The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
4
There are no cars on the little island of Port-Cros because there are no roads, and hardly any on its larger neighbour Porquerolles. This means the sun-dappled islands on the Côte d’Azur near Toulon are tranquil havens for migratory birds, a rare frog and ramblers.
Port-Cros is a nature reserve, an open-air hothouse of dense vegetation sprinkled with lavender, rosemary and myrtle, and Phoenician juniper clinging to sheer cliffs. Georges Simenon captured the timeless charm of Porquerolles in his novel Mon Ami Maigret. Set in the Forties, it describes life in a community among wooded hills where the loudest sounds are the tolling of a church bell and the clank of boules in the village square.
Together, the Îles d’Or are a time capsule of Provence in the halcyon days when Belmondo and Bardot were young, and Monsieur Hulot was setting out on holiday.
Port-Cros is a treasure trove of trails such as the Path of the Golden Apples, winding through woods of green oak to places like the Cove of False Coins. Others connect a string of 17th-century forts built to combat pirates, and lead to quiet coves of translucent water. On a hike through the aptly named Valley of Solitude, I was joined by a spectacular butterfly that expressed interest in my can of beer when I stopped for lunch. My thirst was greater, and it settled for a nibble of tuna sandwich. Most visitors to Porquerolles stroll to the nearest beaches, but a network of longer waymarked trails leads to lonely cliffs, a hilltop monastery and secluded bays sheltered by Mediterranean pines. This being France, there are also vineyards en route.
Le Manoir de Port-Cros, an elegant country house with a swimming pool in landscaped gardens (0033 494 059052; hotellemanoirportcros.com). On Porquerolles, the Villa Sainte Anne is a charming hotel on the village square (0033 498 046300; sainteanne.com).
Not necessary. Maps are available in the island tourist offices. Most walks are easy.
hyeres-tourism. co.uk/en-hyeres/porquerolles