Great ferry trip across the estuary, as per usual, we had to do a dreaded grocery shop to ensure we had enough supplies for our three day stay on the Ile de Re. Once done, we were off. We weren’t sure about the campsite we had booked, we had left it late & most of the sites recommended to us were fully booked. However we had a pitch & we’d always make the most of it, we’d just spent three nights in what are essentially carparks with water, drainage, WC emptying & electric. We went to reception to check in, gave the details to the receptionist who couldn’t find us. Luckily we had the booking confirmation. Unfortunately what we hadn’t noticed was that we were a day early! First time this trip, we had messed up a booking. Panic now beginning to set in, as they were fully booked & had no space for us. Fortunately they had a “sister site” on the opposite side of the road, a two minute drive away. The receptionist called them & they had a pitch, Good News. Bad News was it was a premium pitch at 95.25 Euros!!! We took it & would move back to the original campsite the next day. So what did we get for the extra 45 Euros? An ensuite bathroom, fridge & washing up sink. It was nicely done but a fair chunk of money. The next morning we headed back to Antioche for the next three nights. Despite our reservations, the site was absolutely fine & perfectly located to cycle to both La Flotte & St Martin en Re. By this stage we had decided to book another night further up on the island, so we could visit the third town of Ars en Re & the lighthouse at Saint-Clément-des-Baleines. We were delighted we found the famous island donkey’s, their coats resembling dreadlocks. What should have been a three night stay, turned into five nights & we thoroughly enjoyed every minute, with miles of safe cycle paths to get around the island & photo opportunities galore, it all turned out fine in the end.
