Poitou-Charentes
Poitou-Charentes is a tranquil and largely unspoilt region halfway down the West coast. Its long Atlantic coastline has fine sandy beaches, pretty marinas and bustling resorts. There are a number of beautiful islands such as nineteen-mile long Ile d'Oleron which is popular with naturists and whose main industry is oyster catching.
Another island, Ile de Re is known for its salt marshes and is reputed to receive more hours of sunshine than anywhere else in France away from the Mediterranean. A bridge linking it with the mainland makes it easily accessible to outsiders, to the chagrin of residents who feel that the island's previous pleasant seclusion has gone and traffic has hugely increased. On the mainland Royan, at the southern tip of the region, is a busy tourist resort with five well-kept but congested beaches, or conches as they are referred to.
Inland, the countryside has an early morning dewy quality of moistness, the fields are lushly green, the rivers are softer and the population evenly spread. Around Cognac the glow of the vineyards crowned by the individual chateau, produce the famous golden elixir.