20 minutes from our Camping**** Airotel Oléron, Fort-Royer is a authentic oyster village century-old oyster farm located in Saint-Pierre-d'Oléron in the heart of the Moëze-Oléron nature reserve south of Boyardville. On the agenda: guided walks of the oyster farm, discovery workshops around the Oléron oyster, hiking at low tide...
A preserved natural site, a unique atmosphere on the island of Oléron
Despite its name, Fort Royer doesn't have any fortresses or military structures. Instead, pretty, colorful cabins brighten up this typical oyster-farming village, which dates back to the 1920s. This charming, wild, and unspoiled place attracted a whopping 30,550 visitors in 2017. It's no wonder Fort Royer has been awarded a star in the Michelin Green Guide!
Become an expert on Oléron oysters!
Even if you are not a particular oyster lover, the visit to the oyster and natural site of Fort-Royer will not leave you indifferent. Your guide, wildly passionate, inexhaustible on the subject and not stingy with anecdotes, will know how to arouse your interest and satisfy your curiosity. Thus, you will discover in a lively and privileged way the history of the oyster village, the hard work of the oyster farmer's profession on Oleron Island, without forgetting the secret life of oysters from the ocean to your plate. The tour will take you to the ripening oyster beds and the picturesque, colorful cabins lost in the channels (the site has around forty). Along the way, you will have the opportunity to see the sea farmers at work who have been keeping this beautiful profession alive on the island for 100 years. No fewer than 7 oyster farmers continue to raise oysters in the ancestral way. And to end the tour in style, you won't be able to resist the temptation of tasting oysters in a cabin!
On your way: the Moëze-Oléron Nature Reserve
To complete the visit, explore the Moëze-Oléron Nature Reserve which stretches from the south of Boyardville to the Oleron Castle, or approximately 220 hectares. The reserve welcomes individuals and groups all year round, for self-guided or guided tours.
Several interpretive trails have been set up to allow you to discover a little-known, yet very rich, ecosystem in the heart of the former salt marshes, mudflats and salt meadows. Among the inhabitants of the reserve, the European otter, the water vole and the European pond turtle have found refuge there, as have thousands of migratory birds such as the spoonbill, the bar-tailed godwit and the red knot. Very close to our campsite at Château d'Oléron, the interpretive trail which leads from the citadel to the Pointe des Doux offers a very natural interlude and an easy walk for the whole family (2.8 km round trip). While waiting for your camping holidays in Oléron and the pleasure of swallowing a dozen fresh oysters (or more!), discover 5 little secrets about the Marennes Oléron oyster. To obtain all the practical information and prepare your visit, do not hesitate to consult the website of the Fort-Royer Oyster and Natural Site Association.