Take a stroll around Faute-sur-Mer and Pointe d´Arçay

La Faute-sur-Mer is a peninsula formed by the Mouth of the Lay, which ends with the Pointe d'Arçay, in the Baie de l'Aiguillon. It is a natural space which offers you beautiful walks. This former oyster-farming site is also a famous spot for bird watching. On the sea side, it has beautiful beaches, with a nautical base. We take you to Faute-sur-Mer to fill up on nature activities.

Photos of the article © Guide de la Vendée

Visit of the Faute-sur-Mer

La Faute-sur-Mer is above all renowned for its beaches and natural spaces. The walk in the city is however very pleasant. Here are the points of interest in the city:

The Marina runs along the Lay estuary. It's a pretty walk. You can also try kitesurfing, at kitesurf Vendée or board a catamaran at Escapade Marine.
Right next door is the Golf de la Presqu'île.
You can meditate at the Memorial to the Victims of Storm Xinthia.
The Parc de la Presqu'île is like sitting in the heart of the mouth, outside the city center. There you will find a playground for children and a skate park for the older ones.
To have fun and flambé a little, there is the Casino le Pavillon des Dunes.
On the outskirts of the town, near the reserve, is the Ax Yon Paintball, to play a team game and experience thrills.

The Casse de la Belle Henriette Nature Reserve

The Casse de la Belle Henriette Nature Reserve protects the lagoon of the stretch of coastline, which lies between Faute-sur-Mer and La Tranche-sur-Mer. It consists of a dune bordering the beach and a marsh with a reed bed.

It brings together nearly 22 specific habitats, 13 of which are considered threatened, hence its official classification as a reserve. It is home to many birds, but also the European Otter, and many other aquatic species, typical of brackish water. Its flora is also very rich.

You can travel it freely all year round, staying on the marked trails. If you want to better understand this unusual biotope, you can book a guided tour during the months of July and August.

Belle Henriette National Nature Reserve © CC BY SA 4.0

The Natural Site of the Rade d'Amour

The Rade d'Amour is formed by the Lay estuary. It is a gray dune, with a lagoon, bordered by salt meadows. This specific ecosystem is home to exceptional biodiversity.

In addition, it is a former oyster and mussel farming park. The operation has been abandoned but mussels and oysters are still proliferating there. Many birds come to feed there. An observatory has therefore been installed to allow you to see them without disturbing them. Signs inform you about the species found there.

This protected natural site is accessible all year round. An interpretation trail has been set up to get you there, without damaging the environment. Dogs are not allowed. In summer, guided tours are organized by the Tourist Office.

For the record: It takes its name from charming situations! This is where the young girls met their marine lovers, before they set out to sea.

Mouth of the Lay © Eduarel CC BY SA 3.0

La Faute-sur-Mer, beach and ocean side

The beaches of Faute-sur-Mer offer you all kinds of experiences. La Grande Plage is a family beach, which faces the esplanade and the Casino des Dunes. A large parking lot borders it. Shops and restaurants are at your disposal. Nearby, at Loisirs Océan, children will enjoy the rides, the games room, the minigolf and the karting track.

On the Plage des Bélugas, there is the Center Nautique Sud Vendée which rents you sand yachts and offers swimming lessons. It is a more sporty and dynamic beach. It is extended by the Plage des Chardons and the Plage de la Barrique. The surroundings are starting to be more wooded and the dune cordon is more important, which isolates the beaches, the golf of Faute-sur-Mer and the houses hidden behind.

Plage des Amourettes is a very wild beach. It is bordered by the forest, which separates it from the Rade d'Amour. It stretches to the end of Pointe d'Arçay and you can take a nice walk there. At the point, the beach becomes naturist.

At the entrance to the town, a last beach is a little apart. This is the Plage de la Grande Casse. It is located on the Casse de la Belle Henriette Reserve. It is therefore a preserved area, but also protected, to be reserved for lovers of wild nature.

Pointe-d'Arçais beach

Hiking along the faulty coast

If you are a hiker, we recommend that you take the “Sentier du Littoral Fautais”. It is an easy and well marked hiking loop of about 13 km. It takes you through the main sites of the town: the Casse de la Belle Henriette reserve, the Rade d'Amour and the Lay estuary.

The GR8 runs along the entire coast of the Vendée. It ends in on the Vendée bank of the Mouth of the Sèvre Niortaise. It only crosses the Faute-sur-Mer to step over the Lay and pass towards the Aiguillon-sur-Mer. But it has the advantage of offering you a breathtaking view of the Baie de l'Aiguillon, the peninsula and the Pointe d'Arçay.

Here is the route of this portion of the GR8.