IIt’s 1:30 p.m. on this December afternoon at the Pont du Brault. As winter approaches and the summer tourist madness is far away, the ballet of cars, heavy goods vehicles, taxis, motorhomes and other craftsman vans never ends. In the space of just ten minutes, there were 39 number plates 85 compared to 29 of the 17, not counting the many other vehicles from elsewhere. Speaking figures which are none other than routine on the Brault bridge, a structure built thirty years ago and symbol of the link uniting Charente-Maritime and Vendée.
Every day, traffic is heavy on the Brault bridge, between Charente-Maritime and Vendée.
Xavier Léoty / South West
Every day, this incessant passage of vehicles is a boon for local traders located on the border of the two departments. “We are well placed and can be seen very easily from the road. We welcome a lot of people in the morning between 7 and 9 a.m. then on the way back, from 4:30 p.m. and until 6:30 p.m.,” notes Élizabeth Bole, 51, owner of the “Au bon accueil” bar restaurant. . This address, well known to backpackers, is located at the entrance to Charron, when arriving from Vendée.
Xavier Léoty / South West
The “Au bon accueil” bar restaurant, located at the entrance to Charron, when you arrive from Vendée.
The essential Brault Bridge
The Englishwoman has been running this business with her husband Gary for nine years. “Before us, there was already a bar that lasted for more than 30 years. We have local customers, truck drivers, tourists and people who pass by every day to work. » Difficult for Elizabeth to estimate the exact number of customers, but there could be nearly 250 per day and double that in summer. Among them, obviously many Vendéens and Charentais-Maritimes. “La Rochelle and Vendée are very touristy, the beaches are not very far, just like Puy du Fou. In summer, 12,000 cars pass our house every day,” says the manager.
The opening of the Brault bridge is fundamental for this trade. When the building was closed for work for five weeks last September, the bar lost 85% of its customers. “It’s huge, which shows the importance of the Vendée route. The remaining 15% concerns local customers, it's a small part, the majority is passing through. » The owner of the bar, herself a resident of Vendée, knows the importance of the clientele in her department in Charente-Maritime. “We don’t know if we are a reference between Vendée and Charente-Maritime, but we hope so! We saw the potential when we bought this business. »
Xavier Léoty / South West
Angélique Minotte and Mickael Boyeldieu, owners of the “O’Pti Charronnais” restaurant along departmental road 137.
When our son-in-law from Vendée crosses the Brault bridge towards Charente-Maritime, he has difficulty breathing! »
About a hundred meters towards La Rochelle, the O P'tit Charonnais pizzeria is also a reference in the town. Managed by Angélique Minotte and Mickael Boyeldieu, the establishment is regularly crowded in summer but a little less so in winter. By Vendéens or Charentais-Maritimes? “I think there are as many people on one side as on the other. Perhaps there are more Vendéens who come to La Rochelle than Charentais-Maritime in Vendée, in particular because of the price of real estate. Vendée is much cheaper,” replies Angélique. This strategic location allows the pizzeria to extend to part of the north 17 and to the Vendée border as far as Puyravault. But not too far either because in Moreille or even Saint-Jean-de-Beugné, the bakeries of the Vendée behemoth Sicard, located along the road, are legion locally.
Xavier Léoty / South West
The Sicard bakery sells brioches in front of the church of Saint-Jean-de-Beugné, a Vendée town very frequented by motorists, since it is closest to the A 83 Nantes-Niort motorway.
A strong Vendée clientele in Marans
Food businesses are not the only ones to benefit from the comings and goings between the two departments. A little further east, the town of Marans is also an unmissable geographical point between the two departments. The Vendée clientele is very present there, in the shops. Amandine Ouvrard, manager of the hair salon at the Super U shopping mall, can attest to this. Just last week, a new customer from Velluire-sur-Vendée stopped by his establishment. “He told me that he went to La Rochelle very regularly and that he found it convenient to have his hair cut along the way! »
Xavier Léoty / South West
The Super U service station in Marans, another crossing point between the two departments.
Does this example illustrate the good relations between Vendéens and Charentais-Maritime? Not so sure, because chauvinism exists on each side, perhaps a little more in the 85. “Only the Vendée exists for the Vendéens,” says Angélique from the Charron pizzeria. And her husband concludes with an anecdote: “When our son-in-law from Vendée crosses the Brault bridge towards Charente-Maritime, he tells us that he has difficulty breathing! On the other hand, he feels much better when he goes back in the other direction to return to Vendée. »
