How great Thau art

The Étang de Thau is on the Mediterranean coast of France, yet it feels a million miles from the glitzy Cote d’Azur as Sam Jefferson explains

- Sam Jefferson

I don’t know about you, but when I think of the Mediterranean coast of France, I immediately think of Brigitte Bardot, far too much traffic and superyachts. I’m talking about the Cote d’Azur of course which is both beautiful and infuriating. Yet there are many more miles of French coast on the Med that are largely ignored by comparison – and there is a reason for this. Once you get into France’s Golfe du Lyon you are in an area that is dominated by the low, swampy coast of the Camargue and, frankly, it’s not very inviting – particularly given its savage reputation for being dominated by the Mistral and Tramontana winds.

After that, you find yourself on the coast of Languedoc Roussillon; this area is features beautiful sandy beaches but offers scant protection for sailors aside from weird resort ports such as La Grande Motte, Palavas and Carnon. It’s only when you get to Sete that you find an old historic port. Yet it is behind Sete on the salt lake of the Étang de Thau that respite is provided for the discerning sailor. This is the largest of a string of salt lakes, lagoons or etangs that stretch from the Rhone river right down to the foothills of the Pyrenees. The Étang de Thau is the second largest lake in France, being 21km long and 8km wide. For sailors, it is also one outlet from the Canal du Midi and provides an inland link to the Rhone via the Canal du Rhone at Sete.