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Le Levant-A sarong and a torch…
Separated from Port-Cros by the Grottes channel, Titan is the most easterly and rugged of what the Greeks knew as the 'Stoechades'. Ninety percent of the land on this 8 km (5 mile) long rocky outcrop – as large as its big brother Porquerolles - belongs to the army. The few hundred hectares, including Héliopolis Naturist domain and the 'Arbousier' Voluntary Natural Reserve, are open to the general public.
A shipwrecked freight vessel constitutes the little port of Avis, which is for military craft only. The port of Aygude is principally a landing quay for the passenger ferries. It is advisable to contact the harbour master to find out if mooring berths are available.
The village located on the hillock and towered over by Fort Arbousier can be accessed by a long stairway followed by a sprightly walk of approximately twenty minutes. The terrace cafés in the shade of the arbutus trees, among the most beautiful found in Europe, are a deserved reward for your efforts to get there.
One hundred or so permanent residents form the local village community that still boasts a church, hotels, restaurants, a bakery and a post office-come-bank.
The highly frequented Héliopolis naturist reserve is of international renown. It was created by Gaston and Hervé Durville in 1931, sons of a hygienist, who were convinced that solely a return to nature could preserve man from degeneration. However, the rule requires that within the village one should be clothed. Throw the essential fig leaf into your bag! Take a sarong for the daytime and add a torch for the evening. When approaching this 'paradise' you will notice the lack of street lighting.
The flora on island makes it a real garden of Eden, notable for some unique plant varieties. You may come across unusual specimens such as Black Byrony, Greenbrier or Pennywort.
Follow the "nature trail" towards the north of the village, the only authorised route into the heart of the Voluntary Nature Reserve, also a bird sanctuary. The mild climate is a favoured place both for sedentary residents, (blackbirds, falcons, kestrels and hawk owls) and for migrant or transiting species, (hoopoe, bee-eaters, gannets, bean swallows) along with sea birds, (Herring gulls, and Cory’s shearwater).
Many resent the fact that the army restricts access to much of the island. There is, however, at least one happy resident: the "Hermann turtle" an endangered species, which is now under full protection. Since 1990, there have been attempts to reconstitute the population by importing several hundred specimens. You may be able admire some of them during your walks.
The Titan lighthouse, which is not open to the public, is on the easterly point of the island.
- Djinn Naigeon
