This leg continues down the Vendée coast before crossing one of La Vélodyssée’s signature landscapes: the Marais Poitevin marshland, nicknamed the “Green Venice.” The route follows the dykes separating the marsh plots, a flat and distinctive scenery very different from the beaches that came before.
Marans makes a good halfway stop to split this leg into two days, before reaching La Rochelle through the final kilometres of marshland and oyster-farming areas around the bay.
La Rochelle, with its old harbour and iconic towers, is a major waypoint on La Vélodyssée and a good pivot point: this is where the best-documented section of this guide begins (see the following stages toward Rochefort and Royan).
Distances shown are indicative; the exact route varies depending on whether you favour crossing the marsh or a more coastal alignment.