Noirmoutier: summery scenes

We had walked along the Plage de la Madeleine and the Plage du Vieil. We got back to the car and headed off again to find a place to have our picnic lunch. We drove through the town of Noirmoutier and again headed out toward the beaches.

One beach we wanted to see was called La Plage des Dames. The gîte owner had told us it was famous as one of the most beautiful beaches see on the island. It seemed like a place where we might be able to have our picnic. We drove down a straight, narrow road that was bordered on one side by woods — a park, it turned out to be — and by houses on the other side. We came to the end of the road and there was the beach. But there was nowhere to park the car. A lot of people were out enjoying the fine weather, and all the parking spaces were taken.

We were really hungry. We drove back along the edge of the wooded park and turned left (south) at the first opportunity. We drove a few hundred yards, with woods on our left and houses on our right. And then suddenly there it was: a picnic area with two tables, in the wooded park. One was occupied by a family with three or four children. The other table was free. The tables weren't very close together. The photos I took there aren't very interesting, but here's how the place looks on Google Maps street view image.

We had lunch. Then we continued on our way and came to another beach, the Plage des Sableaux. These beaches were sandy and there were no seaweed-covered rocks, just blue water. Again, it felt like a summer day, even though it was October 24. Signs said no dogs were allowed on the beach, so we left Tasha in the car. We couldn't go far or stay very long. We were still on the bay side of the island. I wanted to see the ocean side.