Íle Ratonneau is one of the four islands of the Frioul archipelago, a group of 4 islands located off the Mediterranean coast of France and clearly visible from Marseille. The islands of the archipelago cover a total land area of approximately 200 hectares. Ratonneau is long and thin – 2.5 kms long and only about 90 ms wide. The island has been occupied since Roman times due to its strategic position just off the coast and the ancient Roman fleet was moored here during its siege of Marseille in 49 BC. The island acted as a quarantine island for foreign sailors suffering from diseases such as leprosy and cholera. In 1822 Íle Ratonneau was connected to the next door island of Pomègues – an island of similar size – to create a port area. Today the area is full of hundreds of yachts and the main reason to visit is to sail and swim.
The island is connected to Marseille via a regular ferry service, the same one that serves Château d’If. The ferry negotiates its way through the hundreds of yachts moored from pontoons and drops visitors at the man-made harbour. A handful of restaurants and bars line the waterfront and friendly staff come out to meet and greet. There are a few holiday apartments and what looks like an old temple. Other than that, the island is fairly barren and deserted. The central high ground is occupied by a now-deserted fort the battlements and stone crosses can be seen from the path. The beautiful old neoclassical Hôpital Caroline, built in 1828 and which is now being turned into a luxury hotel, occupies the part of the island closest to the mainland. There are ruins of another fort on the Eastern tip of the island. There are several beaches and coves and boat is the main form of transport as most motor vehicles are banned.
We had a stroll to Plage St Estève at the other end of the island but it was quite a warm day and Dad didn’t fancy the hike up to the fort at the top so we wandered back to the port and settled for some cold beers and lunch in one of the waterside restaurants. It was lovely to be able to have lunch outside in November.
Íle Ratonneau is probably not somewhere you would go twice – unless you live in Marseille and have a yacht – but we had a lovely walk around the island with brilliant views of Marseille and the Château d’If, a relaxed lunch outside in the sunshine and a great boat trip back to Marseille on the Edmund Dantès.
NEXT ISLAND: Off to Portuguese waters next for a trip to Porto Santo and Madeira.
53 islands! 
A beautifully presented recollection, for which many thanks. Plus an action shot of lunch in progression !
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