One of the most striking aspects of that bit of country in the hills inland from those glamorous places like Saint Tropez and St Raphael is the complete lack of animals and simplicity of activity in the countryside. Every hectare that can be scraped from the rocky soils is devoted to wine production and it makes for an interesting if not different atmosphere as the rest of the land stands with trees or rough permanent grassland full of wild flowers course herbage and butterflies hardly touched by human endeavour. Olive trees stand with the vines and form a secondary crop a little later in the season.

The villages are devoted to the viticulture and oil making with collection points for the ‘vandage’ and the usual bustle of noisy mopeds peeping their horns as they pass tiny orange tractors towing precarious trailers with uncertain under-carriage. And the simple cafes with strong smells from the bakery all add to the way of life that must be a wonderful privilege to be born into though they may not know it…………

Entrecasteaux