Home / Plan your stay / Walks and hikes / Along the sea and the river / Cycling path 13 : " Le Chemin du littoral" - 13.7 mi - Fouras
rochefort-ocean-fouras-grande-plage-vélo©Julie-Paulet.JPG

Cycling path 13 : " Le Chemin du littoral" - 13.7 mi

in Fouras
20.3 km
1h 30min
Easy
  • Advancing towards the ocean, the peninsula was a defensive point of the Charente estuary. From this privileged maritime location, it has been able to draw other advantages which today make it a renowned site for seaside, oyster and natural farming.
  • Difference in height
    93.46 m
  • Documentation
    GPX / KML files allow you to export the trail of your hike to your GPS (or other navigation tool)
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Points of interest
1 Vauban fort or semaphore
As early as the 11th century, the castle of Fouras was erected to control the Charente estuary and to institute a toll. The creation of the Rochefort Arsenal in 1666 made it a key part of the defence system for the approaches to the Charente, whose entry it prohibited. At the end of the 17th century, François Ferry, King Louis XIV's engineer, transformed the former feudal residence into a "fort at sea". Today it is a listed building and houses a museum of regional history.
2 Les Salons du Parc
Located in the Bois Vert and built in 1870, this house was used as a convalescent home for the war wounded between 1914 and 1916. Bought by the municipality in 1946, the building became a famous hotel before it was closed in 1975.
Today, it is a seminar and festival centre.
rochefort-ocean-fouras-bois-vert © Marie Francoise Boufflet.jpg
3 The Aiguille redoubt
This fort was built in the second half of the 17th century. Its purpose was to protect against a possible attack by enemy ships. Today it is a listed monument and belongs to the municipality of Fouras.
4 The northern beach and the seaside villas
Since 1850, Fouras has been famous for its sea baths. They are taken directly in the ocean or inside thermal establishments. The seaside villas and small holiday homes bear witness to this craze, encouraged by the installation of a casino and the arrival of the railway in 1882.
93 meters of difference in height
  • Start altitude : 4 m
  • End altitude : 3 m
  • Maximum altitude : 19 m
  • Minimum altitude : 1 m
  • Total positive elevation : 93 m
  • Total negative elevation : -95 m
  • Max positive elevation : 8 m
  • Min positive elevation : -13 m