Attractions and Places To See around La Brée-Les-Bains - Top 20

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The port of Douhet, located in the commune of Saint-Georges-d’Oléron, is today a pleasant marina, but its history is intimately linked to the salt and wine trade. Origins Until the 19th century, the region's products (notably salt from the salt marshes and wine from Oléron) were difficult to transport by sea. To remedy this, a vast project was launched in the 1840s: a channel over 3 km long was dug between Saint-Georges-d’Oléron and the ocean, opening onto the new port of Douhet. An active commercial port The port quickly became an export center: * barges loaded salt and wine barrels there; * boats also brought building materials and various goods intended for the island. In the 1870s, there were around 400 ship movements per year, with several thousand tons of goods imported and exported. The decline At the end of the 19th century, several factors led to its decline: * the gradual abandonment of the salt marshes; * the improvement of roads and then the arrival of the tram on the island; * the regular silting up of the channel. After the First World War, the channel silted up almost completely and commercial traffic gradually disappeared. The revival In the late 1980s, the basin was completely rehabilitated and transformed into a marina. It now accommodates around 350 to 400 boats and is one of the main marinas on the island of Oléron. Its location, in the cove of Malconche, offers a remarkable view of Fort Boyard and the Île d’Aix. The old channel, although no longer navigable to the village, continues to supply seawater to the old salt marshes and today constitutes a pleasant walking or cycling route. It is a place where the traces of Oléron's maritime past can still be read in the landscape: the quays, the bridge, the channel, and the old hydraulic structures bear witness to the era when salt was the island's main wealth.

Renovated, always in operation and possibility to visit

Enjoy cycling in this remarkable dune forest, covering almost 700 hectares. It's the result of a large-scale reforestation campaign in the 19th century, aimed at halting the dune advance, which was gradually encroaching on villages.

The port of Douhet is essentially the mouth of the Douhet Canal. There are several nice restaurants nearby.

After approximately 100 years of inactivity, the former "Moulin de la Faintaine" was not only repurchased and restored by the town and municipality, but was even put back into operation. Today, it also houses a museum where you can learn about the mill's workings, for example, and sample products made with the flour produced here. https://moulin-de-la-bree.fr/

After 224 steps you can enjoy a wonderful panoramic view of the island

Oléron Island has been nicknamed "the island of a hundred mills", but this one is one of the only ones that is still well preserved. The site includes the production mill and a museum. Back in operation since June 2023, the mill is intended for the production of flour.