Yeu
YEU’S CHARACTER AND LOCATION
Yeu lies out in the Atlantic, 17 kilometres off the Vendée coast below Brittany. It’s a deeply appealing, substantial, vibrant island that stays lively year-round. Along with Belle-Ile, it’s by far the most populous of the Iles du Ponant – both have around 5,000 permanent inhabitants.
In looks, Yeu presents a glorious mix of Breton and Vendéen features. The coastline is all twists and turns, with alternating beaches and cliffs, as in Brittany. You’ll encounter a fair number of neolithic vestiges too, exploring the island, including mysterious stones marked by manmade circular indentations. As to the scattered hamlets, they look typical of the French Atlantic coast, with their cheerful whitewashed walls, colourful window shutters and orange roof tiles. The churches stand out, but windmills are another prominent feature.
Getting here and around the island
Getting to the island
There are 2 departure points serving the island: Fromentine (all year long), and St Gilles Croix de Vie (April to September).
Helicopter flights are also possible from Fromentine.
Book in advance for crossings and flights.
Ferry companies
Compagnie Yeu Continent (all year long)
Port Fromentine - 85550 La Barre de Monts
Tel. +33(0)825 85 3000 (0,15 € / min)
Tel. (from abroad) : +33(0)2.51.49.59.88
Fax : +33(0)2.51.49.59.70
www.compagnie-yeu-continent.fr
Compagnie Vendéenne
(April to September and Toussaint/autumn break)
Port Fromentine - 85550 La Barre de Monts
Tel : +33(0)825.139.085
www.compagnievendeenne.com
Tourist Office of la Barre de Monts
Tél. +33(0)2 51 68 51 83
www.fromentine-vendee.com
Mileage
Paris - Fromentine : 450 km
Nantes - Fromentine : 66 km
Rennes - Fromentine : 170 km
Regional bus
and railway service
TER Pays de la Loire
Tél. +33(0)891 705 805
www.ter-sncf.com |
Car Parks
Free parking places are extremely difficult to find at Fromentine.
Best leave your car in one of the paying car parks.
Accommodation
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Hotels
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Bed & Breakfast
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Furnished rental properties
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Vacation centers
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Campsite.
Download rental properties on www.ile-yeu.fr
Information and central reservations at the tourist office. Tel : 02 51 58 46 47
For sailors
Marina - Port-Joinville.
200 places reserved for stopovers.
Numerous electricity points and water points available.
2 well-equipped toilet blocks.
Tel. 02 51 58 38 11.
Information on renting a bike:
Several companies rent bikes
Information on renting a car:
Car and scooter rental companies also available...
Information on public transportation:
"ID Bus" bus services run April to November. Guided visits by minibus also available.
You arrive at the one significant harbour, Port-Joinville. Its fishing fleet is often in evidence, indicating that you can eat lovely seafood on the island. There’s plenty of space for yachts at the marina. Discover more about Yeu’s fishing traditions (tuna-catching being the traditional speciality) at the fishing museum. Cafés and restaurants fight for your attention around the port. Wander around the pretty little harbour streets with their evocative names. The sunken fort hidden at the back of Port-Joinville was where Marshall Pétain, leader of the French wartime Vichy regime that collaborated with the Nazis, was imprisoned for life after the end of the conflict.
Perhaps because it’s set quite some way out to sea, l’Ile d’Yeu only saw its first waves of tourists arrive relatively late, compared with the other Ponant islands. Keen botanists and archaeologists preceded them. Nowadays, tourism is very well established. Cycling is the main way of getting round, or walking.
Most of the best beaches lie along the northerly side of the island, leading down to the lighthouse at Les Corbeaux, Yeu’s exposed eastern point. Quite dramatic cliffs and coves with smaller strands characterize the southern side. Along here, spot the ruins of the old medieval castle, open to visitors in season. Further west, the Grand Phare lighthouse can be climbed on certain summer days, giving you spectacular views across Yeu. It rises above the airstrip, a reminder that you can get to the island by plane.
As well as trying out all manner of water sports on Yeu, you can enrol for a variety of guided tours, including one taking you around the island on a sailing boat, which saves on having to provide one of your own!
BRITISH CONNECTIONS WITH YEU
Religious settlers have featured large on the island, traced back to the Dark Ages. It seems that monks from the influential Irish abbey of Bangor helped found an early monastery here, dedicated to a great early Christian French saint, Hilaire. On a less serious note, English-speaking visitors may be amused to see that one of the island’s hamlets goes by the name of Ker Bossy, another by the appellation Ker Pissot!
To document
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