Spend the holidays on an island. 3. Porquerolles, the marine pearl – Spend the holidays on an island

They are called the Golden Islands, because of the minerals that sometimes iride their rocks with golden reflections. Porquerolles, Port-Cros and Levant are three southern gems set off Hyères, in the Var, at the same latitude as Cap Corse. Porquerolles is the largest. And also the most touristic. From April to All Saints’ Day, the comings and goings of maritime shuttles from the Giens peninsula, on the mainland, are permanent. We’re not even talking about July and August, overloaded. December, on the other hand, is a lonely month. A land “above ground” where it is good to surrender, the time of invigorating pedestrian escapades.

Pins et eucalyptus

Porquerolles is very similar to what one can imagine from a Mediterranean island territory. Its north coast is surrounded by sandy beaches, bordered by pines and strawberry trees. Plages d’Argent, Courtade, Notre-Dame, Langoustier and Aygade (the smallest) promise solitary walks, sometimes cooled by a cool (cold!) Mistral. The south coast is wild and schistose, indented by wedges and creeks. As for the interior, it sports a typically southern finery: its woods of pines, eucalyptus and oaks exhale bitter scents as soon as the sun shines. They alternate with vines, embodied by the Domaines de l’Île (owned by Chanel) and de la Courtade. In total, around 70 ha are cultivated and produce red, rosé and white “Côtes de Provence” wines, grown organically.

Under the protection of the forts …

It goes without saying that this territory is not the friend of cars. In Porquerolles, you walk or cycle (a mountain bike is better suited). Especially since the island is part of the Port-Cros National Park, whose role is to protect the marine and terrestrial ecosystems of the archipelago. A visit to the Emmanuel Lopez Garden (open weekdays in December) proves it, with its beautiful collection of Mediterranean plants (olive trees, cacti, palm trees, etc.). Another site: the orchards of the National Mediterranean Botanical Conservatory of Porquerolles, freely accessible. They give a foretaste of what awaits the visitor on the paths of the island… As you will have understood, the point of a stay in Porquerolles in winter is to get lost on the paths returned. to their virginity. About fifty kilometers are signposted. Hilly, they crisscross the heart of the island and the most isolated coastal areas, slipping from secret coves to vertiginous cliffs, from sharp points to deep creeks (Brégançonnet, Indienne, Salins, etc.).

This is how we will discover the “battery” of forts that line Porquerolles, witnesses of the history of an island that has always been coveted. Celts, Greeks, Romans, Saracens, Turks, Austrians, Spaniards and French fought for it, nothing less! To defend it, François I had Fort Saint-Agathe consolidated. This belvedere perched above the village of Porquerolles monitors the entire bay of Hyères. Later, the forts of Repentance (inside the island, housing an Orthodox community), Grand Langoustier (to the west) and Alycastre (to the north, where it would have been locked up for two days the Iron Mask…) will be built. Two other constructions will appear at the bend of a path: the lighthouse, one of the most powerful in the Mediterranean (its range is 54 km); and the Moulin du Bonheur, a memory of ancient agricultural times.

Absolute tranquility

The entertainment in December, we suspect, is not that of the Strasbourg market! The only real hotel-restaurant open all year round (except from December 20 to 26), L’Auberge Les Glycines is a rallying point for rare tourists. The other option is to rent an apartment or even a villa. The village of Porquerolles offers that delicious sensation that all “villages on foot” have. We walk there in absolute tranquility from the Place d’Armes and its Sainte-Anne church (see the Stations of the Cross cut with a knife by a recovering soldier, in 1869) to the old fishermen’s houses on the shore .

Around the inevitable mass on December 24, the local association “Vivre à Porquerolles” generally offers entertainment with, sometimes, the presence of a Provencal folk group dressed in traditional costume. A craft market is held there some years. On the 31st, the merchants’ association normally organizes a ball in the village square. But we will understand: we do not come to Porquerolles at the end of the year to party! For the most part, relaxation and “detox” are on the menu of an island that has finally become an island again.