Oleron Island, France

Île d'Oléron (pronounced: [il doleʁɔ̃]) is an island off the Atlantic coast of France (due west of Rochefort), on the southern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait.

It is the second largest French island after Corsica (not counting French overseas collectivities).

In the 7th and 8th century, the island, along with Ré, formed the Vacetae Insulae or Vacetian Islands, according to the Cosmographia.[1] Vaceti being another name for the Vascones, the reference is evidence to Basque (Gascon) settlement or control of the islands by that date.

The island has an area of about 174 km2. It is a fertile and well cultivated island on the Atlantic coast of France, that is on the Bay of Biscay.

The climate is generally mild (maritime temperate) with sufficient but not excessive rainfall, but with probably from 3 to 15 days of intense heat in the summer months of July and August, mostly grouped

As a large Atlantic island only 3 kilometres off the Aquitanian coast of France, Oléron is a popular tourist destination. There are beaches, surfing and horse-riding are catered for and there are many interesting old buildings. The campsites are popular with families. Several companies operate boat trips from the town of Boyardville to the nearby Ile D'Aix and past the famous Fort Boyard. The gastronomy is also a tourist attraction as the island has many restaurants specialising in seafood, especially the local oysters