Travel: Arcachon, France

THIS winter, if you are planning to visit France, you might want to bypass Paris and the ski slopes and visit the place named after the season. Wintertown is a beautiful and melancholic quarter of Arcachon, the resort on the bay of that name to the west of Bordeaux. It reeks of melancholy because Wintertown – Ville d'Hiver – was where a great many rich people afflicted with tuberculosis came to spend their winters in Victorian times.

They built splendid villas in the gentle hills above the then relatively new town of Arcachon, one of three fishing villages around the bay, or Le Bassin as it's known to locals, and these were transformed into bathing resorts with the coming of the railways in the mid-1800s.

Its proximity to the sea and abundance of pine trees with their soothing perfume made Arcachon's Wintertown perfect for consumptives seeking relief from the poisonous atmosphere in Europe's crowded cities. They left behind a legacy of superb homes, built in a mixture of styles that make this a unique microcosm of architectural variety with an almost sad air because we know how its genesis came about.

Many other aristocrats and wealthy people, including at least two members of the British Royal Family, built or rented homes in Arcachon, attracted by the beauty of the bay and its surroundings.

One of them was a Scot – a direct descendant of Rob Roy MacGregor – who built a villa of stunning yet bizarre appearance, mixing Venetian features with art deco and gothic styles. It still stands on the edge of the town and is called "Graigcrostan", because the French builders apparently misspelled the name "Craigroyston", the ancient ancestral home of the MacGregor clan to the north of Ben Lomond.

A stroll round Wintertown and a visit to the Belvedere, the viewing platform in the park at the entrance to Wintertown, is highly recommended, since it gives superb views around Le Bassin. But that is not the area's best-known tourism feature. Just south of Arcachon is the extraordinary Great Dune of Pyla, the highest sand dune in Europe, measuring three kilometres long by 500 metres wide and varying in height – depending on the wind, mostly – from 104 metres to 117 metres. It feels a lot higher when you climb to the top, but the views are worth it. Oh, and don't try to be brave and go up the sand route, unless you're a camel – take the steps.

The resort of Arcachon remains a laid-back place, and is frankly not recommended for clubbers and night owls at any time of the year. In Summertown – the four quarters are named after the seasons – the seafront consists of a restaurant-sided esplanade along the golden beach, which is still the main attraction for visitors in a sunny season that extends from March to October.

Not surprisingly, most of the restaurants feature fish and seafood prominently, and with the glorious wines of the Aquitaine region, it would be difficult to find yourself a less than enjoyable meal. Cafe de la Plage, Restaurant Victoria and Restaurant Chez Yvette can be recommended.

The well-appointed Point France Hotel on the seafront is also excellent, as it has a charming mix of modern facilities and old-fashioned friendly service.

About the only time the town is not laid-back is during the annual autumn Cadences dance festival that celebrates modern dance in several venues – including on the beach and on boats. It's a must for anyone interested in dance, not least because it is so abundantly different to any other festival. To watch four beautiful Italian girls trot down to the sea with their stiletto heels burying into the sand while they perform a sensuous routine as the sun sets is to become an instant convert to modern dance.

Less enchanting but still utterly captivating was to listen to a mezzo-soprano ululate across Le Bassin to a man and woman performing a sinuous duet on board a flat-decked oyster fishing boat. It's that kind of scene – wacky and wonderful at the same time.

Cadences is just one of several festivals and events that are happening in Arcachon all year round. It's a place that has made the transition from beach resort to conference and congress centre without sacrificing its soul. Yet Arcachon has recently been at the centre of a French political scandal. It's all to do with Le Bassin's oysters, reputedly the best in France. Government regulations insist on oysters being force-fed to mice as a test of the safety of the shellfish. You'll not be amazed to learn that mice die in this ludicrous toxicity test, and then the oysters get banned.

Having dined royally on Arcachon oysters on a boat trip round Le Bassin, and with a lifelong affinity for Jerry rather than Tom, your correspondent is now the proud possessor of a T-shirt bearing the legend "Sauvez les souris, mangez des huitres" – that's "Save the mice, eat oysters" to the non-Francophones.

The city of Bordeaux, inland from Arcachon, is a perfect accompaniment in a dual-centre break as there are good road and rail connections between the two. Bordeaux and Scotland were once inextricably linked by the drink that was originally Scotland's national tipple, claret wine; and food and drink are still two of the main attractions of this gourmand's paradise.

Visit the Bordeaux Wine Board in the city and they will convince you that the vineyards in the surrounding area are about much more than claret. There is also a cookery school, the Atelier des Chefs, where you can learn genuine cuisine d'Aquitaine and then eat the results. Scrumptious.

Bordeaux contains a large World Heritage Site which preserves much of its grand architecture of yesteryear, but there are also modern hotels – we stayed in the luxurious Adagio City Aparthotel – clubs, restaurants and bars where they still speak in awe of the Tartan Army that visited the city the last time Scotland was in a World Cup – 11 years ago, in case you need reminding.

Bordeaux's tram system is excellent – let's hope Edinburgh's is as good – but mostly you can see the sights by walking. Do not miss the riverside walks along the Garonne with its stunning water mirror feature, and the magnificent churches, the Basilique Saint-Seurin and the Cathedrale St Andre, the former with a history traced back to the sixth century, the latter "merely" to 1096.

There are several museums and a World Heritage centre to explain all about the rich history of Bordeaux and Aquitaine, especially the long association with England and the period of the Girondists at the time of the Revolution.

While in Bordeaux, you must dine at the superb La Tupina Restaurant, which serves authentic food of the region and where you will be pleased to make the acquaintance of Le Colonel Gascon – a wondrous concoction of white Armagnac and lime sorbet. Just don't drink two.

Bordeaux and Arcachon make an agreeable "auld alliance" all year round, and there's no better way to enjoy the grand wines of the region and the oysters of Le Bassin than to travel there and do it where you can enjoy the views too.fact file arcachon

EasyJet (www.easyjet.com) flies daily between Luton and Bordeaux from around 60. Room rates at the Point France Hotel, in Arcachon, range from 80 to 180 per night. Rooms at the Adagio City (www.accorhotels.com) aparthotel in Bordeaux start at 95 a night. For more about the area, see www.arcachon.com, www.tourisme-aquitaine.com and www.bordeaux-tourisme.com.

This article was first published in Scotland on Sunday on 07 February 2010