The Moëze Nature Reserve

A short walk in the heart of a protected natural environment, where you can encounter many species of birds and enjoy a guaranteed change of scenery.

Details

n°191593
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 2.49 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 7 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 7 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 16 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 7 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

Parking is available at the Côte de Monportail car park, south-west of the village of Saint-Froult.

Arrows on a brown background (Sentier des Lais de Mer)

(S/E) Leave the roundabout car park and cross the small access road to find a signpost indicating the trails and a map of the area. Take the path heading south. At two closely spaced forks in the road, take the right-hand path each time. Go through a gate and follow the fence on your right. Cross a wooden jetty and arrive at a T-junction with a tiled-roof house on the left (La Grange à Noureau).

(1) Turn right (towards “Plateforme”), go through another gate and you’ll soon reach a viewing platform (damaged in January 2016) and Plaisance beach.

(2) Retrace your steps back to the previous junction.

Arrows on a green background (Sentier des Polders)

(1) Continue straight ahead (eastwards), skirting a pond on your left. Go through a gate, take a footbridge over a small canal and come out onto a small road. Turn right and follow the road for about 250 metres.

(3) Before reaching the houses on the left, leave the road, go through a gate and turn right onto a grassy path that runs alongside the small canal on your right. When you reach the houses (Ferme de Plaisance), join a gravel path coming from the left.

(4) Continue straight on (south-west) along the gravel path, with ponds on your right, ignoring any turn-offs to the right. When you reach a gate marked ‘Réserve de Moëze-Oléron / Interdit’, turn right, cross a footbridge and go through a gate. Walk between two ponds, then turn left to enter the observatory (gate in the middle of the fence).

(5) On leaving the observatory, carry on straight ahead (do not take the path to the right that you took on the way there) and walk between two ponds. Cross a footbridge, then make a right-left zigzag to continue between two ponds. Go through a gate, cross a footbridge and turn immediately right to rejoin the gravel path you took on the way there. Turn left and you’ll immediately reach the Plaisance junction.

(4) Let the gravel path branch off to the right and follow the grassy path along the small canal in the opposite direction to your outward journey.

(3) Continue along the small road and take the footbridge on the left before the Grange à Noureau.

Arrows on a brown background (Sentier des Lais de Mer)

(1) At the corner of the pond, turn right and, following the same path as on the way out, return to the starting point.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 13 ft - Monportail Coast car park
  2. 1 : mi 0.3 - alt. 10 ft - Crossroads – Noureau Barn
  3. 2 : mi 0.38 - alt. 7 ft - Plaisance beach and observation post
  4. 3 : mi 0.73 - alt. 10 ft - Junction – Edge of a small canal
  5. 4 : mi 0.93 - alt. 10 ft - Crossroads – Plaisance
  6. 5 : mi 1.33 - alt. 10 ft - Observation point
  7. S/E : mi 2.49 - alt. 13 ft - Monportail Coast car park

Notes

The paths are well-maintained and, in places, have been improved: a good pair of trainers is sufficient for this walk. No water points were spotted.

The time given is the walking time. It is recommended that you take your time to observe the natural surroundings, particularly inside the observatory (5), which is sheltered and designed for this purpose. Do not hesitate to bring a pair of binoculars and a camera.

Observatory opening hours
- 1 September to 31 January: 12.00 to 18.00.
- 1 February to 31 August: 8.30 am to 6.30 pm.
Please also note that, from 1 September to 31 January, the path along the small canal, between (3) and (4), is closed in the mornings. In this case, at (3), continue along the small road. When you reach the Ferme de Plaisance, turn right, go through a barrier and take the gravel path to the junction at (4).
Due to the COVID-19 health situation, arrangements for walkers have changed; please contact https://www.reserve-moeze-oleron.fr/prog for further information .... Thank you for your understanding.

Extremely important recommendations
- The nature reserve is a protected site. It serves as a nesting or stopover site for many species of birds. Consequently, do not stray from the paths under any circumstances; dogs are strictly prohibited.
- To minimise disturbance, groups are only admitted on guided tours; please contact the reserve at http://www.reserve-moeze-oleron.fr/
- The dykes around the various ponds are maintained by grazing sheep: please ensure you close the gates behind you every time.

Walk undertaken by the author on1 January 2016.

This route passes through a protected area, which may be subject to special regulations:

Worth a visit

- Numerous bird species can be spotted, depending on the season.
- A very pleasant walk along the ponds.
For further information, see the Moëze-Oléron Nature Reserve website.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 15 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
Nette Rousse
Nette Rousse
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : Not used / Not applicable
Very busy route : No

nothing to see here. Path blocked on all sides by barriers prohibiting access. Avoid at all costs. Better to wander around the marsh along the farm tracks, where you can see birds, dragonflies, etc.

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victorien didier
victorien didier

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 25, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Nothing to report

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Jjb
Jjb

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely little walk with varied coastal scenery and the advantage of being educational, ideal for doing with children and in dry weather.

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Phtison
Phtison

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An essential hike leading to the well-equipped bird observatory with telescopes.
To see as many birds as possible, combine this hike with the hike (straight return) starting from the Tannes farm

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chrisfil
chrisfil

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 19, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Short walk through the marshes on equipped paths. Well-documented bird observatory with telescopes.

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pquettier
pquettier
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A nice little Sunday afternoon stroll

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deforge
deforge

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 04, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A relaxing walk in peaceful natural surroundings, surrounded by birds and sheep. Very well-designed observatory. The polder trail is not always open, so check before you go.

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francois_lyon
francois_lyon

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 22, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

In June, parking is easy and the route is not very busy.
The location is very pleasant and quite wild. Few birds, but perhaps the time of day was not ideal (mid-afternoon).
You can walk along the pretty beach.
If you take your time, 1½ hours is plenty. For those heading south, don't miss the citadel of Brouage.

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mirabel54
mirabel54

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 19, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant short walk, although it was a shame that part of the route was inaccessible (path closed due to Covid restrictions) from point 3 onwards. However, the road, which was quiet at this time of year, runs alongside the marsh. You can vary the route by taking the Sablières trail from the Plaisance farm (point 4) to the Canal de la Grange (car park) and returning by road to point 4, making a total distance of 4 km 400 metres.

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Soizig87
Soizig87
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Currently, i.e. in May 2021, part of the trail is closed at point 3 of the description due to Covid-19. There is a sign informing us of this.

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Netra
Netra ★
• Edited:

Hello marietmichel,

Thank you for your feedback, and I'm sorry to hear about your misadventures...

I did this hike over four years ago. At the time, I noted down the timetables and access restrictions for the route. In the practical information section, it says:

Please also note that from 1 September to 31 January, the path along the small canal between (3) and (4) is closed in the morning.

I read that this is where you were blocked: is that correct?

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marieetmichel
marieetmichel

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 03, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : Yes

A little disappointed, from point 3 onwards the path is locked! So we drove on, hoping to catch up with point 4, but that was closed too. So we went off the route into the marshes on the left. Pleasant scenery, but frankly we saw more birds in the car between Brouage and Moeze than in the reserve!!! A shame

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tagadapanpan
tagadapanpan

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 05, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

It is best to do the route at high tide and, if possible, at sunset, to enjoy the beauty of the landscape and see more birds.

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Tistou-LPV
Tistou-LPV

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 23, 2018
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A pleasant walk, first along the seafront and then between the old oyster beds and canals. However, we remain outside the reserve and the birds are quite far away.
Beautiful light on a lovely October afternoon.
We returned from point 2 to the car park via the beach, just for a change.
At point 4, there is an easy detour to the reserve's visitor centre.

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talie
talie

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 12, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We had a very nice afternoon with the family in the reserve.

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