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We don't do hills. As a family of highly amateurish and raggedy cyclists, we wouldn't know American cycling ace Lance Armstrong if he hurtled straight into us. So for us the prospect of Ile de Re, with its network of dedicated cycle paths and flat topography, offered the ideal of a low-level activity holiday, with wine, oysters and beaches thrown in.
The allure of Ile de Re, sitting just off the coast of Poitou-Charentes in sight of La Rochelle, was already known to us. We had spent a long day trip on the island the year before and were quickly seduced by the beaches, the sunshine and the unspoilt feel of the place. Ile de Re is apparently to Parisians what the Hamptons are to upper-class New Yorkers, and French city dwellers are fond of buying up increasingly expensive second homes there.
But the feeling here is far more democratic and less elitist than its American counterpart.
Which is what we were looking forward to as we undertook the epic drive from England to La Rochelle, taking the fast-ferry crossing from Portsmouth to Caen and driving south, with three children - ranging in ages from 20 months to five years - throwing toy dinosaurs at our heads and shouting 'the wheels on the bus ...' and 'are we there yet'?
The sight of the soaring road bridge connecting the mainland to Ile de Re was heavenly indeed. Paying the steep Euro 16.50 (NZ$31) return toll, we swept across and went in search of our villa in the picturesque village of Le-Bois-Plage-en-Re.
The bridge, completed in 1988, opened up the island to tourism as never before. But strict controls on building and development have helped preserve its character and charm. New houses must adopt the local character, generally white-washed, low-slung buildings with shutters painted in aquamarine tones.
Our own home for the week, which my wife Faith had found listed on the internet, fitted into the pattern but with a pool and nestled in a quiet cul-de-sac on the edge of the village.
This is a place of secret alleyways and pathways, a modest maze of routes which next day, dumping the car, we began to explore by bike, enjoying backstreet rides past hollyhock gardens and vegetable patches. We soon discovered the covered market, stacked with fruit, fish and every class of oyster, as well as essentials such as the bakery, jam shop and play park. The best of the beaches are on this, the southern side of the island, with Le-Bois-Plage-en-Re one of the most popular and picturesque.
The island is totally geared up for the bicycle. Every village, park and beach has neat banks of bike racks. Cycle shops are two a penny, for repairs, accessories (a new cycle helmet
for Florence) or rentals. We had brought our own equipment, along with bags of toys which remained unopened.
Faith's bike was attached to a neat folding Shetland trailer that carried our two youngest, Cecily and Noah, with room for a beachbag and a baguette.
Attached to my bicycle was the ever-intrepid Florence, sitting on a neat tag-along bike and cutting a wobbly dash across the countryside. The island is only 30km long by 5km wide, but has 100km of cycle paths.
Most are dedicated tracks, no cars allowed, making them safe for family biking, occasional joggers and the odd rollerblader. They take you along routes more picturesque than any of the main roads, winding through fields, salt pans and oyster farms. There are no hills and much of the island is below sea level. It also clears the island of a lot of the kind of traffic that chokes places such as the Hamptons. Here the car seems like an unnecessary affectation, something to forget about. We soon found that the harbour village of La Flotte is an easy cycle ride away, as is the capital, St-Martin-de-Re, where the cycle path takes you right through the stone gates of the town.
Sitting out on the Atlantic, Ile de Re has always been vulnerable to invasion, especially by the British, but has remained decidedly French in every way. In the 14th century, Charles V gave the people of the island special rights of trade and royal privileges in return for keeping guard over their stretch of coastline and helping repel invasion. Such privileges and tax breaks helped St-Martin become a thriving international port. The English and Dutch had a go at taking the town in the 17th century and failed miserably. The fortifications surrounding this elegant town and harbour, and its citadel, date back to that period.
Later, the Revolution was to cost the island its royal privileges.
Nevertheless, it grew fat on wine, salt, oysters, fishing and agriculture, all of which thrived on the island's unique geography and healthy micro-climate.
Now places like St-Martin and La Flotte thrive on tourism, the harbours surrounded by restaurants and elegant stores. But they do it very well.
Every village has a good park, invaluable on our slow days of cycling, exploration and beach combing.
Occasionally, I admit, we cheated. 'Oh, not that smelly car again, Daddy!' We put the bikes into the car and set off for the far end of the island to the lighthouse of Phare des Baleines, an Edward Hopper-esque structure. Many ships - and whales - used to come ashore at the easternmost point of the island. The beaches here are quieter; seductive for the more reclusive soul.
It was with real reluctance that we packed up and loaded the car. Ile de Re is a deeply therapeutic place to be. The pace of life slows and the tyranny of the car becomes something you can just reject. As we drove back over the bridge, heading for the Loire and new cycle paths, we were already planning our return trip.
Need to know
The villa was booked through Homelidays (www.homelidays.com), which features more than 100 properties on the Ile de Re.
More information
The official website of Ile de Re (www.iledere.com) has useful information on where to stay and dine, activities on the island and planning your trip.
- The Observer
