Cycling
The Iled'Oléron and the Marennes basin boast almost 160 kms of cycle routes. Through marshes, forests and along the seafront, these trails allow you to appreciate the diversity of the landscape at your own pace . To help guide you and facilitate your two-wheeled journeys, the cycling network is equipped with informative and directional signage.
160 kms of cycle routes...
Discovering Oléron couldn't be easier: all you have to do is get on your bike and take one of the many trails that dot the island. At your own pace, you can explore the marshes and forests. For the most courageous, the current network allows you to cross the whole island and, once you've reached the Chassiron lighthouse in the far north, to take a leisurely ride down the west coast to watch the Atlantic waves roll in.
Cycling around Oleron also means choosing peace and quiet, and respecting nature. If you're feeling peckish, don't worry, there are plenty of picnic areas along the marked trails.
With very little relief, these cycling routes are accessible to the whole family. There are also numerous routes recommended for cyclists. In short, the Ile d'Oléron and the Marennes basin boast a very extensive cycling network accessible to all. And it's a network that's growing by leaps and bounds every year, much to our delight.
Loopi to prepare your bike trips
Calculate your cycling itinerary in Marennes Oléron and let Loopi be your guide. The principle is simple: whether it's roads, cycle paths or tracks, Loopi suggests themost suitable itinerary for bikes from point A to point B. Available for both computers and smartphones (Android), the application can also suggest a number of themed routes to take around the region, for half a day.
The Accueil Vélo scheme
Don’t forget to stop off with one of our Accueil Vélo scheme partners! Tourist offices, leisure facilities, bicycle hire/repair shops and accommodation service providers will provide you with a warm welcome and services tailored to you during your cycle road trip – not to mention cycle-friendly services and equipment (e.g.: repair kit, use of bicycle shelters...). This scheme makes it easy to identify participants – and all within less than 5 km of the Vélodyssée long-distance cycle route.
The Vélodyssée long-distance cycle route in the bassin de Marennes
From Brittany, running along the Atlantic seaboard as far as the French Basque coast, the Vélodyssée is one of France’s best-known long-distance cycle routes, especially for the variety of the landscapes through which it travels. Take to your saddles and set off for a cycle road trip that’s more than 1,200 km-long, with the ocean as your backdrop. In Charente-Maritime its route takes in Marans to Royan, a route some 150 km-long. As you go through the bassin de Marennes area, you can choose from 2 different stages on France’s longest cycle route:
Rochefort - Marennes: 37.86 km – approx. 2 hours 30 minutes : https://www.cycling-lavelodyssee.com/cycle-route/rochefort-marennes
Marennes - Royan: 45.39 km – approx. 3 hours : https://www.cycling-l avelodyssee.com/cycle-route/marennes-royan
These 2 routes will allow you to unearth the history and rich heritage of the bassin de Marennes: the citadel of Brouage, a member of the “Plus beaux villages de France” (‘most beautiful villages of France’) scheme; Marennes with its church tower which offers incredible views over the estuary and its oyster farms; the Moulin de Loges in St-Just-Luzac (one of the last tide mills in Europe); and lastly, Fort Louvois, a 17th century coastal fortification built on the orders of Monsieur de Louvois on a rock which is submerged at high-tide, located at the foot of the bridge to the île d'Oléron.