Pornic

On the west coast south of St Nazair and north of Sables- deOlonne, it's a very chicque, drying harbour set between some hills on a coast which is largely flat.

Home to more than a few classic boats, it's a great place for promenading, and when lunch time beckons has lenty of seafood restaurants. We found really good moules et frites in a bar where locals were eating.

 Looking out towards the entrance, there's now a marina (on the right) which seems accessible at all states of the tide, presumably in the old days waiting outside for the tide on a lee shore when the weather got up would be perilous. Lifting keel yachts that can take the ground are the order of the day.

The chateau is a conspicuous reminder of the wealth of the town in previous centuries