Paddle and kayak in Moutiers-en-Retz

Let's celebrate the arrival of summer by enjoying the ocean before welcoming our friends the vacationers!
Stopover in Moutiers-en-Retz
The seaside of Moutiers-en-Retz is actually an indentation of the Atlantic coast which forms the bay of Bourgneuf. Shallow, it is important to venture there at high tide because at high tide the landscape is occupied by a sedimentary zone. When the water recedes, it is impossible to navigate. The atmosphere changes: the lights then take on silvery colors on the vase. But back to our paddles!
 

Step 1 - Boarding from a slipway Starting from the Hermitage slipway or the Pré Vincent slipway, located a stone's throw away, embark at high tide in the bay of Bourgneuf, heading due south towards the Port du Collet.
Accessible all year round, both wedges are free!
From the beach, the maritime groynes of rock and wood sink into the Atlantic Ocean.

Want to know more about the history of Moutiers? Click here
 

Step 2 - Fisheries, sentinels of the ocean
That's it, you've found your rhythm... your arms spin on one side and the other of your boat, the sun accompanies you, caressing the waves.
We are fine, aren't we?
All you have to do is look to the left and admire our local heritage: the fisheries. These huts on stilts, standing on their large wooden legs, carry high the fishing net stretched at the end of its arches. It's a plaice! In a row, they give a sacred profile to the dune cord of the Collet which runs along them. There are more than thirty of them, they face Noirmoutier and turn their backs on the Marais de Lyarne (part of the Marais Breton Vendéen). The only place on the Jade Coast where the sand is white and fine (elsewhere, it is rather golden in color like brown sugar!)
 

If you open your eyes wide, you will come across turnstones, oystercatchers, plovers that live in this classified natural area.
In the early evening, the show takes on pink-orange hues, the atmosphere is peaceful and you are never really alone with this typical marsh fauna.

Don't miss the twin fisheries: a single pontoon but two cabins!
No, you're not seeing double !!
 

Step 3 - The small Chinese port
You leave the bay by taking Le Falleron. It provides access to the port of Collet, appreciated for its calm and its natural setting with changing colors. Boats moored to wooden pontoons and colorful huts make this site an atypical place. Always watch out for high tide so you can turn around and head back the way you came
 

Practical advice :
If you do not have your own paddle or kayak, here is the list of rental companies in our territory
Want to extend your getaway? Destination Pornic is teeming with ideas for visits and activities, restaurants, accommodation...