Day 400 – Friday 12th April 2019
An overcast start to the day, not cold but rain is forecast.
Yesterday I read in the Telegraph that a village just up the road is stunning so ignoring the grey skies I set off on Zippy to find Saint Paul de Vence.
Saint Paul de Vence, everything looks better with a blue sky
The Telegraph was half right the narrow streets and alleys are very pretty but…
unfortunately the place is like Eze on steroids; everywhere is an art gallery, a souvenir shop, a fancy restaurant or a purveyor of fine olive oils and soaps. I couldn’t see anywhere where people might actually live.
It was packed too so God knows what it’s like on a sunny summer’s day.
Later I went for a nice peaceful stroll to the local nature reserve, lovely.
Day 401 – Saturday 13th April 2019
A glorious day, loads of sunshine, no wind and warm. We packed up and travelled to Les Mûres, a fantastic campsite near Port Grimaud and just across the bay from St Tropez.
Les Mûres is owned and run by a British family and it’d easily be a 5 star site if only they had seats on the bogs!
Cfor loves it here, there’s lots of dirt for him to roll around in and no campsite cats to harass him
Lunch eaten we hopped on Zippy and sped into St Tropez for a nose about.
St Tropez
I know why the town’s Marie allows great big fuck-off yachts to moor up at the front of the beautiful old harbour – money – but why anyone would want to sit having breakfast or have drinks on the deck of their luxury yacht while a procession of tourists gawp at them is beyond me. Are they really so insecure they need to advertise their wealth?
Day 402 – Sunday 14th April 2019
It started blowing a gale during the night so I had to get up and put the awning straps on in the bloody dark.
A beautiful if windy morning. Off to St Tropez to look at the Bella Strada; a car rally for cars built between 1930 & 1970
The line up
An Aston Martin
It wouldn’t really be a car rally without some last minute repairs to the only Fiat present
Couldn’t have a car rally in the south of France without a few E-Types either
No BMWs or VWs but as you’d expect on the French riviera they have a Selection Committee to weed out the riff raff.
Day 403 – Monday 15th April 2019
A beautiful day. At lunch time we walked along the beach to Port Grimaud.
Walking along the beach from Les Mûres to Port Grimaud you have to pass the Prairies de la Mer village resort.
Prairies de la Mer
Prairies de la Mer is the business. Right on the beach it has about 5 restaurants, a few bars, a shopping complex, children’s entertainment, a huge swimming pool, tennis courts; chockablock with Germans though.
Port Grimaud
I wanted to find a restaurant to eat at for Julie’s birthday on Saturday but none of the 9 or 10 restaurants in the village have anything other than pizza for a vegetarian.
Day 404 – Tuesday 16th April 2019
Woke to the sound of rain on the roof. It didn’t rain for long, had a lazy day, finished off season 3 of Game of thrones.
Day 405 – Wednesday 17th April 2019
The sun is back!!!
We hopped on Zippy and sped to Grimaud.
Grimaud is a fabulous little village set back 5 or 6 miles from the coast; it’s nice and quiet up there. I suspect most of the properties are 2nd homes but it is not commercialised to death. I’d certainly live there.
Peaceful Grimaud
Grimaud from the town’s ruined castle
On the way back we dropped into Cogolin. The ride into the town through the wooded countryside with the sunshine breaking through the trees was fabulous. Cogolin itself is a typical rural French town, not a lot going on but very well looked after.
Came across a pipe maker, it was like stepping back in time
They had literally thousands upon thousands of pipes in their shop, The lady told me they sell to collectors all over the world. Strange world!
Day 406 – Thursday 18th April 2019
A lovely sunny day.
Cfor hiding in the bushes
After lunch we took Zippy into Sainte-Maxime.
Sainte-Maxime
We rounded off the day with a visit to Pointe des Sardinaux a few miles further along the coast.
Pointe des Sardinaux
We’ve really enjoyed being back around St Tropez, the traffic on the coast is just as bad as Antibes & Nice but away from the coast it’s just fabulous France.