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 in the Marennes basin
From Brittany, along the Atlantic coast, to the Basque coast, the Vélodyssée is one of France's best-known cycle routes, with its diversity of landscapes. Get on your bikes and set off on a 1200km cycle tour, with the ocean as a backdrop. In Charente-Maritime, the route stretches from Marans to Royan, along a 150km itinerary. Through the Marennes basin, you can choose between 2 stages on France's longest cycle route:
Rochefort - Marennes: 37.86 km - approx. 2 h 30 :
https://www.lavelodyssee.com/itineraire/rochefort-marennes
Marennes - Royan: 45.39 km - approx. 3h00 :
https://www.lavelodyssee.com/itineraire/marennes-royan
Take advantage of these 2 routes to discover the history and rich heritage of the Marennes basin: The citadel of Brouage, part of the "Plus beaux villages de France" network, Marennes and its bell tower for a unique panorama of the oyster estuary, Le Moulin de Loges in St-Just-Luzac, one of Europe's last remaining tide mills, and last but not least, Fort Louvois, a 17th-century maritime fortification built under the orders of Louvois on a rock submerged at high tide at the foot of the Oléron Island bridge.