Île de Ré via the Martrou Transporter Bridge
The Pont Transbordeur de Martrou — one of only eight surviving transporter bridges in the world — is the most theatrical way to cross the Charente just south of Rochefort, and it deposits you on the road toward the wild marshes and salt flats that stretch toward the Atlantic coast.
An Engineering Curiosity You Can Ride
Built in 1900 and a listed historic monument, the Martrou transporter bridge suspends a gondola from a high steel gantry and ferries cars and cyclists across the Charente in about four minutes. It operates seasonally and feels like stepping into a Jules Verne novel.
The bridge itself is a destination: the gantry walkway (accessible on foot for a small fee) offers a panoramic view over the Charente river, the Arsenal and the Corderie Royale that no other vantage point in Rochefort can match.
The Marshes and the Coastal Path Beyond
South of the bridge the D733 leads into the Marais de Brouage, a vast network of salt marshes, oyster-farming channels and bird hides where avocets, herons and egrets are year-round residents.
Cyclists can follow the Vélodyssée coastal route through the marshes toward Fouras and the ferry to Île d'Aix — a full-day loop that rewards with big Atlantic skies and almost no traffic.
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