What's on in November in the Vendee

ANGELA BIRD'S

The
Vendée

November 2012

WHAT'S ON IN THE VENDEE

(entries in red indicate new additions)

	PLEASE NOTE This website is a supplement to Angela Bird's guidebook, The Vendée (left), which gives full details in its 176 pages of hundreds of interesting and off-beat tourist sites throughout the region. What you see on the website consists of either extra topics not covered in the book (Calendar, Restaurants, Travel routes, Internet links etc), or updated information (new tourist attractions open - or old ones closed) since the most recent edition of the book appeared. For the complete picture, order The Vendée through bookshops in the UK and Ireland, or from Amazon ;it is also on sale in good bookshops throughout the Vendée.	The listings on this site are supplied in good faith, gathered by the author from various Vendée sources. However it is always wise to check details with organisers or tourist offices before making a special journey.

Until 11 Nov 2012	Vendée-Globe “village” Visit the port of Les Sables to see the yachts that are setting out on 10 Nov on their round the world voyages. There is a tented “village” full of stands providing details of the race and the skippers, with a chance to buy merchandise too.	Port Olona, Les Sables-d’Olonne
Until late Nov	Migration time Ornithologists gather at strategic points to witness the countless birds migrating south in great flocks for the winter. Members of the LPO (Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux) count the numbers at the Pointe de L’Aiguillon. Last year they clocked 600,000 of more than 70 species. The public are welcomed on Sat and Sun afternoons, and will be able to ask questions of the experts gathered there.	Pointe de l’Aiguillon, Aiguillon-sur-Mer.
1 Nov	TOUSSAINT (All Saint’s Day, public holiday)
early Nov	Salon Antiquités Brocante Annual antiques fair in the pretty marshland village of Sallertaine. 40 stands. Daily 9am-7pm. 3€.	Salle Polyvalente, Sallertaine, near Challans
4 Nov 2012	Vente aux enchères Annual auction sale of works by some of the artists in the Vouvant area. From 3pm.	Vouvant, near Fontenay-le-Comte
early Nov	Salon Brocante et Collections Antiques and collectors’ fair, held in the conference centre adjacent to the seafront tourist office. 9.30am-7pm. 2.50€, children free.	Centre de Congres des Atlantes, Les Sables d’Olonne
10 Nov 2012	Vendée-Globe round the world yacht race Every four years, the world’s greatest single-handed sailors set out from Les Sables-d’Olonne on a non-stop circumnavigation of the globe. You can follow the fortunes (and misfortunes) of your favourites via their individual websites. Starts out at sea 1.02pm. Finishes during Feb 2013.	Start : Port Olona, Les Sables-d’Olonne
11 Nov	ARMISTICE (public holiday)
late Nov	Salon des vins et produits du terroir A fair devoted to wine, cheese, chocolates, sweets, foie gras and other produce from all over France.	St Jean de Monts
Late Nov	Marché de Noël Christmas market in picturesque hilltop village.	Vouvant, near La Chataigneraie
late Nov	Marché de Noël Christmas market, in the village centre. Sat 2-6pm; Sun 10am-6pm.	Le Champ-St-Père, nr St Vincent-sur-Graon.
29 Nov 2012	“Musiques de plein air à la cour du Roi Soleil” Hugo Reyne and the Simphonie du Marais play music by Lully, Philidor and others. 8.30pm. Admission 10 euros.	Theatre Municipal, L’Aiguillon-sur-Vie, near St-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie (tel: 02 51 44 79 85)

MORE EVENTS

The Vendée Tourist Board website has many events listed under
various categories, starting from this page

The Conseil-Général’s website also has a regularly updated
calendar of events on its site, under “Agenda”
(click on “Evenements suivants” for later events, or on the names
of the other months shown)

For Vendée vide-greniers (brocante fairs and car-boot sales),
I have made a selection from  this excellent specialised website.
If you wish to see fairs in another département, simply change the Vendee code (85) at the end of the link to that of your chosen département: i.e. 44 for Loire-Atlantique; 49 for Maine-et-Loire etc

JAN FEB MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC

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