🏰 Thematic : Art and Culture
🎨 Poi’z : Zart the artist
📏 Distance: 3 km
⌚️ Duration: 1:30-2 hrs.
⚔️ Difficulty: ⭐️
🗺️ Terrain: ⭐️ (accessible by stroller)
📍 City : Châtelaillon-Plage
Pssst: The app and all the tours on this route are free. Isn’t the city beautiful?
And for that nothing could be easier. Go to the Terra Aventura website and follow the instructions. It’s up to you!
Did you know?
You can also print your route sheet directly from the website or from your local tourist office.
🧭 N46°04.999′ / W001°05.824′
Your 100% architecture adventure begins north of the beach in Chatelaillon. Can you hear the cannonballs whistling? No worries! Here, the history of Fort Saint-Jean still resonates. Vestige of the military architecture of the XIVth century, it comes straight out of the head of Napoleon and the plans of Vauban. The solid square tower was then used as a guardhouse at the Atlantic coastline.
The suite?Decommissioned, then transformed into a steam room, the building was then annexed by the German army during the Second World War. It now belongs to a private owner. Decidedly, everyone has a soft spot for the Fort!
🧭 N46°04.769′ / W001°05.697′
Before reaching downtown Chatelaillon, go to the tip of Fouras to get a little further into the ocean. Say so Zart, we can see things from the coast! One exchanges the small spoon for the binoculars and one scans the horizon. Humm… To the left? It looks like the small island of Aix and its red and white twin lighthouses. And behind, much more imposing, it must be the island of Oléron.
To the right? You can see the island of Ré, easily recognizable by its bridge that connects it to La Rochelle. Without forgetting the inevitable Forts! Boyard or Énet, they once ensured the security of the mouth of the Charente and the Arsenal of Rochefort. The English had only to behave themselves!
🧭 N46°04.764′ / W001°05.621′
Your treasure hunt continues in downtown Chatelaillon with a nice jump in time. Rue Beauséjour is a whole page of the seaside history of the resort! A page that was written in the 1900s, with the success of sea bathing and the boom of the railroads. Paris-Atlantic in 10 hours, a revolution for vacationers!
These ladies thus enjoyed beach cabins at the Hotel Beauséjour where they changed, before being transported by these gentlemen to the beach. Once bathed in the sea, they were brought back in the same way. Strange? Not so much at the time…
🧭 N46°04.576′ / W001°05.626′
At the Belle Époque, this is where the wildest parties were spent! Umbrellas and top hats were then crowded from the beach to taste the intoxication of gambling and cocktails the time of an evening.
Behind the large glass roof and its view of the ocean you can now tease the one-armed bandits but also enjoy the delicious menu of the restaurant Eiffel. And above all find the next clue!”
🧭 N46°04.350′ / W001°05.590′
The architecture of downtown Châtelaillon is as rich as it is varied. Strolling through its streets, one can distinguish 6 main types of buildings:
Zart’s tip:You can always tell a villa by its symmetrical openings and central pointed roof. Keep your eyes peeled, zartists!
Among the most beautiful villas in downtown Chatelaillon are the Villa Stella Maris and its lavender blue, the Villa des Dunes with its fine mantling as well as the Villa Notre Dame des Flots and its elegant ceramics.
And you, which one is your favorite? Make your choice quickly, the cache of treasure is not far away anymore!
