A sense of deja vu

Driving along the north bank of the Gironde estuary on a hot summer's day you pass through field after field of ripening grapes and smiling sunflowers. This could only be France – one of its warmer regions at that – and yet a glance across the water could play a trick on you. It just might create the sensation that you're driving – well – somewhere nearer to home.

Okay, it requires a fair leap of the imagination to think this looks like the Humber, even though the water is the same dull brown hue and, from a distance, the opposite side of the estuary could be Lincolnshire. Also there's the obvious question of whether Yorkshire will ever again enjoy the kind of endless sun in August that the Gironde, and Bay of Biscay into which it flows, have always taken for granted. And no offence to places like South Cave or North Ferriby, but the towns and villages along the Gironde seem to have been built purely to sell picture postcards. Talmont, for example, is often cited as one of the prettiest places on the French coast.

Yet somehow it came as no surprise to find that people from the Humber love this estuary. It's surely no coincidence that when we reached the village of Mortagne sur Gironde, where a muddy creek links the river with its large marina, we found moored there a lovely old yacht which had been registered in... Grimsby.

And next morning, sitting down at one of those communal tables that are a feature of French Chambres d'Hte B&Bs, we met a farmer's wife and daughter from East Yorkshire who were there hoping to buy a holiday home-from-home. Personally, I'd never heard of the place before we decided to drive down the Biscay coast, but apparently the Gironde is France's biggest estuary, formed by the rivers Dordogne and Garonne just downstream from Bordeaux. On its south bank is the famous wine area of the Mdoc while the north side is the Charente region, known for growing many of the grapes used in Cognac.

Less well-known outside France is the fortified wine produced here, Pineau, made from lightly-fermented grape must and Cognac eau-de-vie (a lighter version of the brandy). To sample the drink we drove south from Mortagne to Chteau de Beaulon. It was worth it just to see the chateau's lovely gardens with their fontaines bleues (blue fountains), actually small lakes coloured by a distinctive algae.

Nowhere along the north bank of the Gironde is more picturesque than Talmont. The narrow village streets are mostly cottages that are whitewashed, blue-shuttered and – in summer – garlanded by pink hollyhocks. Yes, it looks almost unbearably twee. But like Robin Hood's Bay back home, Talmont has somehow managed to avoid the excesses of being a tourist honeypot and preserved its centuries-old character.

Most guidebook photographs you'll see of Talmont don't even show this delightful warren of streets, but focus instead on the spectacular 11th century church of Sainte Radegonde, a Romanesque-style hulk of honey-coloured stone and pink-tiled roofs perched on the end of a small promontory which reaches into the estuary. It was built as a place of worship for pilgrims on their way to the Spanish holy site of Santiago de Compostela, said to contain the bones of the Apostle St James, but it's hard to believe they came across anything more picturesque on reaching journey's end.

On the south side of the church is a good close-quarters view of some of the Gironde's unique carrelets. These are shacks built on long acacia stilts, each one holding out a big square net which is lowered into the water then raised again to catch small fish. It's a way of fishing only found in this part of France, and although there are more than 500 carrelets along the estuary they are slowly disappearing.

A few kilometres further on is Meschers sur Gironde which, like Mortagne, has a gap between its centre ville and port. The small town's core has a good market most days in summer, but it's down at the waterfront area were all the interest lies.

Here you find cliffs of pale yellow limestone honeycombed with caves – known locally as grottes troglodytiques – created by the tide eating away the calcium rock. Over the years they have been home to Vikings, pirates, smugglers and wreckers as well as a refuge for Protestants during France's 16th century wars of religion. Some of the caves are open to the public but the best way to see them is on boat trips from the port.

Heading north again, the estuary narrows before the Gironde's waters enter the Bay of Biscay. On the other side, the Mdoc peninsula tapers to the Ponte de Grave, not quite Spurn Point, but still with dunes and old military installations, like the remains of a German fortress from the Second World War.

It can be reached by ferry from Royan, which sits at the Gironde's mouth, but you'll find there's still plenty to see and do on the north bank, not least in Royan itself. This was where Napoleon's troops were sent for convalescence, and in the mid-19th century it became one of France's most fashionable seaside resorts.

During the Roaring Twenties it was full of arty bohemian types, but much of its architecture was blown to bits during the Germans' last stand in 1945. There are still some fine Edwardian buildings, and an elegant 1950s town is what emerged from the rubble.

Royan has some good restaurants. Their les poissons de l'estuaire tend to be species we don't tend to get in Yorkshire. Despite the Humber being synonymous with fishing I can't recall ever seeing perch, lamprey and sturgeon on a menu.

With Yorkshire rivers getting cleaner by the year, hopefully that will change. And with global warming predicted to bring vineyards to the North, perhaps the Gironde is a glimpse of things to come.

FACTFILE

Roger Ratcliffe reached the Gironde Estuary in the Charente-Maritime region of France by flying to La Rochelle, collecting a hire car and driving for about 90 minutes south on the A837 autoroute.

There is a return flight each Saturday from Leeds Bradford to La Rochelle between mid-May and late-September, operated by Jet2. Booking is available now with fares starting at 29.99 one way inclusive of taxes. For details, visit www.jet2.com

Several car hire options are available at La Rochelle airport, including www.novacarhire.com and www.economycarrentals.com

He stayed at Maison d'Hte La Rive in Mortagne sur Gironde (www.la-rive.fr) but a wider range of accommodation along the estuary can be found a www.atlanticcoastbooking.com and www.holidays-france-atlantic.com

Pineau tasting and the fontaines bleues are at Chteau de Beaulon

in the village of St. Dizant du Gua, a short drive to the south of Mortagne sur Gironde.