Paris

The island of PORT-CROS is more rugged, quiet and is worth a whole day’s visit. Promoted national park in 1963, it is the only one, which is together submarine and terrestrial. It’s the most mountainous (highest point 196 m) of the Hyères islands, almost circular and with a maximum length of 4.5 km.
It is an ecological paradise, over and over protected today, but it was nearly destroyed by an unexpected enemy: its own success! The numerous leisure boats saturated the capacity and were slowly eliminating all submarine life. Dramatic consequences started to show: certain tree families were dying and rotten because of the used waters thrown by the boat owners in the sea. And I will keep my mouth shut about the amount of lead ejected by the diesel motors.
Explore the island by walking through the valley of Solitude, the high-perched route des Cretes and the vallon de la Fausse Monnaie to the only hotel in the island. This Manoir d’Hélène is named after a female heroin of a novel. And it was here that D.H.Lawrence is supposed to have met the Englishwoman whose confessional post-coital conversation inspired “Lady Chatterley’s Lover”.
Via the “Route des Forts” you can walk to the Col des Quatre Chemins from where you can head any direction you want (35 km of walking trails).
Port-Cros proposes for diving amateurs a unique formula! An initiation trail for exploration of the sub marine sub, the botanical path overgrown with wild flowers whose scent accompanies you down to the sheltered beach and turquoise waters of La Palud.
The last of the three islands is the ILE DU LEVANT, a strip of barren rock only 8 km long and 1.2 km wide. Bare al the nudist village and beach of Heliopolis which used to be the Mecca of naturism. Since it has become acceptable to take off your swimsuit on many beaches, the island has lost some of its “risqué” reputation, but is still popular with dedicated nudists. The island proposes now a total rest with its villas, small hotels drowned in mimosas and roses, its path twisting in the garrigue. Not many promenades and you have to climb for 20 minutes before getting to the village. And what a strange sight of shopkeepers, estate agents and waiters about their daily routine in G-string or less….

Bibliography:

John Pemble, "the Mediterranean Passion, Victorians and Edwardians in the South", (Oxford University Press 1988), Mary Blume, "Cote d'Azur. Inventing the French Riviera" (Thames and Hudson, London 1982), The Twenties, From Notebooks and Diaries of the Period, by Edmund Wilson (Cannes 1921), " Iles en Méditerranée", by Fr.Leclere (JC.Lattes ed.-Paris 1998)

From Nice to Saint-Tropez (suite)

Cap d'Antibes

Juan les
Pins-Golfe-Juan-Vallauris

Cannes

Iles de Lerins

La Napoule and Henry Clews

Esterel cornice to Frejus

Frejus

Sainte Maxime to Port Grimaud

Old Grimaud and Cogolin

Saint-Tropez

From Saint Tropez to Cassis

Ramatuelle-Gassin-Croix Valmer-Cavalaire sur mer

Le Lavandou-Bormes les Mimosas