Camping Les Saumonards

You’ve seen the sea, now it’s time to get stuck in, either powering yourself along on a sailing or kitesurfing outing from one of the sports centres on the beach or heading down to Boyardville, a kilometre away, to let more experienced types transport you off to Fort Boyard, the 19th-century offshore fort that may be familiar to those who’ve watched the telly programme of the same name. Walkers and bike riders should find plenty of pathways to potter along in the forest next to the site (it stretches out over a whopping 500 hectares, after all). There’s a fishing area a few minutes’ stroll from the park and a horse riding centre 15 minutes’ drive away for folks who’d like to saddle up to sample the island’s trails. Elsewhere around the island, perhaps consider visits to Parc Myocastor zoo (15 minutes’ drive), Le Port des Salines open-air salt museum (20 minutes) and Château d’Oléron (25 minutes), stopping off at Iléo waterpark (15 minutes) to cool off with slides and splashes on the return leg.