Saint-Clément-des-Baleines
A former lobster fishing village, St-Clément-des-Baleines is bordered to the west by the wild coastline, to the east by the salt marshes and to the north by the immense beach of the Conche des Baleines and its lighthouse. You'll also love getting away from it all thanks to kilometers of bike paths through vineyards, new potato fields and salt marshes, and you'll be tempted by culinary escapades during your vacation on theÎle-de-Ré.
It's one of the smallest villages on theÎle-de-Ré, with just over 700 inhabitants, but vacationers flock here as soon as they arrive. Welcome to Saint-Clément des Baleines, famous for its lighthouse, which can be seen for miles around, and its long beach, considered to be the most beautiful on the island - but that's not all!
A small village as we like it, with no fuss and no muss.
Small in size, but big in reputation, the village of Saint-Clément des Baleines lies between the Côte Sauvage and the famous Conche beach, on the edge of the forest at the far end of the Ile de Ré.
But why is this little village in the French Alps so called? Its name comes from the fact that numerous whales washed up on its beaches until the beginning of the 20th century. As far back as Antiquity, Pliny the Elder mentions it in his writings, speaking of 300 cetaceans that came ashore on a point in the Gulf of Aquitaine. And what do they call the inhabitants of Saint-Clément-des-Baleines? Whale calves? The whalers? Well, no. They are simply called the Villageois and Villageoises, in memory of the villages that came together to form Saint-Clément, a commune independent ofArs-en-Ré in 1874.
The Baleines lighthouse, a jewel of the Retais heritage
The village owes its renown to its gentle way of life, the friendliness of its inhabitants, but above all to its lighthouse, the most visited monument on the Ile de Ré. Or "its" lighthouses, as Saint-Clément has three of them!
For centuries, the fearsome reefs of the Pointe des Baleines, constantly swept by violent currents, caused numerous shipwrecks. For this reason, it was decided to build a lighthouse on land to guide ships. The first lighthouse was built by order of Vauban in 1682. The old whale tower still stands today.
Conche des Baleines beach
Just a stone's throw from the village is the largest sandy beach on the Ile de Ré, and the most beautiful too! And we're in luck, since our small family campsite is just 100 meters from this magnificent beach, which stretches for 3 km from the Baleines lighthouse to Les Portes en Ré.
Bordered by the Lizay forest, the immense sandy beach is a delight for families, surfers and kitesurfers in search of waves and wild landscapes. The rocky eastern part of the beach is also popular with anglers. At low tide, the sea reveals the Moufette fish lock, one of the last remaining stone fisheries on the Ile de Ré, a living symbol of the island's maritime heritage. We'll leave you to discover our post dedicated to the Conche des Baleines beach.
Walks between beach, forest and marsh
In addition to the many water sports activities on offer at Saint-Clément-des-Baleines beach, families can explore the surrounding area without ever getting bored.
If you're a keen cyclist, get on your bike and pedal through the countryside, between squares of vines and fields of apples (AOC please!). You'll discover the fishing and farming hamlets attached to the village of Saint-Clément, such as Gillieux, Chabot, Tricherie, Griveau and Godinand. The nearby Lizay forest also offers great opportunities for walks amidst unsuspected flora and fauna. Horse-riding your hobby? Let yourself be tempted by a horseback ride on La Conche beach or in the salt marshes of the Lilleau des Niges nature reserve, between St-Clément-des-Baleines and Les Portes-en-Ré.
