Carrelets are little wooden cabins precariously balanced on stilts and connected to the coast by a fragile-looking pontoon structure. A long jib attached to the front allows a large fishing net to drop down to sea level.

Particularly appreciated by photographers and painters, the carrelets are the archetypal image of the Charente-Maritime coastline. Perhaps the best place to see them is on the grand coast near St Palais sur Mer.