Royan / Talmont-sur-Gironde / Mortagne-sur-Gironde

Past Royan’s port, this stage begins at Royan’s Grande Conche Beach. Head along the seafront on a lovely shaded cycle path. The cycle route then threads between tracks and quiet roads to Meschers-sur-Gironde before reaching Talmont-sur-Gironde, an astonishing look-out post onto the estuary and part of the association of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France. Caillaud Cliff and the square fishing nets suspended above the waters add to the atmosphere. The stage continues via quiet, sometimes steep roads and tracks to Mortagne-sur-Gironde, a port well protected from the temperamental Gironde.

The route

Follow the cycle track to leave Royan.
Then use a mix of quiet roads and tracks up to Talmont-sur-Gironde.
From Caillaud Cliff to Mortagne-sur-Gironde, the route is steeper, going along a mix of tracks, greenways and quiet but rough small roads.
Between Les Monards and Mortagne-sur-Gironde, the paths along the route are, for the time being, very rough.

Take care:
- Be especially careful when crossing at Port-des-Monards: the RD 145 road here is narrow and winding and can be dangerous.
- Take particular care at the place named Chez Gautron: crossing the RD 145 here requires caution; then you have to negotiate a steep, 10% grassy slope for  210 metres, forcing you to dismount from your bike.

SNCF train stations

Royan station : 
TER regional trains and Intercités trains serve Saintes (7 to 10 trains daily) ; Correspondence from Saintes to Angoulême/Poitiers/Tours/Paris/Niort/La Rochelle/Nantes

Check timetables

Tourist offices

• Office de Tourisme de Royan 
• Office de Tourisme de Talmont
• Office de Tourisme de Saint Georges de Didonne
• Office de Tourisme de Meschers sur Gironde