10 - 24 September
We stayed in La Roche-Bernard for a week. It's a very attractive small town, parts of it very old, built perched up on a rocky outcrop in the angle where two rivers join.
We then motored down to the barrage and lock to leave the Vilaine River. The lock was less busy than when we entered the river, and therefore less chaotic, as we are now out of the French holiday season. We then sailed across the bay to La Turballe where the space for visitor mooring is extremely tight, and in the cross wind that day we were not the only boat having some difficulty mooring. Fortunately a very friendly harbourmaster gave us a hand with the lines. La Turballe is a nice place for a short visit but nothing special - although the bakery had the longest queues of any we have seen in France!
After a couple of nights we headed back down to Port Joinville on the Isle d'Yeu once more for a few days, then on to Les Sables d'Olonnes where we took the chance to explore further than on our previous visits. On a gloriously sunny afternoon we had a lovely cycle ride up through the marshes and salt pans at Isle d'Olonnes, returning via the villages. On another afternoon wandering round Les Sables d'Olonnes we came across streets full of marvellous mosaics made of stones and shells by a local artist.
After a long motor we arrived back in La Rochelle and managed to immediately find a suitable berth for the winter.
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