Nature Reserve of the Marais d’Yyes : the nature break | Office de tourisme Châtelaillon-plage

A visit that must be earned!

Like everything else that is precious, access to the Marais d’Yve must be earned. Everyone by car, or even better by bike, along the D137. Direction the Nature Center ! The access to the nature reserve being regulated, it is the starting point of all visits on the site. We pass through the door like a border between civilization and the wild world while Jean-Paul welcomes us.

The reserve is his domain! Once its operation is explained, we take the time to admire nature from the Center’s large bay window. We still can’t believe how close we are to Chatelaillon, yet so far from everyday life…

Adventure doesn’t wait! Jean-Paul offers us 6 different activities to discover all the facets of the Yves Marsh Nature Reserve.

INFORMATION Due to work to raise the dike to protect the marsh, the nature reserve is closed to the public in 2022. However, it is possible to visit it as part of the LPO’s nature outings. Find all the dates in the agenda!

1 - The Junior Safari

Why do bees zig-zag? How do trees grow? What is a stamen? Because parents don’t always have the answers to everything, the Nature Reserve’s Junior Safari offers little explorers many fun activities in the heart of nature. Supervised by the organizers of the Ligue Protectrice des Oiseaux, each challenge is an opportunity to learn a little more about the world around them. To know better is to protect better! Could this be a fox print? Quick, get out the magnifying glass!

Practical information for children ages 6-10

9 mini-challenges to complete :
Shorebirds
The little beasts of the water
Harrier, lend me your feather
Your child is flitting about, so much the better!
On the tracks of animals
The little paleontologist
Budding detective
Feathers and shells
Nature rally

Meeting place : Nature Center, Aire de la Baie d’Yves (D137) except Plumes et coquillages aux Boucholeurs, maison de l’éclusier

Duration of the outing: 1h30, except Nature Rally 2h

Fees : Children from 6 to 10 years old : 5,50 € – Accompanist : 4,50€

Reservation : At the tourist office -On site

2- A varied fauna to observe

The Nature Reserve will show you different tenants depending on the season of your visit. Whether they are feathered, furry or scaly, they all form a rich and precious ecosystem. And often within reach of binoculars! We pass them from hand to hand in order to catch a glimpse of a family of redheads trotting discreetly or a graceful doe and her fawn. Keep your eyes open!

Did you know? Last their name a little complicated, the mustelids simply groups the animals that have a snout! Among them the otter, the weasel, the weasel or the shy badger, visible during your visit to the Nature Reserve of the Marsh Yves.

3 - An exceptional flora

If it moves much less, the flora of the reserve is just as remarkable. In total, there are more than 574 varieties of flowering plants that await you on the site.

You don’t know what a buttercup is? We don’t blame you, Jean-Paul is there for that! It is also an opportunity to discover a fragile plant heritage, with 12 species on the red list of the threatened flora of France and 35 on the threatened list in Poitou-Charentes.

4 - An hour with the birds

The bay of Yves, it is a little the refuge of Charente for migratory birds. Here, food and shelter are guaranteed all year round! More than 250 species take advantage of the food resources and the favorable climate that reign between the Port des Boucholeurs and the cliffs of Yves. To see them up close there is no secret: a lot of patience and little noise. Oh, a hoopoe !

5 - Little by little, stork makes its nest

Did you know? If storks don’t bring babies, they bring spring to the marshes! And this since 1978, date of their implantation in the region. There are now more than 60 white stork nests in Charente-Maritime. Enough to make a nice family.
To learn more about this strange bird that fascinates children, choose the circuit “From storks to herons”.

Meeting place: Parking lot, Saint-Laurent de la Prée train stop.

Durationof the visit : 2h

Prices : Adult : 7€ / Student, unemployed and junior from 9 to 17 years old : 6€
Free for children under 9 years old – Children under 10 years old and from the 2nd child: free

6 - The nature reserve between dogs and wolves

When the sun sets on the Yves Marsh Nature Reserve, there is magic in the air. One contemplates in silence a fauna and a flora which falls asleep or wakes up in the warm colors of the twilight. An original and surprising visit where the nature of Charente is revealed under a new light.

The marshes in dancer!

The marshes can also be discovered by bike! Inflate the wheels, prepare the picnics and take the road for a 2 to 3 hour escapade in the surroundings of Châtelaillon. 23 km along the coastline, for a natural pleasure between sea and marsh. Explore the hinterland, its beautiful detours and its preserved landscapes before completing your circuit at the resort.