I will take you south of me , close, toGuérande, one of the best if not the best salt of Franceand a lot more. See my many posts on the city in my blog. Guérande is just over an hour from my home, a fortified town and home of the Salt. I got there as usual by my road warrior instincts, following the N165 direction Nantes and getting off at La Roche Bernard taking direction La Baule , to Guérande on the road D774. Guérande is located in the Loire-Atlantique dept 44 of the Pays de la Loire region. However, old Bretagne and very much feels that way.
The salt marshes of Guérande are an area of salt marshes located on the territory of the towns of Guérande, Batz-sur-Mer, Le Croisic and La Turballe . About 20 km to the north is another salt basin, the Mès marshes, which are associated with those of Guérande as part of the salt basin of the Guérande peninsula. The salt marshes in Guérande are bordered by departmental roads 774 and 245.
The working technique was fixed in the 15C. Embankment and hydraulic works reached their peak between the 14C and 17C; the last saltworks were built at the end of the 18C on either side of the Grand Traict, at Sissable and at the tip of Sinabat, Following the storms of 1877, 1880, 1894 and 1900 which washed away several hundred meters of levees, a “dike union” was created in 1901. The dikes were reinforced by masonry walls. After WWII, the salt producers of the Atlantic coast created cooperatives: the most important was that of the Guérande peninsula. These cooperatives are grouped within the National Federation of Atlantic Salt Producers’ Cooperatives. On average, the Guérande saltworks produce around 10,000 tonnes of salt each year, The production of Guérande salt is a 100% natural know-how The coarse salt, which is harvested from the clayey bottom of the marsh, is naturally gray in color , and it is rich in magnesium and oligo elements. Fleur de sel, on the other hand, is picked from the surface of the marsh, and consists of fine white snow crystals.
In 2002, inauguration of the tourist reception structure “Terre de Sel” , On March 20, 2012, Guérande salt obtained Protected Geographical Indication (IGP) from the European Commission. The fauna and flora of the site are varied with Birds, Marine animals, Insects, Mammals, Amphibians, and lots of Flora.
Several informational webpages to help you plan your trip,which is worth the detour, me think
The city of Guérande on the salt marshes visits: https://www.ville-guerande.fr/pratique-vos-demarches/tourisme-et-decouvertes/visiter-les-marais-salants
The house of Salt workers or paludiers in Guérande: http://maisondespaludiers.fr/
The Terre de Sel org on planning visits : https://www.terredesel.com/eng/
The official Guerande Salt : https://www.leguerandais.fr/en/node/817
The local La Baule-Guérande tourist office on the salt marshes of Guérande: https://www.labaule-guerande.com/les-celebres-marais-salants-de-guerande.html
There you go folks, in wonderful Guérande , see the salt marshes or marais salants , an unique environment worth the detour me think, Hope you enjoy the post as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 