Ile de Re and Vendee

Tuesday 28 May 2019 Heading for the Ile de Re, we stopped at the harbour of Fouras to investigate an impressive fort by the water's edge. 
Fort. Fouras.    We continued to La Flotte, the first town on the north coast of the island. It had among it local worthies Nicolas Martiau (1591–1657) who emigrated to the English colony of Virginia, arriving in Jamestown in 1620 after having taken refuge as a Huguenot in England by 1617. He is an ancestor of the first American president, George Washington.
Harbour. Ile-de-Ré. La Flotte. 
Harbour. Ile-de-Ré. La Flotte. 
Martiau, Nicolas. Emigrant to New England. Ile-de-Ré. La Flotte. 
Harbour. Ile-de-Ré. La Flotte. 
Street. Ile-de-Ré. La Flotte. 
Street. Ile-de-Ré. La Flotte. 
Street. Ile-de-Ré. La Flotte. 
Street. Ile-de-Ré. La Flotte. 
Market. Ile-de-Ré. La Flotte.    We camped at La Flotte at Flower camping. 
Wednesday 29 May 2019 Today we made our way to the far end of the island, beyond the parts that most visitors reach - the little town of Les Portes-en-Ré. 
Houses. Ile-de-Ré. Les Portes-en-Ré. 
Street. Ile-de-Ré. Les Portes-en-Ré. 
Market. Ile-de-Ré. Les Portes-en-Ré. 
Sainte-Marie-des-Marins. Chapel. Ile-de-Ré. Les Portes-en-Ré. 
Pointe du Fier. Coast. Ile-de-Ré. Les Portes-en-Ré. 
Our next stop was the capital of the island St Martin-de-Ré. Set around a pictureque harbour with bridges across to the old town located on an island, it was absolutely packed.
Harbour. Ile-de-Ré. St Martin-de-Ré. 
Harbour. Ile-de-Ré. St Martin-de-Ré. 
Church. Ile-de-Ré. St Martin-de-Ré. 
We decided, reluctantly, to leave Ile de Re - the little island was just too crowded with reckless drivers (especially a hair-brained Swiss driver). We were also held up by the rider of a penny-farthing bicycle! In one village we saw the  aftermath of a serious accident - two cars and emergency vehicles with stretcher bearers. We found a campsite at Chaillé-les-Marais in the middle of the Marais Poitevin in the Vendée. There was excellent wifi at last! 
Thursday 30 May 2019 Ascension Day today, yet another public holiday in France when we could expect heavy traffic. We strolled round the little village and were attracted by the village with a revolutionary name Village de l'An VII. As it adjoined Chaillé-les-Marais we decided to seek it out. It made a peaceful stroll with houses stretched along the street between a canal and inland limestone cliffs and beautiful gardens with flowers in bloom. We walked out along the road and back along the clifftop. 
Village de l'An VII, Chaillé-les-Marais. 
Poppy. With hover flies. Chaillé-les-Marais .  In Talmont-St-Hilaire we had lunch in a car park beneath the castle. There was little else of interest in the town and the weather was hot so we moved on. 
Castle. Talmont-St-Hilaire. 
Castle. Talmont-St-Hilaire. 
We drove northwards through coastal sprawl turning inland sometimes across the Marais. The first campsite was closed so we continued north and eventually managed to bag the last place in La Courance. Here devout Frenchmen were making a hell of a racket on this holy day with the rituals of boules, barbecues and boisterous banter. Wifi was once again a fruitless struggle.