Noirmoutier is a beautiful place to sail to/from. Salt marsh, sand dunes and evergreen oak trees, as well as its state of uninterrupted human habitation since prehistory, make this island a fascinating place to visit.
The island’s humid marshes were transformed into salt pans as far back as the 5th century by Benedictine monks, with the traditional methods of harvesting passed down through the generations. With just wind, sun and sea, water evaporates to leave a fine layer of white crystals of salt. These are hand-harvested daily in the summer months by the ‘saunier’. It is then drained and air-dried for a year before the salt is packaged.
