How to pack for a French Atlantic escape

This summer I’m heading to Biarritz, which feels radical as my French family are very pro-Mediterranean, and we generally talk about the north Atlantic as though it were some scary ice-filled bath. I have often heard that Biarritz is brilliant, however (a recent HTSI in… confirms it), and so I am braving the south-western French coast with an open mind – if also a deep, primal urge to pack thermals. 

Isabel Marant Snowstone bracelet

Since this will be a French holiday, I’ll need to be wearing something by the uber-French Isabel Marant. What’s more, her global-boho aesthetic will surely speak to the surfing culture down there. As I rattle these tiger-eye beads in a surf store, making out as though I could seriously “catch a wave”, I’ll feel like the first step of assimilation is complete. £130, isabelmarant.com

Alighieri bottle openers

Rosh Mahtani’s mystical, rough-hewn take on jewellery has been a cult favourite for some time, so it’s great news that she is launching a homeware range this summer. Since I cannot imagine life in Biarritz without a steady stream of supermarket wines and beers on the beach, one of her beautiful new bottle openers – preferably the seahorse – should be both inspiring and handy. £150, alighieri.com

The Grey Daily Face Protect SPF 50

I refuse to hide from the sun so my compromise is to slather myself regularly with whatever comes to hand. I don’t enjoy a thick cream though – The Grey’s SPF 50 sun cream is wonderfully easy and light to apply. It may mean I get through it even quicker, but it’s all for the right cause (my face). €59 for 50ml, thegreymensskincare.com 

Story mfg Geo pullover

70 per cent of my summer holiday packing is spent wondering exactly which oversized jumper I will need once the sun sets. I don’t want wool, and I don’t want it tight: I want something loose and fresh and blanket-adjacent that I can lounge about in on the sand or en terrasse. This one by Story mfg is my current favoured candidate. £265, storymfg.com 

My Cinema: Writing & Interviews by Marguerite Duras

Marguerite Duras drank a lot and smoked a lot and had lots of terrible love affairs, often by the sea. I’m aware this was mostly in Trouville, on the north-western coast, but as mentioned I am tackling Biarritz as though it has the climate of Skegness, so as I read this staring out at the horizon I’m sure there’ll be an affinity. Her thoughts on the cinema sound suitably Gallic: “I make films to fill my time,” she says. “If I had the strength to do nothing, I would do nothing.” Honestly, same. £14, amazon.co.uk

Jil Sander brown wood beach racket set 

I have been aware of these beach tennis rackets for a long time. They may be a fraction more expensive than the ones my parents got for us as children, or even very perky models by the likes of Frescobol, but I persist in believing that they look so good, the cost per hit is totally worthwhile. £2,405, ssense.com

Ettinger Capra glasses case

Most people lose their sunglasses; I have more of an issue with the cases. I’m so bothered about not waylaying the glasses that I neglect the stuff that actually protects them. My solution is to invest in a case so lovely that I’ll be concerned I won’t lose that too. Who doesn’t want an extra thing to panic about being stolen on the beach? £105, ettinger.co.uk