Port

Lavau-sur-Loire

Name: Lavau-sur-Loire
Address: Lavau-sur-Loire, FR

Lavau-sur-Loire, FranceVendée

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Type: Harbour

Small tidal harbour on the north bank of the Loire estuary between Nantes and Saint-Nazaire, in the Brière regional park.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Accessed from the Loire main channel via a short marked creek. The harbour dries at low water on soft mud, so entry is close to high water. Watch the commercial shipping lane in the estuary and call Loire traffic on VHF 14 before crossing.

Practical

Limited visitor pontoon with water and basic electricity. No fuel on site, nearest diesel at Paimboeuf. Village bakery and small grocery within 400 m of the quay. Saint-Nazaire yards and chandlery around 20 km by road.

Ashore

Wooden observation walkway by Jean-Marc Huygen running 700 m from the village into the Loire marshes, free access. Regional Brière park cycle routes start from the quay. Paimboeuf esplanade and Loire estuary art trail 4 km by road to the west.

History

Lavau was a stone loading port for the Loire quarries in the 19th century. The creek was dredged as a shelter when the main estuary channel was straightened for Nantes and Saint-Nazaire shipping from the 1850s onwards.