Gassin

Gassin    

After spending a good chunk of the day enjoying St Tropez we spent the afternoon back on board BV and busied ourselves with a few chores and even a bit of blog writing! By late afternoon, however, it was time to rendezvous again with Sean and Caroline. Our extra hands were added to ease a couple of tasks on the motoryacht and then it was time to relax with a few G&Ts before heading out to visit a restaurant in Gassin, a hilltop village about 4 km inland, which we could see from our anchorage.

Golfe de St Tropez   

BV at anchor   

Whilst from the anchorage it looked pretty insignificant, Gassin actually has a commanding view over the vineyards and rolling countryside that steps down to the Golfe de St Tropez.

We arrived as the sun was starting to dip low in the sky and so, whilst Sean and Caroline bagged a good table in the restaurant, Nicky and I took a quick wander through the village to see some of the sights in daylight.

View towards St Tropez   

Sean and Caroline did a fabulous job, getting us a great table with a view out towards St Tropez. We could even keep an eye on BV at anchor because she was just visible!

View southwest towards the Porquerolles Islands   

The small village is quite narrow because it is built on a ridgeline. At the other end of the village is another terrace and from there we could look to the southwest and Les Îles d’Hyères, also known as the Porquerolles, our next planned destination.

After dinner we explored the village further. It has retained its charm with narrow alleys and well-kept houses and the few visitors we saw were doing exactly the same as us, enjoying the views before and after dinner in one of the several restaurants.

Dinner itself was very nice, with Caroline picking the winning dish of steak tartare. However, our visit to Gassin was really all about the fabulous view. Our restaurant may not have been the finest there but it was certainly at the best vantage point.

And as we looked out over the lovely countryside we could not help but think of Peter Mayle’s excellent book A Year in Provence. The images it conjours up almost exactly match the scenery we enjoyed from Gassin.

Gassin, St Tropez, France