Cap Dramont and the Esterel corniche

At Cap du Dramont near Saint-Raphaël, the red rocks of the Estérel massif reach right down to the water. From the cape you can see the Bay of Saint-Raphaël and the little Île d'Or. A circular trail starts at the car park above Camp Long beach in Le Dramont: it is about 4.5 km long with roughly 170 m of ascent, is rated easy and takes just under two hours on average. The highest point is at about 130 m.

The semaphore station stands on military land and is closed to the public; a path passes it on the right and leads to a viewpoint overlooking the island. According to walkers' reports the trail gets very busy in the school holidays and in summer, so early morning or late afternoon is better. The Corniche d'Or coast road continues from here towards Théoule. Routard describes the path through a cork oak wood; the red rocks are streaked with blue-green veins, and the walk ends at the beach of Camp Long, which Routard calls “sublime at sunset”. The Île d’Or carries a neo-medieval tower and is said to have inspired Hergé’s “The Black Island”. The Corniche d’Or is about 20 km long and runs between Agay and Théoule-sur-Mer; without a car, bus line 8 helps.