Attractions and Places To See around L'Éguille - Top 20

📍 Introducing the Gilet Cove The Gilet Cove is a small, natural beach on the oceanfront, located on Boulevard de la Conche de Gilet / Boulevard de la Falaise, in the town of Vaux-sur-Mer, just before Royan. 🌿 It's a sheltered, rocky cove, appreciated for its tranquility and more intimate setting compared to the larger urban beaches nearby. 🏖️ At high tide, the sea can completely cover this small beach, making the space very limited; at low tide, you can enjoy a patch of sand and rocks for relaxing or swimming. 🧭 Features & Tips 📍 Type of place: small, unsupervised beach, nestled among the rocks with sand and cliffs. 🏖️ Tides: access is best at low tide — at high tide the beach can disappear underwater. 🐶 Animals: prohibited from April 1st to September 30th (subject to municipal regulations). 👣 Access: via stairs from the boulevard above, surrounded by villas with sea views. 🚫 Lifeguard services: no lifeguard station or marked services. 📍 Location La Conche de Gilet is often considered the last small beach in Vaux-sur-Mer before reaching Royan/Pontaillac when following the coastline from Saint-Palais-sur-Mer.

🏖️ General Overview Chay Beach is a family-friendly, fine sandy beach located in Royan (Charente-Maritime), on the Côte d’Argent promenade between Pigeonnier Beach and Pointe du Chay. It stretches for approximately 200 meters and boasts a pleasant natural setting, with a cove bordered by rocks typical of the Charente coastline. 🏝️ Features • 🌊 Beach type: fine sand, sheltered cove. • 🏄‍♂️ Atmosphere: relatively calm and family-friendly, ideal for children and vacationers seeking relaxation away from the large urban beaches. • 🐾 Pets: prohibited from April 1st to September 30th. • 🫧 Water quality: excellent (Blue Flag label awarded for 2025). 🧭 Lifeguard and Safety • Swimming is supervised during the season (June to early September), with areas marked by red and yellow flags. • The area is classified as a Category 3 "Supervised Beach" and lifeguards are present during the indicated hours. 🪑 Amenities On-site, you can find: • 🏖️ Sun loungers, parasols, and mattresses for rent. • 🚿 Foot rinse and public restrooms. • 📶 Wi-Fi access, first aid station, and an area accessible to people with reduced mobility (assistance may be required depending on the slope). • 🍴 Beachfront restaurant ("Le Chay" bar-restaurant with sea views). 🚶‍♂️ Atmosphere and Activities • 🎈 Ideal for families and leisurely strolls. • 🌞 People come here for swimming, playing on the sand, flying kites, or simply relaxing by the ocean. • 🅿️ Parking is available nearby, and the beach is easily accessible on foot or by bike from Royan town center in just a few minutes. 🧭 Practical Tips • 📆 Best time to visit: summer for supervised swimming and full services, but also during the off-season for a more peaceful atmosphere. • ☀️ Arriving early in the morning makes parking easier during peak season. • 🐶 Dogs are not allowed during the summer season; check the signs on site during the off-season.

The port of Royan is located between the Foncillon district and the Grande Conche beach, in the heart of the city. Ideally located at the mouth of the Gironde, in the immediate vicinity of the Atlantic Ocean and opposite Port-Médoc, it consists of a marina with a thousand rings and a fishing port, specializing in “noble” species (sole, meagre, sea bass, etc.). You will find the harbor master's office, the Fishing Port and the auction, as well as a covered shopping arcade, “Les voûtes du Port”, which extends the shopping arcades of the “Front de Mer”. Port, 1100 sheltered places – Reception pontoon – Secure pontoons. Access pass is 0.30 m above the zero of the nautical charts. Basins after dredging 2.30 m from the zero of the nautical charts. Services: water, electricity (220 V) on pontoon, toilets, WC, showers, handling in closed technical area, recovery of careening water, grey water and black water pumps, maintenance and ship repair workshops, ship chandlers on the port, wifi, 24/24 CB fuel, slipway. V.H.F. 9. The port is sheltered from all winds because it is protected by the landing stage of the ferries which ensure the crossing of the Gironde for the crossings to the Pointe de Grave/Le Verdon-sur-Mer.

Of the first star-shaped fort (1811), only a few things remain today. In 1859 its plan was redesigned with a solid ground facing the sea separated by a large ditch cutting the fort in two. The redoubt is cut off and allows the access bridge located to the north to be monitored. This redoubt has the particularity of having a specific plan. It only has a machicolation on three of its sides to the north (inland side) and on its two short sides (east and west). The tour of the solid ground is reinforced by a large masonry wall now. At the rear, the star-shaped device protects against attacks coming from the land. The site was affected by erosion and especially lost its relief after the Second World War. The battery line is still visible from the air and on the ground, only a few German and French bunkers are still outcropping. They are inaccessible. Transformed into a promenade, the site borders the coastal path that starts from the port of Royan and continues to the Grande Côte. Today, nearly 75% of the militarized surface of the late 19th century is occupied by residences and the Cordouan Thalazur hotel. The site still has some visible remains, mainly of French origin

The first fortification projects for Pointe du Chay date back to 1772, counterbalanced on the other bank by Fort du Verdon. But it was not until the battle of 1811 that the military authorities were convinced to fortify the point. However, in 1757, Marshal Senectere, Lord of Didonne, had a defensive element built a little further south of Fort du Chay. He had opened a strategic route to protect the mouth of the estuary. A fort comprising star-shaped bastions was built between 1811 and 1812. It was recaptured by the English in April 1814 and partly destroyed. It was not until the Second Empire that the fort was considerably improved. In addition to the rebuilt embankments, a redoubt derived from the crenellated towers of the 1846 type was built between 1859 and 1860. It served the battery. The battery was remodeled between 1875 and 1877 at the same time as that of the Fort de Suzac. This new battery included eight cannons that would not evolve again until the Second World War. They were divided into four 24cm cannons and four 27cm cannons. One of the vats is disproportionate and seems to indicate that it was planned to install a larger piece there. A fire control post was probably built after 1920, perhaps at the same time as the Arros battery around 1937. It does not appear on the aerial photos of 1920 and is located in front of the firing positions. According to some sources, the Fort du Chay was equipped around 1930 with 75 model 1897 cannons (to be confirmed). The Fort du Chay redoubt would have a hardly more favorable fate than the one near the Fort de Suzac. Integrated into the improvements made to the fort at the end of the 19th century and then at the beginning of the 20th century, this structure would remain until the fort was integrated into the Atlantic Wall around 1942. In 1920, the fort was partially disarmed since only seven of the eight cannons and a reduced garrison remained. At the end of the Second World War, the Fort du Chay redoubt, the oldest vestige of the fort, was literally cut in two by the bombings of 1944 to 1945. Although in 1946, the site remained as it was, it was the object of much covetousness from 1950. The site was largely razed between 1956 and 1957 to make way for a program of 120 housing units. In 1959, it was used temporarily by an equestrian center using a large part of the star-shaped glacis of 1811.

The Chay de Royan beach is a continuation of the Pigeonnier cove on the Côte d'Argent promenade and offers a larger area than the latter. This sandy beach is family-friendly with a restaurant on the beach. It is supervised during the summer season (mid-June to early September) and you can rent mattresses and cabins. The environment of this beach is very pleasant, there are fewer houses than on the other beaches in Royan. A large car park is available near this beach (left side). Access is possible for people with reduced mobility via an inclined plane with assistance (the slope is steep). Dogs are prohibited from April 1st to October 31st.

Nestled in the heart of the marshes of the Presqu’Île d’Arvert, Mornac-sur-Seudre is a small village with a dual face: oyster farming by tradition and artisanal by passion. It is a “Village of Stones & Water” (as the Charente-Maritime label promises) and is one of the “Most Beautiful Villages of France®”, and it also has the “Ville et Métiers d’” label. Art",. Mornac is a village where you have to take your time to soak up its atmosphere and charm. So you park your car in the large car park and visit it on foot to savor every detail and exchange with locals generous with anecdotes and craftsmen eager to share their know-how. Here, everything is on a human scale. We discover the village through the Place des Halles. The shelter, made of wood and supported by stone pillars, is ideal for meeting and resting. The terraced houses replace the old fortifications which protected the town in the Middle Ages. From Les Halles the main street takes you to the port. However, you should not hesitate to stroll through the small streets and alleys of the old town where you can literally get lost! This spiral part of Mornac is called the “Arab quarter”. The church dominates the village from its fortified bell tower. Original in many ways, the Romanesque building houses a font made of real shell. On August 2, 1943, lightning caused a fire which changed the appearance of the bell tower. The port is bordered by traditional and typical cabins. Each one has different colors. There is something for every taste. The small Seudre road allows you to follow them to the foot of the estuary. We arrive, at the very end, at the “goule de l’ach’neau”. We feel alone in the world. Everything is flat, horizontal. It’s time to tell you: the name Mornac means “calm waters”. From the port, possibility of a sea trip..... depending on the tide!!! For those on land, from Chemin de la Corderie, you can take the marked Détours® loops, between April and October, on the embankments of the pedestrian cutoffs. Possibility of taking advantage of guided tours of the village during the season. Mornac and its marshes can also be visited by bike using the shared Chemins de la Seudre routes. If the walk seems too long to you, you can combine the bike ride with the Train des Mouettes (Mornac-sur-Seudre is a stopover station for the tourist train)

Built in the 18th century, Fort du Chay was integrated into the German defense system in 1940. Thoroughly rebuilt by the German occupying troops, who replaced the old facilities with blockhouses, it formed a lock at the mouth of the river mouth with the fortifications of the Pointe de Grave. This impressive defense system was almost completely destroyed in the bombing raids of 1945. Only a few log houses remain.