Ile de Porquerolles

The day dawned bright, and very, very windy.    Another mistral.  Predicted because there was a full moon.   Undeterred, Patrick, Donna, Lucy and I set out to drive to Giens (Presqu'le de Giens) so that we could catch the ferry to the Ile de Porquerolles.  We intended to hire bicycles to ride around the island.    'Mad', Walter said, 'in this wind'.     He chose not to go.    Coward! 

We boarded the ferry nervously.    The wind was blowing furiously.    The sea look extremely rough.    The boat rocked as we waited for it to leave.    Lucy definitely looks very nervous in this photograph.   My apologies, Patrick, I have cut the top of your head off.    It was the wind, you know.

Luckily it was a very fast ferry, and only took 10 minutes to get to the island.   The churned up water behind the boat was impressive.

The photo below does not reflect the high wind that was blowing, but the wind was screaming around us, and the masts of the sailing boats were moving from side to side.

We found a quiet restaurant, away from the wind, where we paid an exorbitant money for hamburgers, a salad and soft drinks.  But it was a peaceful lunch.  And we were very hungry.

We hired bicycles, at 11 Euros for half a day.    Very reasonable, we thought.    They were lovely and very easy to ride.    Mountain bikes, comfortable seats, good suspension, and smooth gears.    We then joined   hundreds of other people, also on bicycles,  to explore some of the island.    Due to the strong wind, which causes a high fire risk, all areas of national park were closed.  But there were still plenty of tracks and beaches to explore.   We even escaped from the wind at times.   And enjoyed ourselves.   A real fun activity.

A view of the sea, through the trees.

There were some brave souls, who braved the wind and were swimming in the water.   We had trouble just keeping the sand from blowing into our eyes.

At the end of the day we returned very quickly and dramatically to the mainland.   The mistral was blowing even harder now, the waves around the ferry were very high, and the ferry rolled from side to side as it ploughed through the water.   I would have loved to take some photographs but was too scared to take my bag from my back, in case it blew away.    Obviously the pilot of the boat was used to such conditions.   The other passengers did not seem too bothered either.   I drew up an emergency rescue plan in my head.

And when we got back, we found Donna's annex down and packed away and the wind attacking our annex with much force.    Walter stated that it was lucky he stayed with the caravans, otherwise we would not have had either annexes.    Thank you, Walter.