ANGELA BIRD'S

 
 
 The
 Vendée 


October 2008

WHAT'S ON IN THE VENDEE

 (entries in red indicate new additions)



PLEASE NOTE

This website is really just 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 14 Oct

Vivre en Mer: l’Ile d’Yeu 1850-1950  Life on the island of Yeu, and its sea-going heritage. See a tuna boat, women working at canning sardine and tuna, and the growth of tourism.

Logis de la Chabotterie,
St-Sulpice le Verdon, near Rocheserviere

early Oct

Fête de la Citrouille  Grand pumpkin festival and competition  Reocrd-holder is one weighing 466kg.  Admission 3.50€

Le Potager Extraordinaire, La Mothe-Achard, nr Les Sables.

6-12 Oct

Festival du Conte: “Raconte ta vie  Festival of story-telling (good French needed !).

Le Poiré sur Vie

12 Oct

Fête de la Châtaigne  Festival devoted to chestnuts – expect delicious smells of grilled chestnuts to waft over the proceedings.

La Cailliere St-Hilaire

mid Oct

 

Bird migration  As part of the Fête de la Science, guided visits to see the bird migration at the Pointe de l’Aiguillon. 8am-6pm.

 

LPO office, Pointe de l’Aiguillon, L’Aiguillon-sur-Mer, near La Tranche (tel: 02 51 46 21 91).

18 Oct-
9 Nov

Vendée-Globe Village  Visit the marquees and the pontoons to see the boats and skippers preparing to set off on the 2008/09 Vendée-Globe solo circumnavigation.

Port Olona,
Les Sables-d’Olonne.

18, 19 Oct

Festival de la Glisse  Festival of extreme watersports

St-Hilaire-de-Riez

late Oct

 

Foire aux Marrons  Annual chestnut festival, also with mushroom displays and antiques fair. 9am-7pm.

La Caillère-St-Hilaire (tel: 02 51 51 59 93).

22 Oct-late Feb 2009

Le Bénin et ses royaumes  Large exhibition on the west-African country of Benin, which has close links with the Vendée.

Historial de la Vendée,
 Les Lucs-sur-Boulogne.

Late Oct to
9 Nov

Vendée-Globe preview  During the last few weeks before the round-the-world yacht race sets off (9 Nov), you can walk the pontoons of Port Olona and take a close look at the yachts of your favourite skippers.

Port Olona,
La Chaume, near Les Sables-d’Olonne.

late Oct

Salon des Antiquaires  Annual antiques fair in this pretty marshland village.

Sallertaine, near Challans

 


The Conseil-Général’s website also has a regularly updated calendar of events.
To view it,
click here
A quarterly publication called Musique-Danse lists many concerts of all kinds in the Vendee. You can find the latest version by following a link from here

 

2008

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