Between Saint-Laurent-de-la-Prée and Fouras along the Charente

Date of your route : Dec 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I did this route on 19 December 2025, and I have a few comments and clarifications to make.
- The path along the Charente is very muddy at this time of year for about 5 km. Walking sticks can be very useful.
Due to the rain, we took shelter under the bandstand in Fouras for lunch. Take the pedestrian street on the right after the crêperie, which is about 300 m round trip from the route.
The dyke on the northern section, after the carrelets, has been "eaten away" by erosion. There are signs for a short hike on the route. There is a right turn at a post. Take this to join the cycle path. Turn left onto the cycle path to follow the trail.
- On the D937, I took the first right instead of the second. This adds a few hundred metres to the route, but there is very little traffic. Take the first left on this small road to reach the entrance to Saint Laurent with a wide, safer downhill slope than on the D21.
Otherwise, it's a pleasant route (probably more so in sunny weather) with no difficulties. However, you do need to be careful along the Charente to avoid group falls.
Thank you for the signposting.

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Date of your route : Apr 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike. It is well marked. You can also visit Fouras.
One small downside at the end: you walk along the side of the road, which is a bit dangerous...
The roadworks are finished, so you can follow the markings without any problems.

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Date of your route : May 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Testimony different from Dan's. The rehabilitation of the former landfill site (asbestos risk) prohibits, by prefectural order, any passage from the footpath to the cycle path. Apparently a long-term project.

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Date of your route : Jan 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike, not very busy except of course when crossing Fouras, on this sunny Sunday. The route is very easy to follow, although there are few or no markings, which means you can leave your map or GPS behind. The surroundings are remarkable, between the marshes, the Charente and its estuary, and the Fouras peninsula. There is a bit of mud on the route between points 1 and 3, but that's to be expected after several weeks of rain. Please note that it is not possible to take the path marked at point 6 due to clean-up work at the former Pré-Magnou landfill site. The work is almost complete and everything should be back to normal soon. in the meantime, you can join the cycle path about 100 metres before the start of the works and follow it to the path (the first on the right), which leads to the D937. As previously mentioned by Ardechois33, it is possible to avoid the D214 until you reach St Laurent-de-la-Prée, by taking a small detour of about one kilometre.

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Date of your route : May 30, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Good evening, surely one of the most beautiful hikes in Charente Maritime.

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Date of your route : Feb 13, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We encountered strong winds along the Réverseaux embankment and along the Charente river.

It is also possible to extend this hike by 1.5 km before point 3 by going to the Cabane des cabanes

Before point 7, we did not take the D214E1 but instead took the Chemin des Ajoncs and then the Rue de l'Aubonnière to join the D214E1 at the entrance to St Laurent de la Prée, where there is a pavement, which meant we did not have to walk along the D214E1, where there is quite a lot of traffic

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Date of your route : Oct 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route alternating between marshes and wildlife, the banks of the Charente with its typical fishing huts, the seaside, the town of Fouras and its forts.
The only downside is the end of the route, which runs along a busy road and is not at all pleasant. Consider changing this long and uninteresting section.

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Date of your route : Aug 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route that alternates between different environments (the banks of the Charente, marshes, town, coastal countryside). Lots of birds in the marshland along the Charente. There are numerous picnic areas; I love the one before the south harbour.
The only downside is the end of the route, which runs alongside the D 214 road with no footpath and vehicles travelling at high speed. Please find another route so that it doesn't end on such a stressful note.

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Date of your route : Apr 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful route despite its length, with lovely views of the mouth of the Charente, its lighthouses, forts, islands (Madame, D'Aix and Oléron), carrelets (fishing huts), etc. Nothing to complain about. Only the crossing of the Réverseaux levee and the return on the D 214 may seem "long"... but that's just my opinion. In spring, this route is very green and I think it's perhaps the best season to discover it, as the colour contrasts are excellent.

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Date of your route : Oct 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant route along the Charente river and the sea>

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