Another coastal path and more snorkelling

We didn’t travel far today and simply set off from the campsite to walk the coastal path or Sentier du Littoral around the right hand point of the Giens Peninsula, south of Hyères town. It’s been another beautiful day and a little cooler because there’s been a breeze.

The first beach we came to was small and pretty, with stone steps leading up and down over the rocks between little coves. The water was beautifully clear, and turquoise where the sand was beneath it. There were also plenty of areas with plants and rocks where little sea creatures might be hiding, and it was sheltered from the wind. We looked forward to returning later to swim and snorkel.

We followed the path round the Cap de L’Estérel and then followed a track running along the northern side of the point, through a hotel or timeshare complex with 100s of villas. When we reached the long sandy Plage de la Badine, we turned back inland to cross back to the south of the peninsula. We had hoped to find a cafe for a coffee and croissant here, but didn’t come across one on our route… never mind… my fattening waistline will thank me!

The next section of the walk was far more dramatic with steep cliffs, and the path meandered up and down, sometimes in the shade of the bushes and sometimes on the rocks with stunning views.

There were expensive looking villas on the top of the hill, and steep steps down to rocky coves with inviting turquoise blue water. This coast was quite exposed though and, today, the wind was whipping up the waves a little, and gradually increasing in strength as the hours passed. It’s very gusty as I write this, but I’m enjoying the cooler air. Plus it’ll keep the mozzies away. My legs are covered in little red, itchy spots again!

We passed the little port of Auguier and, from here, it wasn’t far back to La Tour Fondue where we started. We did have trouble finding the path at one spot on the beach and thought we were going to have to take our trainers and socks off and wade through the sea. Thankfully, John noticed people coming down a track that I’d thought was inaccessible and we found it turned where I’d thought it was blocked… oops!

After lunch, we changed, packed our beach stuff into a rucksack and returned to the lovely little beach by the campsite. I used my flippers as well as my snorkel and mask today… the verdict’s still out on them… but, once again, I loved floating around watching the pretty fishes, large and small… wonderful! The beach was quite busy when we arrived but, as people left, we grabbed a place in the sun to dry off and share a beer. It’s been another enjoyable day 🙂