Racing the tide to the French island of Ile de Noirmoutier?

Have you ever built up an expectation of how a place will look, only to find it completely different when you arrive?  I’m sure most travellers will have had this experience at one time or another.  We certainly did when we drove a motorhome across the Passage du Gois and onto the Ile de Noirmoutier.

To the uninitiated – a word that makes sense once you’ve been – Ile de Noirmoutier is an island just off the mainland of France,  west of Nantes.  While the island is beautiful, the access to the island is a feature and a compelling reason to go if you want to experience something a little different on a road trip. 

As avid watchers of the Tour de France each year, we like to use their ‘tour map’ to identify new places in France that we haven’t been to before. Each year, the roads travelled by the cyclists resemble a list of where we’ve been, and where we’ve yet to go. We get excited when we recognise a town we’ve been to and quickly make a note of new ones to visit in the future. This is how we came to know about the island.

In 2011 the Tour de France commenced its annual campaign at Ile de Noirmoutier and the Passage du Gois. It returned again in 2023 mid-stage.

More reading >> Planning a trip to follow the Tour de France?  Read our comprehensive guide to following the Tour de France in a motorhome.

Passage du Gois

On one end of the island, there is a conventional bridge allowing access to the island at Barbâtre, but the centuries-old causeway, the Passage du Gois, draws all the attention. Thousands of tourists come here each year to experience the unique drive to the island.  A mix of the older cobblestones that once lined the entire four-kilometre passage meets with newer road surfaces, now used to repair deteriorating cobbles.

The road allows vehicular traffic to run the gauntlet against the tide, making their way to and from the island between the two high tides that completely submerge it twice a day.

On the mainland, large signs carry all the information you need to ensure a safe passage. Ignore this at your peril. If you mistime your run or ignore the advice, you’ll need one of the safety towers. If you are in a vehicle, you’ll also need exceptional insurance should your car get stuck. Actually, most of us would agree that no insurance company would ever cover you for damage incurred here.

While the general advice might be that driving about 1-1.5 hours either side of low tide might be acceptable, take the guesswork and stress out of it by using the information on the signs and chatting to those around you.

 These signs give clear information relating to the times of the tides.

You can see that the height of the road offers no resistance to an incoming tide.

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At low tide, locals in their gum boots and waders come out in droves to hunt for shellfish on the exposed mud flats.

They even park their cars on the mud flats too.  Increases the need to watch the tide!!

All of this is done with an ever-watchful eye on the incoming tide.  A tide that comes in from all directions can easily sneak up behind you, blocking your exit back to the road.  It’s part relaxation, part adventure.

Don’t get caught

At strategic points along the causeway (although not nearly as many as you might hope for if you need them) are safety towers. These are built to provide refuge for unsuspecting people who find that the tide has indeed caught them unawares. Once you are up here it’s a long wait for the tide to recede.

As we were driving across here in a motorhome, we read the signs – all of them – and talked to locals to ensure it was safe enough to cross the causeway.

What’s on the island?

What the island lacks in size (it’s only 20km long and 7km wide), it makes up for with great beaches, activities, and industries that thrive on the sea. Fishing and sea salt production are two of the largest industries here. Some of the best sea salts come from this region and further up on the Normandy coast.

Each year, the lure of warmer temperatures, sun and sand turn the island into a haven for holidaying families, particularly those coming from England.  It is a a reasonably simple trip across on a ferry from Portsmouth to St Malo.  The island is then a three-hour drive south.

Are we really in France?

On first sight of the island’s buildings,  I felt the short drive over had taken us away from France altogether.  The whitewashed walls and terracotta tiled roofs that filled the landscape conjured up images of Portugal and Spain.  Clearly, its proximity to these countries has been an influence. 

The main city on the island is Noirmoutier-en-l’Ile, where cobbled streets give an air of days gone by. Finally, I feel like we are back in France.

There are many wonderful places to eat here, many as you can imagine specialising in fresh seafood.

The city is also home to the Chateau de Noirmoutier, built in the 12th century.  It’s worth a visit, even if just for the view from its bell tower.

How do you get here?

Visiting Ile de Noirmoutier is straightforward.  Visitors to the region can fly or catch the TGV to nearby Nantes and hire a car for the short drive.  With a deep-berth marina, the island offers a safe place to moor visiting boats.  The west coast of France is also an incredible place to drive, with many interesting towns in the area.  This was our preferred approach.

Once on the island, public transport is easily accessible. Walking and cycling are also easy, and cycling is a regular method of getting around.

With a number of secluded beaches dotted around the island and quick access to the mainland, it’s no wonder it is a destination for those who crave the sand between their toes on their holidays.