STRIDING through the Atlantic on the Vendee coast of western France with a group of wet-suited strangers I get a slightly disconcerting reminder that love of the sea runs deep in France. I am enjoying an introduction to "longe cote" walking, led by a lean 50-something Frenchman from the Institut Sports Ocean who would not look out of place in a romantic comedy.

“Attention la vague [wave],” he calls at intervals, shortly before walls of salty water wash over my head then thunder on to the huge expanse of sand that lies beneath the promenade at Les Sables d’Olonnes. Some of the waves are big enough to knock me off my feet.

Our session involves walking along the beach with the sea at midriff level scooping handfuls of water as we go. Backwards, forwards, sideways, alone, or in pairs with locals, all of whom appear to be having a great time.

The exercise is designed to help people firm up their backsides while enjoying the benefits of exposure to the wind and the waves. An hour of it leaves me feeling pleasantly tired and ready for the kir cocktail we go on to enjoy while looking out on Les Sables d’Olonnes as the town prepares for its four-yearly spell in the global limelight.

About 60 minutes by road from Nantes airport, Les Sables d’Olonnes has achieved renown in sailing circles as the starting point for the yacht race known as "the Everest of the seas". Competitors in the Vendee Globe have to sail around the world single handed without stopping or getting help in an event which requires them to push their sailing ability and self-reliance to awe-inspiring extremes.

Entrants sail southwards across the Atlantic then bear east to pass below Africa, Australasia and South America before climbing back up to Les Sables. They must spend weeks in stormy waters in areas such as the South Atlantic, where gale force winds whip up towering waves. The risks of capsizing or suffering catastrophic damage are ever present.

Among the first competitors to begin preparations at the race village this year was Hungarian veteran Nandor Fa, who withdrew from the 1996 competition in which Canadian Gerry Roufs went missing presumed dead off South America.

Of the 138 sailors who have started to date only 71 have finished.

This year’s race featured 30 hopefuls from eight nations, including Alex Thomson and Richard Tolkien of the UK. Scotland’s Ellen MacArthur came second in 2001 when she completed the circumnavigation in 94 days at the age of 24 but the event has long been dominated by racers from France where it generates massive interest. Some see it as an expression of the French love of individuality.

Hundreds of thousands packed Les Sables for the start of this year's race in November. The town will remain the focus of attention for months, with the winner unlikely to return before January.

One of the best spots to watch yachts head for the start line or return to base has to be the veranda outside Le Fatre restaurant on Quai George V, where a three-course lunch featuring superb fish costs around €28 euros (£24) a head plus wine.

For those not interested in sailing or the water sports on offer at Les Sables there are plenty of other things to enjoy in a handsome town of chic shops, galleries and museums that commemorate the area’s fishing heritage.

Les Sables makes a great base for exploring the beautiful coastline of the Vendee, which is home to 80 miles of sandy beaches. Around 20 miles north of Les Sables, the pretty fishing port of Saint Gilles Croix de Vie sits at the head of the Vie river. The town is known as the sardine capital of France and the harbour is lined with enough boats to show fishing is still big business.

The Saturday market nearby has stalls groaning with fish fresh and huge cheeses made in the area.

At the other end of a shopping street lined with smart boutiques, a parade of cafes looks out on the yacht harbour. These include Restaurant Saint Gilles, where I feast on beautifully prepared sardines surrounded by locals enjoying an evening out.

Thrill seekers can get their fix at the town’s Glassy House, which offers people a chance to surf without going anywhere near the sea. Based in an anonymous-looking retail park, The Glassy House includes the first pool in France to offer wave-generating technology, pioneered in Germany.

Those brave enough to try it have to push themselves off the pool side with a surfboard at their feet and try to balance on top of a thundering torrent with the aid of a bar stretched across the water. The noise is deafening.

In a perfunctory safety briefing we are told: “If you fall, cover your head and make sure you fall backwards.”

As I get swept bumping along the bottom of the pool after one tumble I see the sense of the instructions.

Trying to master the art of indoor surfing is made harder by having 20 or more locals monitoring my progress from the poolside cafe. When I manage to remain upright for a minute or two clinging to the bar I am irked to find a middle-aged Frenchman who looks like another resting romcom actor surfing effortlessly by my side.

At the O’Gliss adventure park an hour from Saint Gilles Croix de Vie visitors can spend a day enjoying water-based activities that are laid out round an artificial beach. The main installation is a huge jumble of flumes, which descend from a fearsome height into the water. Opened this year to target the family market, the centre is one of the biggest in Europe.

It is paired with the nearby Indian Forest park, which has more huge water slides but majors on activities that make the most of the area’s woodland. These include clambering trails that run through the trees at levels that look much higher than the average house. The hardest takes more than an hour to complete.

I watch from floor level as people swing through the trees above me wearing harnesses and determined looks. Staff are trained in how to talk down those who freeze.

The Camping Le Paradis holiday park nearby has mobile homes and spaces for caravans or tents laid out between the trees with a swimming pool, play park and a restaurant that serves much better food than one would expect on such a site in the UK. The cabin I slept in was compact but very comfortable.

The red and white flags of the Vendee hanging by the roads near the park provide a reminder that the region is one with a real sense of identity. For a demonstration of this on a grand scale with accommodation to match people should head for the Puy du Fou complex.

Voted the world’s best theme park in a US travel trade competition in 2014, Puy du Fou offers a very French take on the genre on a huge tract of countryside. On one level it seems like a high-brow Disneyland, on another utterly mad.

The park features recreations of past times such as an 18th-century village and offers spectacular shows which seem to be more concerned with visuals than historical accuracy. In one, the three musketeers, Cyrano de Bergerac, the hunchback of Notre Dame and prancing horses cavort on a stage featuring what we are told is the widest curtain in the world.

The Last Panache tells the story of a French naval officer who led the rebels of the Vendee in their opposition to the revolution that swept away the monarchy in the 18th century. Around 300,000 people died in the bloody retribution unleashed by Robespierre. The story is told on 12 stages built on a huge circle that rotates around the audience, making for a gripping show.

Accommodation options include the Camp du Drap d’Or, an expanse of Renaissance-style tents covered in brightly coloured material. These have four-poster beds, throne-style WCs in their bathrooms and bunk beds for children.

Food is laid out between carved pillars in the panelled dining room, with waiters in smocks and tights in attendance. Kitsch but hard to resist.

The highlight of our visit, the Phantom Birds Dance, involves a cast of birds of prey drawn from the 500 kept on site, actors in medieval garb and a flimsy storyline featuring damsels in distress. The show starts with lone eagles flying across the auditorium and ends with hundreds of birds filling the air above and between the heads of spectators. When I feel the wings of what looks like a large vulture brush through my hair I enjoy a happy reminder that they like to do things their own way in France.

TRAVEL NOTES

Mark Williamson flew to the Vendee with Flybe (flybe.com), which offers flights from Glasgow and Edinburgh to Nantes Atlantique airport via Southampton or Birmingham from around £320 return.

Accommodation in one of the four hotels on the Puy du Fou theme park costs from around £49 per per person per night, including access to the park.

Camping le Paradis at Talmont-Saint-Hilaire has two-bedroom chalets for around €550 a week or €35 a night.

Hotel le Ceitya, 47 Rue du Generale de Gaulle, Saint Gilles Croix de Vie, offers simple but comfortable double rooms from £43 a night.