The Camargue is the great wet delta of the Rhône, a flat, wide, shimmering land of lagoons, reed beds and salt pans, and Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is its small, strange capital. The village sits on the edge of the sea, with a fortified church, Notre-Dame-de-la-Mer, that dominates the skyline like a stone ship, built in the twelfth century with thick walls and a roof designed for defence against pirate raids. Legend says that Mary Jacobe and Mary Salome, followers of Christ, fled Palestine in a boat without sails and landed here, accompanied by their servant Sarah, and the village is named in their honour.
Every year on 24 and 25 May, thousands of Roma travel from across Europe to honour Sarah, known as Sara la Kali, the black Sara, who is their patron saint. The statue of Sara is carried down to the sea in a procession of horses, riders and singing crowds, and it is a very moving event, though crowded. At other times, the village is quiet and seaside, with white houses, narrow streets, a small bullring and a beach.
The land around is full of wildlife and character. Pink flamingos wade in the shallows of the lagoons in their thousands, white horses graze in the marshes, and black bulls are raised for the Provençal bullfights, in which the bull is not killed. The gardians, the Camargue cowboys, still ride in the saddles and wear hats and jackets of a traditional cut. Rice fields, salt pans and rows of reeds stretch to the horizon, and the light has a clear, pale quality that painters have loved, Van Gogh among them, who painted the boats here in 1888.
For motorcyclists, the road is flat, straight and scenic in an unspectacular way, with long views, big skies and the occasional flock of birds. The wind, particularly the mistral, can be strong, pushing the bike sideways, and mosquitoes are fierce from late spring until autumn, so bring repellent. There are fuel pumps in the village, but the crowds at the height of summer make a fuel stop slow, so the sensible option is to fill the tank at Arles or Aigues-Mortes. A plate of local bull stew, gardianne, with Camargue rice, makes a good supper.