Most people would I think agree that the French have a much more laid-back attitude when it comes to the unclad body and being “in the buff” in general. Accordingly being “au naturel” is a widely practised hobby in La Belle France. The coast of the Vendée region with its long sandy beaches and white sand dunes is certainly very popular with people of this way of thinking not only from France but from many different countries.
In terms of numbers of visitors from other countries, most come from the Netherlands then Germany then Belgium then the United Kingdom. All in all, around one and a half million head for the French beaches in the summer. The French refer to people who refuse to remove all their clothing as ‘textiles’ for obvious reasons. Voyeurs are always discouraged and made to feel unwelcome. The natural way of thinking combines self-respect, respect for other people and also for the environment so please remember this if you visit this kind of beach.
The Vendée itself has a 250 km of beaches and practically 2½ thousand hours of sunshine per year so not surprisingly this region is extremely popular. In practice there are two different kinds of beach. Firstly the official sanctioned beaches and secondly those where the practice is tolerated. Compared to most races, the French are in general very tolerant where “free” beaches are concerned.
Beaches where the practice is either officially sanctioned or tolerated by locals and tourists:
Les Salins Beach
Authorised 500 meters of beach that is signposted from the beach near the grande Bec just south of St. Jean de Monts.
Le Petit Pont
Here is an officially sanctioned beach at Notre-Dames-de-Dunes in the district of Bretignolles-sur-mer. This beach can be accessed from the Rue de la Grande Sauzaie (D38) near the village of Givrand.
Sauveterre
Can be found about 7 km west of Olonne-sur-Mer and here there is a beautiful sandy (and officially sanctioned) beach backed by dunes. There is parking nearby but be warned there are no toilets on the beach. It can be reached by turning off at the traffic lights in Olonne-sur-Mer just before the Sauveterre camping site and following the signs to the beach. After crossing the dunes, the beach will be signposted just to the right of where you arrive on the beach.
La Faute sur Mer
At Point d’Arcay there is an official beach.
La Terrière
This is in the district of la Tranche sur Mer and there is an unofficial area 200 meters to the north of the entrance. It is just past the surfing school. (Photo right)
Les Conches
In the district of Longville sur mer. Although not officially sanctioned, being “in the buff” is tolerated along a stretch of beach running south towards La Terrière.
Luzeronde
At the far end of the Ile de Noirmoutier. 4 km of officially sanctioned beach which can be accessed via both ends.
