Next to the city of Marseilles in Southern France there is a small range of hills plunging dramatically right into the sea, "les calanques" (sometimes known as "calanques de Marseille", and sometimes as "calanques de Cassis"). Most of the few beaches there can only be reached after walking along very steep footpaths that offer stupendous sea views. Traditionally, some of those beaches used to be naturist.
Gradually the naturists had been rolled back and naturism had been made illegal in most places.
Over the last few years a very dynamic naturist club in Marseilles, ANP, has been fighting to reaffirm the naturist vocation of "les calanques", and catching the ear of the local authorities. Today (2nd August 2014), the local paper "La Provence" (circulation 170,000) has a title on this fight, plus a full inside page devoted to it.
For those who would like to read the long article (in French), I am putting two pages of this issue on line, since I am sure that there is little chance of getting hold of this paper in the UK...
You can retrieve the two pages from:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8p832g85x0ojwx4/Provence-2-Aug-2014.pdf.zip
The code is: NC.
Jacques - thanks for your post about Le Jonquet. I'd be interested to see the piece that was published in the newspaper. I've tried your link but haven't been able to access 'dropbox' - it asks for both a username and a password?
Mike
Jacques - thanks for your post about Le Jonquet. I'd be interested to see the piece that was published in the newspaper.
Actually, Mike, it's not about Le Jonquet; Le Jonquet is further to the East, at La Seyne, close to Toulon. The "calanques" are in Cassis and Marseilles.
Appreciate the clarification and correction - thanks Jacques.
Thanks for the link, I've needed an excuse to brush up on my French!
I've visited Les Calanques a few years ago for sport climbing - the beaches are stunning, as is the vegetation on the walk from the road.
Also, the coastal roads are superb, as is the climbing! I thoroughly recommend a trip to the area