Chassiron lighthouse – Fish pass loop from Ancienne gare de Sauzelle
Chassiron lighthouse – Fish pass loop from Ancienne gare de Sauzelle
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210
riders
Chassiron lighthouse – Fish pass loop from Ancienne gare de Sauzelle
02:38
46.6km
70m
Mountain biking
Moderate mountain bike ride. Good fitness required. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.
Last updated: July 23, 2026
Waypoints
Start point
Train Station
Get Directions
4.10 km
Forêt Domaniale des Saumonards
Forest
10.3 km
La Brée Beach
Highlight • Beach
Translated by Google •
Tip by
13.4 km
Saint-Denis-d'Oléron Marina
Highlight • Structure
Translated by Google •
Tip by
14.1 km
Plage de Soubregeon
Beach
17.3 km
Chassiron lighthouse
Highlight • Monument
Translated by Google •
Tip by
18.0 km
Fish pass
Highlight • Lake
Most of these locks are located on or near Chassiron Point in the commune of Saint-Denis d'Oléron (Madame Naud, Le Grand Sabia, etc.).
The locks named Les Jeunes Pointes and Les Vieilles Longes are located at the tip of the point and are next to the lighthouse. Their shape is clearly visible from its platform.
Guided tours allow visitors to discover the fish locks, the rocky foreshore, and the edible seaweed that grows there. These tours are organized from the Chassiron lighthouse.
These fixed fish traps consist of a wall 500 to 700 meters long. They have the shape of a horseshoe, more or less symmetrical depending on the configuration of the foreshore on which they are built. On the Oléron coast, wherever the coast was rocky and there were stones, there were locks.
They are built with coastal stones stacked in such a way that they can withstand the assaults of the sea. These enormous masses of stone are made without any connection and become fragile as soon as one of their stones is moved. Their main role is, of course, to catch fish, but they also serve as breakwaters by mitigating marine erosion on cliffs and beaches.
Their system is simple: the fish enter the lock at high tide and find themselves trapped there at low tide, surprised by the rapid flow of water through the lock trap. All that remains is for the fisherman to retrieve the trapped fish. Various species of fish can be caught here: sea bass, sea bream, garfish, mullet, mackerel, and conger eel. The first locks date back at least to the Middle Ages, with texts proving that they existed as early as the 14th century.
There were once two rows of locks, the upper locks closer to the shore, the lower locks further away. At low tide, the lower locks located in the second row received water from the upper locks located in the first row. There were as many as 237 locks in the mid-19th century, including 45 in Saint Denis. Today, only 17 locks remain on the entire island of Oléron.
The locks are fragile; it is strictly forbidden to move the stones from the walls and to fish within fifty meters.
Translated by Google •
Tip by
19.7 km
Stone Cairns Near Chassiron Lighthouse
Highlight • Structure
Climb up to the lighthouse via the cycle path and descend along the ocean via this small path! Or the opposite :)
Translated by Google •
Tip by
26.5 km
Old Cypress of Chaucre
Highlight • Natural Monument
Translated by Google •
Tip by
28.0 km
View of the Chassiron Lighthouse from Chaucre Beach
Highlight • Viewpoint
38.1 km
La Cotinière fishing port
Highlight • Structure
Tip by
46.6 km
End point
Train Station
Way Types & Surfaces
Way Types
16.5 km
12.6 km
8.32 km
4.99 km
4.04 km
201 m
Surfaces
19.7 km
16.6 km
5.25 km
2.15 km
2.09 km
917 m
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Elevation
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Weather
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Wednesday 22 July
29°C
19°C
0 %
Additional weather tips
Max wind speed: 27.0 km/h
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Our route recommendations are based on thousands of hikes, rides, and runs completed by other people on komoot.
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