The drive through the Ile d'Oleron was a pretty one. A really nice road along the coast and through some island towns. Very charming, very different from the mainland. Very enjoyable.

Had a great lunch stop at the Quai 17 in St. Denis-D'Oleron. After we drove to the end of the island, to this lighthouse.

Parked the car here, very close to the restaurant and other facilities on site. Unpaved, but quite low fees. Fair enough.

There is handful of shops, a bigger restaurants, some food stalls, bathrooms. All looks quite a bit dated. There are two ways to walk. One is paved and lead directly to the Phare (lighthouse). The other is an unpaved (but flat) trail circling around the lighthouse just right at the coast.

I went straight to the lighthouse first. Didn't pay to go up though. Just wanted to see the lighthouse from up-close. And: It's nothing to write home about. Quite un-exciting. There are better lighthouses around.

The trail along the coast was enjoyable though. Nice sea views and some other views of the lighthouse. But it's a quite short walk. Of course, the trail keeps going along the coast and the island, but that would take you far away from you parked car. And in high season it can get pretty hot here under the sun without shade.

It was ok. A quick walk, some nice views. Just for this I wouldn't recommend to come to the Ile D'Oleron. But we enjoyed the drive, the island and our lunch so much that we think it was very well worth spending a day here on this island.