Attractions and Places To See around Corme-Écluse - Top 20

Nice view of the lighthouse. More information: https://www.royanatlantique.fr/en/visites-excursions/phare-de-vallieres-saint-georges-de-didonne/

Bike path is okay here, nice view of Talmont. More information: https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmont-sur-Gironde

Boulevard du Marais offers both magnificent views of the coast and the Talmont marshes. We appreciate the contrast between the brackish meadows of the coast, the tamarisk hedges, the marshes and the salt-tolerant flora which adapts to humid environments. Due to tidal variations, the landscape is constantly changing and is a constant source of wonder.

2 detachments of the 44th division of the Heer (land army) of the Wehrmacht arrived in Royan and its region on 06/23/1940. Their mission is to control the Gironde estuary which controls access to the port of Bordeaux. In December 1941, the Pio.Btl.327 of Oberstleutnant HUMBERT took part in the first work to build support points (the famous "Atlantic Wall") with the Fest.Pio.stab.28 of the Oberst SCHULTZ based in Royan and the Oberbauleitung PAULA of the Organization Todt. The work took on more scope from October 1942 thanks to the Todt Organization, and was supervised by the Pionere Führer of the AOK 7 (7th Army), Generalmajor Otto SCHAUM. In Charente Maritime, all the works will require the implementation of more than 4 million m3 of concrete. The TODT organization had a standardized fortification program "REGELBAUTEN" already used for the construction of the Siegfrid line. The Atlantic Wall required 300,000 French workers and nearly 3,000 companies. The Chay, Suzac and Coubre batteries were installed in March 1942. Southern limit of the "Festungen Gironde Nord", the Suzac B1 battery, which became S 30 HKAA 5/746 Köln, was equipped, in 1944, with 5 series firing pieces composed of 4 tubes of 76.2 GK 307 (r) horse-drawn installed under casemates at 120° firing H669 and four 105 K 331 Schneider cannons sheltered under structures at 60° firing H671, controlled from a post of fire direction PDT H636a., armament supplemented by support weapons of lower caliber (50 mm mortar, 20 machine gun, DCA) installed on platform, in tank or in tobruk, and by a concrete shelter for H128 personnel and an H134 block. A minefield protects access to the battery and concrete obstacles deter any attempt to land on the beaches. The Suzac battery, then the southern limit of La Poche de Royan, hit by bombing during Operation "Vénérable" on April 14 and 15, 1945, was largely destroyed by Allied aviation supported by "Lorraine" and the "Duquesne", two old ships built in 1913 and 1928 respectively. There remain on the ground 5 bunkers (in English) or blockhouses in German) under the command of a firing post (CP) and the ruins of a shelter buried under ivy. 2 other shelters are embedded in buildings where they serve as cellars. Finally a last bunker is exploded.

The port of Saint-Georges-de-Didonne is located in the northern part of the town, at the bottom of a small natural cove south of the tip of Vallières materialized by the dyke and the rocky bank of La Béchade. With 74 rings, it cannot accommodate vessels over seven meters. Boats can access it between three hours before high tide and three hours after high tide. The port is dominated by the silhouette of the Vallières lighthouse, which secures its entrance and which is just opposite that of Verdon-sur-Mer, on the Pointe de la Grave, on the other side of the estuary. Its construction spanned from 1898 to 1902. It is distinguished by its square tower shape in limestone, with a granite base, . It has 144 steps and is 36 meters high, dominated by a copper cupola. It is made up of 4 floors – 29 meters in all, on which a 7-meter lantern is placed. Before him, an 8-meter beacon tower had been built in 1860 to guide ships to the port. Its height proved to be too low to be sufficient to secure navigation in the estuary. The lighthouse was built near this first building, of which nothing remains because it was destroyed during the Second World War. The lighthouse was also damaged during the liberation of Royan (there are traces of shells on the walls of the lighthouse) but it was restored after the war. Its electrification dates from 1947. In 1969, its usefulness was called into question by changes in the rules of navigation on the estuary. It is then decommissioned. Listed as historical monuments since 2012 The visit of the Vallières lighthouse, in the town of Saint-Georges-de-Didonne, is possible every day from mid-June to mid-September, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. then from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. A climb of more than 140 steps promises you a breathtaking view of the magnificent Gironde estuary. At the reception desk, a drawing competition is organized every year. The children's works are exhibited throughout the season in a room in the lighthouse. After the visit, it is possible to stroll in the gardens of the estuary and enjoy the exceptional wild setting of the cliff of Vallières

Grande Conche Beach (or Saint Georges de Didonne Beach) is set between two limestone cliffs: to the north, on the Royan side, by the Vallières cliff and to the south, towards Meschers, by the Suzac cliff. Long of more than 2 km, the beach of Saint-Georges is very arranged in its part close to the city center and more natural, wild towards the point of Suzac. On this immense expanse of fine sand, swimming is supervised in summer (several lifeguard stations). Many activities and services are offered: kindergarten, beach club, swimming school, beach volleyball, nautical base, rental of tents and parasols, restaurants. Outside the summer period, sand yachting sessions take place on the Grande Conche beach under the aegis of the St Georges de Didonne sailing club.

On the right bank of the Gironde, the Barrails marsh occupies a depression of low land open to the coastal mudflats of Meschers while the Talmont marsh constitutes a 2nd entity separated by cultivated areas. The landscape originality is very marked and offers strong contrasts between a coastal part occupied by brackish meadows, separated by tamarisk hedges and ditches with + or - salt water, and the internal zone, fed by springs and streams de Bardécille, de la Reine, where the halophilic influence fades to give way to a bocage marsh of humid plots limited by curtains or groves of ash trees. Although the pastoral vocation is dominant, hunting activity is important and results in the presence of artificial ponds used for hunting water "fowl", whose ecological functioning brings them closer to certain natural habitats ("temporary ponds"). Mediterranean") from which they borrow part of their vegetation. The entire site has been subjected over the last decades to strong pressures, particularly agricultural, which have led to the loss of nearly 100 hectares of natural meadows, while at the same time a strong decline is evident on certain plots which are not more grazed and are experiencing a decline in their biological quality. Nevertheless, the area still presents biological interest as evidenced by the 12 animal species and 9 plant species with high heritage value present in the different natural environments. In terms of flora, the most original habitat is represented by the hunting ponds which host the Prickly Crypsis and the 3-bract Loosestrife, 2 plants of Mediterranean origin of which the Charentais marshes constitute the northern limit of distribution in France then that on the other hand, the ash groves at the bottom of the marsh are home to the rare summer snowwort, protected at national level. The area also plays a major role for avifauna: as a nesting site for various species of birds with unfavorable conservation status in France and as a migratory stopover area for small and large wading birds which use the west Atlantic route in their movements. between their wintering areas and their breeding areas. Finally, the important network of ditches and canals provides shelter to several rare or threatened aquatic mammals such as the Water Shrew or, above all, the European Otter.

On the right bank of the Gironde, the Marais des Barrails occupies a low-lying depression open onto the coastal mudflats of Meschers, while the Marais de Talmont constitutes a 2nd entity separated by cultivated areas. The landscape originality is very marked and offers strong contrasts between a coastal part occupied by brackish meadows, separated by tamarisk hedges and + or - salt water ditches, and the internal zone, fed by springs and streams. de Bardécille, de la Reine, where the halophilic influence fades to give way to a bocage marsh of humid plots bounded by curtains or groves of ash trees. Although the pastoral vocation is dominant there, the hunting activity is important and is reflected in the presence of artificial ponds used for hunting water "game", the ecological functioning of which brings them closer to certain natural habitats ("temporary ponds Mediterranean") from which they borrow part of their vegetation. The entire site has been subjected over the last few decades to strong pressure, particularly from agriculture, which has led to the loss of nearly 100 hectares of natural grassland, while a strong decline is occurring at the same time on certain plots which are not more grazed and are experiencing a regression in their biological quality. Nevertheless, the area is still of biological interest as evidenced by the 12 animal species and 9 plant species with high heritage value present in the various natural environments. In terms of flora, the most original habitat is represented by the hunting ponds which host the prickly cryptid and the 3-bracted loosestrife, 2 plants of Mediterranean origin whose Charentais marshes constitute the northern limit of distribution in France then that on the other hand, the ash groves at the bottom of the marsh are home to the rare summer Snowflake, which is nationally protected. The area also plays a major role for the avifauna: as a nesting site for various species of birds with unfavorable conservation status in France and as a migratory stopover area for small and large waders who use the West Atlantic route in their movements. between their wintering areas and their breeding areas. Finally, the important network of ditches and canals gives shelter to several rare or endangered aquatic mammals such as the aquatic shrew or, above all, the European otter.