Day 18 Thursday 21 April 89km Les Sables d'Olonne - Marans

A major push today, because at this stage towns are far between and it was too far to reach La Rochelle. Some great stretches today, still a few fine Belle Époque and Art Déco buildings remaining on the front at LSD but sadly outnumbered by the talentless outpourings of flat block architects 1960-2000. The older areas are still interesting and the working port very vigorous with lots of bustle, serious looking marine engineering, grain, cement and a fair amount of fishing.

We cycled through lots more Marais and entered the Marais-Poitevin, cereals and cattle in evidence. Another cuckoo, herons, the pompous croak of frogs in different registers. Unfortunately one of the biggest crops in this region, near the coast is "les mobile-homes" and other species of camp sites, which seem to have proliferated since we concluded that this was not for us a couple of decades ago. Thank good planning that we are travelling in low season. On the other hand it is cheering that the French still love their seaside holidays. 

Our journey today ended in Marans, home of the Marans breed of hen and an interesting little town, which thrived as an inland port after the Benedictines drained the swamp, sorry, Marais. As a result there are some great waterside settings and signs of great wealth in the buildings. There is also a weird church constructed around 1900 but the money ran out and the spire was built late C20, not altogether successfully, I fear. 

The  striking aspect is that the main road retail is as dead as anywhere we have been. The road is very busy and the retailers have abandoned it. We have seen similar effects on the road up to Andorra, especially in Olette, but this was extraordinary. The two canals make a bypass very costly but this town is dying and depopulating, so the investment ought to be a priority for the Région.