If anything, there are too many guides to the Camargue available in print and on the internet and this is definitely not the place to try to précis even a few of them. However, while Smiths connection with that great area of land is based on his acquaintance with Martine Aubanet who is a farmer and a member of an old-established farming family, there are a number of aspects of Camargue life that often get ignored by the guide books; aspects that are central to the lives of the people who live and work on the marsh. This short account attempts to balance this a little.
The area that is generally described as the Camargue is an area that primarily comprises the land between the two arms of the river Rhône as it heads for the sea after splitting on the north side of Arles.
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At 360 sq. mi. the Camargue is western Europe's largest river delta. It is a vast plain comprising large brine lagoons or étangs, cut off from the sea by sandbars and encircled by reed-covered marshes. These are in turn surrounded by a large, cultivated area.
Approximately a third of the Camargue comprises either lakes or marshland. The central area around the shoreline of the Étang de Vaccarès has been protected as a regional park since 1927 in recognition of its great importance as a haven for wild birds. In 2008, it was incorporated into the larger Parc naturel régional de Camargue.
A further expanse of marshy plain, known as the Petite Camargue, lies just to the west of the Petit Rhône in the Gard.
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The Camargue is home to more than for hundred species of birds. Its brine ponds provide one of the few European breeding grounds for the greater flamingo. The marsh is also a habitat for many species of insects, notably (and notoriously) some of the most ferocious mosquitos to be found anywhere in France. Camargue horses and cattle are raised on the marshlands. The native flora of the Camargue has adapted to the saline conditions. Sea lavender and glasswort flourish, along with tamarisks and reeds.
The main thing to bear mind when planning to explore the Camargue is that there are very few roads; basically, only three running north to south and one east to west. Much of the area is inaccessible by car and most of the many lanes, paths and tracks that emanate from these roads are either private or gated off. Access to the areas away from the main roads is either forbidden or, like the two main beaches (see below) is so constrained by regulations that visiting is either impossible or unsatisfactory. The main reason is that ever since the Camargue became a tourist destination it has been overwhelmed by tourists in cars, campervans and on motorbikes and bicycles to the extent that the very nature that was the object of their curiosity became endangered by it. Legislation to limit access was inevitable.
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As you can’t really drive through it these days, other than in an expensive caravan of gas guzzling, polluting 4 x 4s from Arles, the best way of experiencing the Camargue is from the back, of a horse and there are several stables that offer horseback trips of varying lengths into the Camargue. All standards of rider are catered for including the complete novice. You will get a better understanding of the Camargue in an hour this way that you will from days of driving around the few roads that exist and getting in everyone’s way. It may not be the sexy Pirelli calendar image of horse riding at full gallop along the beach, but a slow meander on a solid horse through knee deep water to look at a field of grazing bulls is a unique experience and much to be recommended.
Most of these stables can be found on the road to Stes Maries de la Mer.
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Beaches
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There are two main beaches that are open to the public. Piemanson, reached via the road that runs south from Salin de Giraud and Beauduc accessed from the road that runs south from Gageron. Both are popular and have become very crowded not only with tourists wanting to lie on the beach but with many thousands of tourists who wish to surf, wind surf, kite surf, jet ski, play with speedboats; all of which make it both difficult to swim in safety or have a quiet visit. Again, legislation has attempted to zone the area but with limited success. Both beaches, like much of the Camargue itself are better visited out of season.
