.  We moved more sand than seemed possible when we arrived to create a “pool” for Catherine and a series of sand castles. It was an excellent time again and we stayed late before cycling back to our place.

Ilê d’Yeu in a nutshell

This is an excellent small island for a getaway that isn’t touristy or expensive. Make sure to book your ferry ride in advance, as the two companies the operate out of Fromentine on the mainland have just a few trips per day. The islanders are reasonably friendly and there are rentals available on airBNB as well as other sites. The food is more expensive than the mainland but the restaurants in the harbor are great for atmosphere and food. We would definitely return to Ilê d’Yeu again and really enjoyed the fact that the island is small enough to go without a car. There are enough bicycles on the road that drivers are used to sharing, though some drive faster than they need to for the conditions and traffic.

For groceries, there are small shops but also a large Super U just west of Port Joinville. Bicycle rentals are plentiful, but be careful about the condition of the bike and/or the trailer (the first place tried to give us very old gear). This is a great getaway that is relatively easy to reach.