Camping Vendée » Visit the Chassiron lighthouse

Chassiron lighthouse

It overlooks land and sea at a height of 46 m. The Chassiron lighthouse offers a breathtaking view of the deep blue sea and the surrounding coastline. Located on the north-western tip of the island, around 30 km from your St-Tro Park campsite on the Ile d’Oléron, not far from the beaches of Les Huttes, Les Seulières and the port of Saint-Denis, you can visit the emblem of Oléron, as well as its museum and rotunda garden, both inaugurated in 2007.

Light from the end of the world

Feet on the ground, eyes to the sea and head in the air… That’s the feeling you’ll get as soon as you climb the 224 spiral steps to visit and reach the top of the Chassiron lighthouse. From here, the aptly named“Ile d’Oléron, la lumineuse” takes on its full meaning. You can see the northern half of the island, the ocean, the Pertuis d’Antioche, the Rochelaise coast, the islands of Aix and Ré, not forgetting the astonishing Fort Boyard. But be careful not to be flashed by the 36,000 candles sweeping across the sea every 10 seconds!

A little history

Built in 1834, it is the successor to the first 33 m high lighthouse, erected in 1685 by order of Colbert. The lighthouse’s strategic position and height enabled it to provide an effective warning to sailors venturing into the Pertuis d’Antioche, the scene of numerous shipwrecks due to the presence of dangerous rocky banks. From 1926 onwards, three 6 m high black stripes were added to the immaculate white of the original color. A little touch that distinguishes it from all other lighthouses today, but at the time the aim was to make it easier to spot and distinguish from its neighbor, the lighthouse of the whales, proudly posted on the island of Ré.

A remarkable site to visit

After the beach, for an artisanal ice cream or a chocolate whipped waffle? Or before lunch in one of the restaurants around the lighthouse? Whatever the case, your time at Chassiron will always be as breathtaking as it is breathtaking. The lighthouse rotunda, formerly the lighthouse keepers’ apartments, is home to the “Parcours spectacle” museum, whose theme is “Coastal people between land and sea”. An audio-guided tour, designed for young and old, but also for people with reduced mobility, to discover the life of the people of Oleron, sailors of the land and farmers of the sea. Unless, of course, you’d prefer to stroll along the edge of the white clay limestone cliffs. A word of advice? Don’t hesitate to take advantage of this wellness time on a sunny day…

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