A guide to what you may reasonably expect in the way of camping holidays in and around St Vincent sur Jard, near to la Tranche in the southern Vendee region of France. 

St Vincent sur Jard is pretty much next door to Jard sur Mer would you believe? Both are in the southern part of the Vendee region and both are roughly mid way between Les Sables d'Olonne and la Tranche. Saint Vincent is the more southerly of the two and lies at the northern tip of the Foret de Longeville which stretches right down the Atlantic coastline to the outskirts of la Tranche.

Beaches are beautiful in that region, as they are in most of the Vendee, and the whole area is a haven for watersports enthusiasts as is a great deal of the Vendee coastline. If you are looking for a peaceful camping holiday doing nothing much but lazing around and dipping into the sea etc as the mood takes you then St Vincent is for you. It's a small place with a few shops and a bar or two and that's about it. But that's all you need isn't it?

As we've mentioned above, it is very near to a forest which is great for walking and cycling, and especially good if you like to take wildlife photos because there are masses of different birds there, and of course no French forest is worthy of the name without a host of red squirrels.

Depending on which ferry route you opted for, our aim is to direct you from your ferry port to St Vincent without you feeling the need to consult a map. 

Assuming you are setting off from Le Havre, Caen, Cherbourg or St Malo then you will most probably get to Rennes and further on down the same dual carriageway Nantes. When you get near to Nantes you need to take the Nantes périphérique (ring road). Follow the signs for Bordeaux when on the périphérique otherwise you will undoubtedly have to go through the city - easy enough but time wasting. Get off the périphérique at junction 48 and head down the D937 to La Roche sur Yon.

La Roche is quite industrial, and for a French city it can be quite confusing getting around it, but take the D747 and head for la Tranche. Keep on that road until you reach Moutiers-les-Maufaits and Le Givre where you pick up signs for Longeville and St Vincent. Your tour operator should have supplied you with directions for getting to your camping site.

What is there for you when you get to St Vincent other than camping? Not a lot, but that's one reason for you going there, but you have loads of things in the immediate area like a day in la Tranche where the shops beckon, or a day in les Sables where there is a wonderful outdoor zoo. You could even drive round the bay and have a day in La Rochelle and onto the Ild de Re.