Bandol is the place of childhood memories where long hot summers were spent on the sandy beaches and rock pools of the shimmering Mediterranean. In late afternoon, parents would lounge on the terrace before dinner, listening to a bit of Sergio Mendes and drinking condensation covered glasses of local rosé whilst kids were nudged into sports activities well away from the bar.

A few decades later as we get ready to return to the Med, we pack the children’s pool paraphernalia and tennis rackets. A notebook, a corkscrew and a thirst are also thrown in the bag. Now’s the time for the real tour of Bandol to begin.