Chay Beach – Fort du Chay loop from Vaux-sur-Mer
Chay Beach – Fort du Chay loop from Vaux-sur-Mer
4.5
(4)
684
runners
Chay Beach – Fort du Chay loop from Vaux-sur-Mer
01:16
12.1km
70m
Running
Moderate run. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.
Last updated: June 28, 2026
Waypoints
Start point
Bus stop
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4.17 km
Chay Beach
Highlight • Beach
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4.36 km
Fort du Chay
Highlight • Historical Site
This impressive defense system was almost completely destroyed in the bombing raids of 1945. Only a few log houses remain.
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5.51 km
Port of Royan
Highlight • Structure
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6.10 km
Royan Beach
Highlight • Beach
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7.62 km
Carrelets de Royan
Highlight • Other
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8.83 km
Carrelets on Pigeonnier Beach
Highlight • Monument
After asking questions to the Ligue contre le Cancer, they point out that "vaping can be a risk reduction tool and a tool to help people quit smoking when used for a limited period of time."
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9.79 km
Pontaillac
Highlight • Other
10.1 km
A desacralized church transformed into a home
Highlight • Other
📍 Location and context
• The building is located on Boulevard de la Falaise in Royan, facing the ocean, in the Pontaillac/Vaux-sur-Mer district, right on the beach.
🏛️ Origins and Religious History
🛠️ Construction
• Faced with the rise of seaside tourism in the mid-19th century, the Catholic community of Pontaillac wanted a place of worship near the beaches and the developing villas.
• After disagreements with the parish priest of Royan regarding the location of a church, parishioners had this small Neo-Romanesque/Neo-Gothic chapel built in 1870 on the cliff, then administratively within the territory of Vaux-sur-Mer (and therefore outside the parish jurisdiction of Royan).
🙏 Liturgical Role and Replacement
• For a few years, it served as the local place of worship for the faithful of the seaside district.
• With the development of Pontaillac, the building proved too small and too far from the town center. • Thus, the construction of the larger Notre-Dame-des-Anges Chapel (still a Catholic chapel today) in the center of Pontaillac in 1891 eventually replaced this first place of worship.
🏗️ Deconsecration and Transformation
🏡 End of Religious Function
• Once the new chapel (Notre-Dame-des-Anges) was built, the old chapel on the cliff gradually lost its religious function and ceased to be used for regular services.
🏠 Conversion into a Private Residence
• The building was then deconsecrated (that is, removed from official Catholic worship) and transformed into a private residence.
• Today, while the exterior still reflects its original function with its simple and traditional architecture, the interior has been adapted for residential use, having lost its liturgical purpose.
🗺️ Architecture and Style
🧱 Original Style
The chapel features modest architecture, typical of small rural/seaside chapels of the 19th century: simple volumes, use of local materials, and small proportions suited to a limited community.
• In the Neo-Gothic style, it forms a single nave of five bays, lit by a series of round-arched windows.
• The façade, pierced by a rose window, is flanked by two buttresses and surmounted by a simple stone cross.
🏖️ Landscape Setting
• Perched on the cliff above the beach, the building formerly offered worshippers a direct view of the ocean, a setting very characteristic of seaside chapels on the Atlantic coast.
📌 Historical and Heritage Significance
• The former chapel illustrates the beginnings of organized religious life in Pontaillac before the growth and complete urban development of the area. • It is an architectural and historical testament to the first phase of the local community's development, before the construction of larger buildings in the town center.
• Its conversion into a residence reflects the evolving uses of religious heritage in areas where the population and needs have changed over time.
Translated by Google •
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12.1 km
End point
Bus stop
Way Types & Surfaces
Way Types
6.61 km
3.22 km
1.75 km
248 m
213 m
108 m
Surfaces
5.67 km
4.70 km
1.25 km
213 m
194 m
119 m
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Elevation
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Weather
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Today
Saturday 11 July
40°C
23°C
0 %
Additional weather tips
Max wind speed: 18.0 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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