Two things to know before you set off.
The tide changes everything. A beautiful beach at high tide can become a vast rocky foreshore three hours later. Check the tide times, the app on your phone will do, and you will avoid 90% of the disappointment.
The sand is orange around Sainte-Marie-sur-Mer. The local rock is rich in iron oxide. That is what gives these beaches their distinctive colour, especially late in the day.
Our five favourites all lie south of the centre, towards Sainte-Marie-sur-Mer: about ten minutes by car from the studio, or a fine walk along the coastal path.
Plage des Sablons
A small cove of orange sand tucked at the foot of a cliff, roughly 750 metres from the village of Sainte-Marie along the coastal path. The prettiest of the lot, and the most photogenic.
It is small, so come early in July and August, or late. And a considerable bonus: the Sablons beach bar is right there: a drink, a meal or an ice cream without leaving the sand.
Plage de l’Étang
Under a single name sits a series of small coves, which is what gives it its wild feel. You will always find a spot of your own, even on a bank holiday.
It is lifeguarded in July and August, which makes it a good compromise: the feel of a cove with the safety of a family beach.
Plage de la Birochère
The closest of the five, 25 minutes on foot along the coastal path or 5 minutes by car. A discreet cove framed by rocks, much loved by regulars.
Fewer people, fewer facilities: bring a picnic. The walk there along the coastal path is an outing in itself, and in fact it is most of the pleasure.
Plage du Porteau
A long sandy beach, bordered by the coastal path and by the pêcheries, those stilted wooden fishing platforms that are the very image of the Côte de Jade.
It is the most open of our five: space, horizon, and the best place around to photograph a fishing hut at sunset.
Plage du Portmain
Noticeably less busy than the beaches near the centre, which is already an argument. Same orange sand, same rocks, fewer towels.
And Le Papagayo is there: a beach bar facing the ocean, not on the sand but just above it. One of the summer meeting points in Pornic.
And on foot from the studio?
If you have no car, or no wish to move it:
- Plage du Château, a 10-minute walk, just below the castle between the harbour and the Gourmalon headland. Small, and largely gone at high tide, but it is the one you head for late in the day.
- Plage de la Noëveillard, 20 minutes on foot past the marina. Pornic’s big family beach: fine sand, gentle slope, lifeguards in summer, playground, parking. The busiest in July and August, but the easiest with children. La Villa Noé, a beachfront restaurant, faces the sea here.
Choosing in 30 seconds
| What you want | Go to |
|---|---|
| The prettiest cove | Les Sablons |
| Wild, but lifeguarded | L’Étang |
| A walk and some quiet | La Birochère |
| Space and the fishing huts | Le Porteau |
| No crowds plus a beach bar | Le Portmain |
| Closest, no car | Plage du Château |
| A day with children | La Noëveillard |
Three tips that actually help
- Check the tide before you leave. It is the only real trap on this coast.
- The Sainte-Marie beaches are more sheltered from a westerly. When it blows at the harbour, they often stay pleasant.
- Bring water shoes. Many coves are rocky at the water’s edge, even when the sand behind is perfect.
And our favourite ritual, worth doing at least once: pick up two pastries at Paris-Pornic, opposite the station, then go and eat them sitting in the sand looking at the sea. More in where to eat.