Fromentine
Coordinates: 46 ° 53 ′ 28 ″ N , 2 ° 8 ′ 13 ″ W.
Fromentine is a district of La Barre-de-Monts and is located in the French Vendée department of the Pays de la Loire region . Around 2000 inhabitants live on an area of 2781 hectares . In the summer, around 20,000 tourists regularly populate the place, which has appropriate accommodation options. The dominant marshland of La Barre des Monts is interrupted by coniferous forests on the beaches. The beach area comprises the parts Fromentine, La Grande Côte , La Bergère and Les Lays over a length of 5 km .
Ferries to Île d'Yeu leave from Fromentine all year round . Smaller, fast boats designed for passengers without a lot of luggage and large ships (so-called paquebots) that transport food, cars and bulky goods to the Atlantic island.
Over the bridge Notre Dame de Monts whatever can be reached from Fromentine from tides , the Ile de Noirmoutier . Until the opening of the bridge, the Passage du Gois , a dam built through the mudflats and flooded at high tide, was the only road connection from the Île de Noirmoutier to the mainland.
In autumn 2005, a dock for catamarans with little draft was built in the port of Fromentine . On November 27th, the first of two ordered catamarans was delivered. It is 45 meters long and has a draft of 1.50 meters, which allows operation at low tide . The boat travels at a maximum speed of 32 knots , shortening the crossing to Île d'Yeu to 30 minutes. 439 passengers, 21 freight containers, 150 bicycles and six cars can be taken on board. On the afternoon of January 12, 2006, the catamaran was christened Pont d'Yeu in the port of Port-Joinville and put into service.
In 2005, Fromentine received special attention on July 2nd as the starting point of the Tour de France .