The last couple of days have been perfect! Yesterday we fished when the tide went out, did a 15km cycle to a fete which had a bouncy castle, chi chi’s, candy floss and wine for €1 a glass. We got back and had drinks with the family we’d met in Saumur and the children played so nicely we didn’t have dinner until 9pm.

Today was all about the fishing again! We pitched up to the beach and tried to catch the big one…. Action Matt (the man who made the cool kitchen) had a fishing utility vest with literally everything you could need, including scissors on extendable strings and a little pot of those worms you get in tequila. Meanwhile I was doing a spot of fishing with prosciutto ham! We all had a few bites but no one caught anything. The sea was so clear we could see the fish below but they weren’t hungry…. or didn’t fancyworms (who could blame them!) or the ham ( it was lovely ham, perhaps they were vegetarian)

Fraser was absolutely in his element! Penny meanwhile, was sitting making loom band things which her and her friend decided they would sell at the park in the evening!

As the tide went out further the children all had a swim, and the grown ups decided that we should have a seafood feast! Stew and action Matt headed off to the supermarket, whilst Jules and I fed the children. Once the men were back we embarked on the next hunter gathering event… we went out when the tide was at its lowest scraping for clams. The sandy, stoney black sands when the tide is right out are full of clams, cockles, oysters and mussles. http://uk.ile-noirmoutier.com/activities-outings/shellfish-gathering

You can gather the food and it’s all safe to eat. There is no shortage of locals to watch how they do it! We picked enough to go with our meal and headed back.

On the menu was moule, prawns, oysters, smoked salmon, clams and squid, sausages for the less adventurous children and lots of baguette! After dinner the boys went off to fish with nets, and the girls to sell loom bands! They made €2.50! The boys didn’t catch anything but from the pitch beside the beach (not ours, the Jenkins!) we could watch them having a ball…. more of the same tomorrow I think!