Our hosts at dinner the other night told us to make sure we visited the Island of Berder. Since we were granted another beautiful day, we decided to visit. It's not too far away and can only be reached at low tide before the footbridge is covered with water and cuts off access to the island. All the signs warn you to leave plenty of time to make sure that you are back to the bridge before the tide covers it. At 50 some degrees, a swim wouldn't be particularly appealing.
The posted sign also estimates that it will take a solid hour to traverse the island. Actually, if left on my own, I'd probably need more time because of getting lost. But, my trusty human GPS kept me from straying too far. The island is densely wooded with mostly huge pines and there seems to be a rocky foundation to the forest floor. Walking is mostly uneven with a few stretches that have been smoothed down from so much foot traffic. Since you are doing the outer circumference, you can see water for most of the walk. There are lovely vistas which include other islands, and great shots of sailboats gliding through the water, And along the way, there are some naturally carved stones that make good seats about every mile or so.
In typical French tradition, we "bonjour"ed the people we passed and were greeted back by them. At one spot, a mother was trying to get a family shot and I offered to take a photo of the whole family for her. She was thrilled and couldn't stop thanking me. Here's another cultural difference. An American wouldn't think twice about asking someone to take a photo; the French not so much. But, if you ask them if they want you to take a photo, they are very, very appreciative. Of course we have our selfie stick and little tripod. And, I must admit, that some of the best photos of us have been taken with our tripod and camera on delay. The smiles are genuine because we never know if Ed will make it back in time before the camera goes off or if someone will step in front of us just as it does go off. Amazing how many people don't realize that their camera can be set on automatic!
The island is privately owned and there are signs to prevent you from taking a path that would lead to the house -mini-chateau. And there is only one place where you can actually see two houses? (or one with a funkie addition. Need more research)- Anyway, we really enjoyed the hike and we made it back in plenty of time. Judging by my trusty pedometer the circumference of the island is about 3 1/2 to 3 3/4 miles.
During the low tide, many people were digging for something in the mud. Not sure what. Probably clams. As we were leaving the island, a little boy with bucket and shovel in hand, in French, exclaimed "Look, I have found something, but I have no idea what it is!!"
