The best road cycling routes around Saint-Romain-De-Benet

Built from 1955 and consecrated in 1958, the Notre-Dame de Royan church symbolizes the city standing tall and proud again. The reinforced concrete monument thus fits into the general trend of renewal in sacred art after the sad events the world experienced in the 1940s. It is considered today as a feat and a masterpiece of modern architecture. "Upon entering this concrete cathedral, be silent. Here, everything is momentum, rigor, roughness, austere beauty. The twilight sings the elusive, the divine, variable and constant like the sea." ANDRÉ MALRAUX Minister of Cultural Affairs (1958-1969)

Exceptional view, the most beautiful village in France.

Here you'll find a romantic little lighthouse, and behind it lies a garden with a bench overlooking the sea, a lovely place to stop for a break. Afterwards, you can continue along the cliff to the right until you reach Euro Velo 1 again.

Perfect beachside bike trail along the boulevard, with several rest stops with seating and beach acces.

The port of Royan is located between the Foncillon district and the Grande Conche beach, in the heart of the city. Ideally located at the mouth of the Gironde, in the immediate vicinity of the Atlantic Ocean and opposite Port-Médoc, it consists of a marina with a thousand rings and a fishing port, specializing in “noble” species (sole, meagre, sea bass, etc.). You will find the harbor master's office, the Fishing Port and the auction, as well as a covered shopping arcade, “Les voûtes du Port”, which extends the shopping arcades of the “Front de Mer”. Port, 1100 sheltered places – Reception pontoon – Secure pontoons. Access pass is 0.30 m above the zero of the nautical charts. Basins after dredging 2.30 m from the zero of the nautical charts. Services: water, electricity (220 V) on pontoon, toilets, WC, showers, handling in closed technical area, recovery of careening water, grey water and black water pumps, maintenance and ship repair workshops, ship chandlers on the port, wifi, 24/24 CB fuel, slipway. V.H.F. 9. The port is sheltered from all winds because it is protected by the landing stage of the ferries which ensure the crossing of the Gironde for the crossings to the Pointe de Grave/Le Verdon-sur-Mer.

On the beach of Royan (20,000 inhabitants). This is where the boat that takes you across the Gironde docks/departs.

The Terre-Nègre lighthouse is a landmark forming a cylindrical tower a little over 26 meters high. Located on the tip of Terre-Nègre, in the commune of Saint-Palais-sur-Mer, in Charente-Maritime, it is intended to mark the southern pass of the Gironde estuary and to signal the presence of a dangerous sandbank, the "Anglais bar". This building forms a tower-column 3.16 meters in diameter and 26.60 meters high. A spiral staircase with a central core of 143 steps leads to a summit platform equipped with a directional light. The tower is painted in two different colors to make it more visible: the upper part is red, the lower part is white. The base of the lighthouse is hidden by a building that once served as the keeper's accommodation. The installation of a beacon at this location was considered as early as 1763. De Kearney took over the beaconing plan four years later. Construction work on the tower began in 1770 and was completed in 1773, probably under the supervision of the Bordeaux engineer Claude Tardy. In 1807, the tower was raised. However, this work was considered insufficient by some of the estuary's navigators. In 1834, sailors from the nearby port of Royan sent a request to the Ministry of the Navy to study the possibility of equipping the tower with a light. However, this request was postponed the following year due to lack of sufficient funds. A new request from sailors prompted the lighthouse commission to experiment with a first light in 1836. Finally, on October 15, 1838, a fixed white 4th order light was permanently installed. The latter was replaced in 1856 by a fixed white light of the 4th order of a small dioptric model with a reinforced sector of the 5th order catoptric. It was equipped with new lights in 1899 and 1904. In 1939, it was electrified. During the German occupation, the lighthouse served as an observatory for the soldiers of the Wehrmacht. Damaged during the fighting of 1945 (presence of breaches at the top of the tower), it was restored in the immediate post-war period. In March 1947, the lighthouse was operational again. A light with 3 occultations — changing every 12 seconds — was installed. Its colors are white, red and green. Its current range is 18 miles. Listed as a Historic Monument since 2011, the lighthouse is not open to visitors. However, it can be admired from the outside and a pretty passage provides direct access to the coastal path.

Don't count on making speed here - this is a very busy place in Summer, but always nice things to see.