One of my favourite places is the Ile de Re, a beautiful island close to La Rochelle. It is so pretty, every little village has a cycle rental shop and the island is perfect for cycling, cycle paths absolutely everywhere, beautiful beaches on the Atlantic and lovely French markets and restaurants. It was always a dream of mine to spend a whole summer there. When my husband was ill in hospital, one of the things that kept him going was his determination to go back there one more time and cycle along a particular path next to the oyster beds, we did manage to do it although he was very unwell.