Lac de Tanchet
Formerly a drinking water reservoir, the lake covers 8 hectares and is between 2.50 and 3 metres deep.
There's a lovely walk around it, with a view of the ocean, where swans and ducks come and go.
Anglers gather to catch roach, carp and eels (fishing licence required).
A special pontoon has been set up for disabled visitors.
Did you know from Priscilla Giboteau, guide in Les Sables d'Olonne?
"Lac de Tanchet is the result of an ambitious project by the architect Alphonse Guérit to supply the town with drinking water.
With the development of the seaside resort in the 19th century, a solution had to be found to store fresh water to meet the increasing demand for water in the summer months, when holidaymakers frequented the resort.
Alphonse Guérit designed a dam in the valley of the Tanchet stream, which rises in the commune of Sainte-Foy, and built a reservoir on the site where the stream empties into the ocean, away from the town.
This first water service was inaugurated on 29 July 1877. The reservoir was abandoned when new Poiroux-Finfarine facilities were installed in the early 1940s. It was later transformed into a leisure centre when the sailing school, now Institut Sports Océan, opened its doors in 1966.
Lac de Tanchet is still very popular for water sports, freshwater fishing and walks along its shores.
The final "T" in Tanchet is pronounced because the local dialect used to be written "Tanchette" on old maps.
There's a lovely walk around it, with a view of the ocean, where swans and ducks come and go.
Anglers gather to catch roach, carp and eels (fishing licence required).
A special pontoon has been set up for disabled visitors.
Did you know from Priscilla Giboteau, guide in Les Sables d'Olonne?
"Lac de Tanchet is the result of an ambitious project by the architect Alphonse Guérit to supply the town with drinking water.
With the development of the seaside resort in the 19th century, a solution had to be found to store fresh water to meet the increasing demand for water in the summer months, when holidaymakers frequented the resort.
Alphonse Guérit designed a dam in the valley of the Tanchet stream, which rises in the commune of Sainte-Foy, and built a reservoir on the site where the stream empties into the ocean, away from the town.
This first water service was inaugurated on 29 July 1877. The reservoir was abandoned when new Poiroux-Finfarine facilities were installed in the early 1940s. It was later transformed into a leisure centre when the sailing school, now Institut Sports Océan, opened its doors in 1966.
Lac de Tanchet is still very popular for water sports, freshwater fishing and walks along its shores.
The final "T" in Tanchet is pronounced because the local dialect used to be written "Tanchette" on old maps.
Contact
Avenue du Lac
85100 LES SABLES-D'OLONNE
FRANCE
85100 LES SABLES-D'OLONNE
FRANCE
Practical information
Category
Lakes, ponds, water bodies, marshland
