France September 2017

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at the Hôtel de Chiberta and from the breakfast terrace watched members make their first swings of the morning at the short tenth, as they are entitled to do. After a second croissant, I headed for the practice ground, a lake. Hitting balls into the water is a questionable practice routine, but strangely liberating. “There was no practice ground in the early days,” explains club manager Estelle Nocera Raguno-Sirot. “When we needed one, the only space available was the lake.” Chiberta is another course that divides its setting equally between pine forest and treeless links holes, with only the promenade between golf and the ocean. On a calm day it is in a benign mood. “You have to imagine the wind in your face here,” says Estelle at the 11th, which she describes as “pure Simpson, at his simplest”: a long straight par four toward the sea, with a gun-barrel fairway and a raised green. On an exposed sea course such as this, in Europe’s surfing capital, wind is everything. If it doesn’t carry your drive into someone’s garden, it will do its best to blow your putt off the green and back down the fairway, or into a bunker. Simpson’s creation has had its troubles, to say the least. During World War II, the Germans requisitioned the hotel, and their coastal defences wrecked the course. Chiberta’s golfers unearthed Simpson’s original drawings after the war, rebuilt the greens and planted new tees on top of Nazi blockhouses. The restoration work goes on, removing trees that don’t belong and clearing the rough to allow indigenous marine vegetation to flourish, instead of long grass. “It’s colourful, it’s natural, and you don’t lose the ball,” says Estelle. MORE ONLINE ATLANTIC GOLF “If Pinehurst can do it, so can we.” Chiberta measures itself against the best. Coastal erosion is another threat: the sea has advanced 60 metres in 40 years, devouring a hotel, a railway and half the fifth fairway. All the more reason to play this beautiful course soon. My last stop before the Spanish border is the old port of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, on its sheltered bay, where Harry Colt designed Chantaco while his arch-rival Simpson was shaping Chiberta, 20 kilometres up the coast. Did the two master builders bounce ideas off each other over a glass of Irouléguy in one of the tapas bars outside the Biarritz fish market? Were there furtive missions of industrial espionage? The two locations are quite different, with Chantaco being set back from the sea in leafy seclusion between town and mountains. The club enjoyed fashionable success from the off, numbering Charlie Chaplin and the future Edward VIII among its patrons. The owner’s daughter, many times French amateur champion, married the inter-war tennis ace René Lacoste to found the sporting and business dynasty that still holds the reins at Chantaco. and maintains its reputation as a tournament venue and academy for young talent. The course and its art-deco clubhouse have great charm and the aura of an institution at peace with itself. “We’re in nature here, that’s what our members appreciate most,” says the club’s manager Stéphane Kerjean, inviting me to admire the view of La Rhune. The Basque Country’s signature peak is the last buttress of the Pyrénées before they plunge into the ocean at Irun. Its summit is the line for your drive at the long 17th. “Why don’t you play, since you’ve come all this way?’ asks Stéphane. With regret, I have a boat to catch, but it is good to have something to look forward to, for the next pilgrimage. ● See page 40 for travel information. ➳ Discover more activity holiday ideas www.completefrance.com/travel/ activity-holidays www.completefrance.com FRANCE MAGAZINE 39
A golfer celebrates on the fifth green at the Chiberta course at Anglet Francofile xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Play the golf courses on <strong>France</strong>’s Atlantic coast GETTING THERE By road/ferry: Brittany Ferries operates overnight crossings between Portsmouth and Saint- Malo, Bilbao and Santander. Prices from £466 return for a car and two passengers with a two-berth cabin, from Portsmouth to Saint-Malo and Bilbao to Portsmouth in October (tel: 0330 359 7000, brittanyferries.co.uk). Brittany Ferries also offers tailor-made golf breaks (tel: 0330 159 5418, brittany-ferries.co.uk/golf). See page 25 for other travel information. We are grateful to Ford for the loan of a Kuga Vignale for the feature. The six-speed, four-wheel drive SUV returned 45mpg over the 1,450-kilometre trip. On-the-road price from £29,545 (ford.co.uk). WHERE TO PLAY Green fees are for high season (Apr-Oct). Buggies available at all courses except Chiberta (€30-€40). Pléneuf-Val-André Rue de la Plage des Vallées 22370 Pléneuf-Val-André Tel: (Fr) 2 96 63 01 12 pleneuf-val-andre. bluegreen.com Green fees €65. Saint-Jean-de-Monts Avenue des Pays de Loire 85160 Saint Jean de Monts Tel: (Fr) 2 51 58 82 73 golfsaintjeandemonts.fr Green fees €69. Grand Saint- Émilionnais 172 Lieu-dit Goffre 33350 Gardegan-et- Tourtirac Tel: (Fr) 5 57 40 88 64 segolfclub.com Green fees €105 including electric trolley. Closed Tues. Golf du Médoc Chemin de Courmateau 33290 Le Pian-Médoc Tel: (Fr) 5 56 70 11 90 golfdumedocresort.com Green fees €86, both courses in a day €129. Signature Golf Pass €230 for three green fees at Golf du Médoc and Grand Saint-Émilionnais, valid for one week; €506pp including three nights’ B&B at either club (signaturegolf destination.com) Chiberta 104 Boulevard des Plages 64600 Anglet Tel: (Fr) 5 59 52 51 10 golfchiberta.com Green fees €84. Chantaco Route d’Ascain 64500 Saint-Jean-de-Luz Tel: (Fr) 5 59 26 14 22 chantaco.com Green fees €79. WHERE TO STAY Atlantic Thalasso 16 Avenue des Pays de Monts 85160 Saint-Jean-de-Monts Tel: (Fr) 2 52 56 00 23 atlantic-thalasso-hotel.com Hotel with spa and indoor pool. Doubles from €74. Golf du Médoc Chemin de Courmateau 33290 Le Pian-Médoc Tel: (Fr) 5 56 70 31 31 golfdumedocresort.com Golf resort hotel with spa. Many ground-floor rooms open on to the course. Doubles from €115. Annexe du Comptoir 5 Lieu-dit la Croix 33350 Saint-Genèsde-Castillon Tel: (Fr) 5 57 47 90 03 comptoirdegenes.fr/ annexe-du-comptoir Three-bedroom gîte in a family vineyard, 3km from Grand Saint-Émilionnais golf course. €180 per night, minimum stay three nights. Hôtel de Chiberta 104 Boulevard des Plages 64600 Anglet Tel: (Fr) 5 59 58 48 48 hotel-chiberta-biarritz.com Charming hotel 20 metres from the clubhouse and 200 metres from the beach. Doubles from €145. The chic little restaurant serves Basque specialities. Menus from €28. Hôtel du Palais 1 Avenue de l’Impératrice 64200 Biarritz Tel: (Fr) 5 59 41 64 00 hotel-du-palais.com This dazzlingly restored hotel has a practice green with free golf lessons for TOURIST INFORMATION:Nouvelle-Aquitaine tourist board, nouvelle-aquitainetourisme.com; Biarritz tourist office, tel: (Fr) 5 59 22 37 10, tourisme.biarritz. fr; Saint-Émilion tourist office, tel: (Fr) 5 57 55 28 28, saint-emilion-tourisme.com residents on Sundays. Doubles from €325. Hôtel le Chantaco Route d’Ascain 64500 Saint-Jean-de-Luz Tel: (Fr) 5 59 41 32 87 lechantaco.com Comfortable rooms, good food and a relaxing garden with a pool, 50 metres from the golf club. Doubles from €95. WHERE TO EAT Le Robinson 85160 Saint-Jean-de-Monts Tel: (Fr) 2 51 59 20 20 hotel-restaurant-robinson.fr Hotel-restaurant serving excellent seafood. Menus from €15.50. Comptoir de Genès 5 Lieu-dit la Croix 33350 Saint-Genès de Castillon Tel: (Fr) 5 57 47 90 03 comptoirdegenes.fr Lively bistro with wine-themed menus from €14.50. Le Caffe Cuisine 7 Place du Marché 33420 Branne Tel: (Fr) 5 57 24 19 67 Restaurant with terrace in a pretty village on the River Dordogne. Menus from €17. PHOTOGRAPHS: ADAM RUCK 40 FRANCE MAGAZINE www.completefrance.com
Page 1 and 2: OUT AND ABOUT IN CAHORS WANDER THRO
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Page 5 and 6: 44 52 68 30 ● LA CULTURE 86 NEWS
Page 9 and 10: DORDOGNE SUNRISE Autumn colours env
Page 11 and 12: TROCADÉRO CROSSING The Eiffel Towe
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Page 17 and 18: LES NOUVELLES Inspiring your next t
Page 19 and 20: LES NOUVELLES SOMME TOUR Gain new i
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Page 23 and 24: PARIS MUSEUM CELEBRATES 70 YEARS OF
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Page 29 and 30: RoadTRIP This relatively short summ
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Page 33 and 34: that have been shaped by erosion. I
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Page 37 and 38: Like all true religions, golf has i
Page 39: the fairway and green are more adva
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