I enjoyed a grand adventure in Vendée with
Summer France, May 15 – 18, 2018 and wrote a feature story for 50 Connect. Here it is!
Journalist Diane Priestley discovers cycling,
canoeing, horse riding, succulent oysters and delicious French cuisine and
asks: ”‘What’s not to love about a summer break in Vendée on the secluded west
coast of France?”
I could never have
imagined cycling for a solid two hours! To say I am not sporty is an
understatement. But these e-bikes are miraculous and even a novice cyclist can
master the pace and distance!
So here I am
gliding with ease along a scenic coastal track in Vendée, on the west coast of
France, where the famous Tour De France will start in just a few months in
July.
How exhilarating
to realise that more than 150 of the world’s best
road cyclists will follow this very same route after departing from Noirmoutier-en-l'Île in Vendée
for the 105th Le Tour de France. The Grand Depart will be a spectacular sight,
with hundreds of spectators supporting the 22 teams as they begin the gruelling
race of 3,329 km (2068 miles)!
But now in the
tranquil seclusion of this unspoilt haven, I’m with a group of new friends. We
are six enthusiastic UK journalists with our sweet Rosie from Heaven Publicity
and our delightful hosts, the all-girl dream team of Summer France; Joanna,
Gina and Lucy.
We arrived only
yesterday, on a quick flight from Gatwick to Nantes, to perfect May weather of
warm sunshine with a crisp breeze gentle on our stressed-out faces, as we left
our worries behind to embrace four days of exciting activities and the superb
French cuisine.
Comfortable and Spacious Villas
Our capable,
multi-skilled team leader, the lovely Joanna Laforge drove us to our impressive
villas, Le Domaine de Vertmarines in Saint Jean de Monts.
The comfortable
and spacious villas are ideal for an extended family holiday with grandparents,
parents and kids or groups of friends. The beautiful villa I shared with
Eleanor, a bright young journalist from Kent, boasted four bedrooms, a fully equipped
kitchen, a très chic dining room and huge comfy living room and private swimming
pool and garden!
Other villas are
designed to suit couples of all ages seeking romance and togetherness. These
charming French villas, 55 in total, truly offer a relaxed home away from home
where many loyal UK holidaymakers return every year.
Summer France has seven of these beautiful holiday
resorts in Vendée, where guests can soak up the excitement of the Tour de France
and the unique coastal attractions and enjoyable leisure activities.
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| Scrumptious breakfast in the beautiful villa |
These holidays are
ideal for people over 50 seeking active, healthy and good-value breaks just a
quick hop across the English Channel. And you can be sure of being pampered by
the helpful locals.
Every morning we indulged
in crunchy baguettes and delicious croissants and pastries fresh from the local
bakery and good coffee before heading off on our e-bikes, which can be hired
from the nearby cycle shop.
Bicycles, Horse, Canoes
The French do love
their bicycles and there are a myriad of safe, off-road cycling tracks in
picturesque Vendée, located in the Pays-de-la-Loire
region in west-central France, on the Atlantic Ocean.
Vendée
is home to sweeping sandy beaches, sparkling salt flats and fresh delicious
oysters. Because of its position in west-central France, it’s easy to reach;
less than 60 minutes’ drive from Nantes Atlantique Airport.
We also tried
horse riding and canoeing! Let me tell you all about these wonderful activities!
All of us put our
hands up as ‘eager beginners’ when it came to horse riding. So the skilful
horseman at Club Hippique du Havre de Vie saddled up the quietest, plodding
horses and made sure we were all firm in our stirrups for our gentle walk
through the tranquil forest. What a truly serene and enchanting way to see the wild
scrubland, breathe in the honeysuckle fragrance and commune with nature.
I adore horses so enjoyed
getting up close and personal with my sturdy Irish Grey who was very well
behaved and clearly knew the route with his eyes shut!
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| Plodding along in the tranquil forest |
Paddling my Own Canoe
As if the thrill
of horse riding wasn’t enough, that same day we experienced canoeing along La
Route du Sel, through the marshlands of Sallertaine, with our trusty leader,
the charming and handsome Luc.
I’ve tried
kayaking before, but now I can honestly say I prefer canoeing with a partner as
the two or more paddlers make a delightful, sociable activity. Well it was
sheer pleasure once I got the hang of steering and stopped crashing into the prickly
trees! (Sorry Rosie!)
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| The lovely Luc! |
Luc guided us
along the beautiful canals to the historic windmill, Moulin de Rairé, which has been milling flour since 1555.
The miller led us up through the fascinating inner workings of the windmill and
gave us an entertaining and enthralling talk, clearly passionate about keeping
the old mill alive and his traditional craft of producing high quality, artisan
flour.
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| Getting the hang of paddling! |
Delicious Cuisine
The French are
legendary for their delectable food, so artistically displayed on the plate,
and fine wine. The regional cuisine of Vendée is superb and prepared for guests
with love and great pride.
Vendée is renowned
for succulent, fresh oysters served straight from the sea and our group was
treated to a visit to the oyster farm, l’Huîtrière de Vendée. The farm produces
50 tonnes per year through a complex process of breeding, growing and
harvesting the sought-after molluscs in the surrounding seabeds.
After an
intriguing talk by our host David, we sat outdoors overlooking the harbour of
bobbing fishing boats and tucked into delicious fresh oysters with a light
fruity white wine. Just heavenly!
So Much Food!
Our generous
Summer France hosts lavished us with the very best of French cuisine at
carefully chosen restaurants for lunch, apértifs and dinner.
We sampled delicacies
at Le Comptoir Saint Jean on the esplanade followed by a sumptuous seafood
dinner at La Langoust’in.
After working up
an appetite cycling, our group savoured the region’s unique dark, thin and
crispy crepes called galettes, at the creperie, La Suite. Following the massive
savoury crepe oozing with scrumptious fillings, some hardy souls even managed
to devour an equally huge sweet crepe and freshly made ice cream for dessert!
One delightful
evening we enjoyed cocktails on the beach at sunset and then wandered to the
superb restaurant, Kerlouis for a sublime dinner. The chef even looked after me
as a vegetarian with a dainty compote of julienned veggies.
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| Our lovely hosts, Rosie and Jo |
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| Some of our group relaxing at sunset |
The final food
fling, with our bursting waistlines, was an exquisite three-course lunch at the
historic homestead of Restaurant La Quich Notte, where the charming hostess
served our rowdy group with pure panache.
The Summer France
dream team – Jo, Gina and Lucy – capped off our stay with a barbecue of prawns
and escargot, followed by a party in our villa on our final night. And before
flying out we made like the locals and cycled into the markets to buy fresh
produce for a delicious pool-side lunch, including my new favourite dip,
tapenade and scrumptious handmade cheeses.
What’s not to love
about a holiday in coastal Vendée, packed with fun activities, superb food and
wine and meeting the charming locals and making new friends?
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