To fish or not to fish?

Once the zenith of fly-fishing and little else, Alphonse Island, a tiny speck in the Seychelles, has reinvented itself as a glorious jack-of-alltrades and travellers, finds Mark Hedges

- MARK HEDGES

ALPHONSE, a tiny atoll in the Indian Ocean, has a mystical place in the pantheon of fly-fishing. It is our Xanadu. It is on one of the remotest inhabited islands in the Seychelles: you typically have to fly into Mahé, the largest island, and spend a night there (I stayed at the Eden Bleu), before continuing on your journey the next day.

Alphonse is surrounded by the most astonishing flats that brim with fish. It is like walking through an aquarium. It is also one of the most glorious islands to visit, even if you have not the slightest intention of ever casting a line across the sparkling azure waters. I know because I was accompanied by my wife, Rachel.

It is always summer here, only 7˚ south of the equator. The beaches are pristine and the island is full of ancient woodland

This, perhaps, hadn’t always been the case. As the fishermen fished, the wives and nonangling partners of the past had little to do apart from discussing the merits or otherwise of their other halves as they waited for their return. There is no waiting now.

Instead, there is a spa, trips to nearby uninhabited islands to see the red-footed boobies and frigatebirds soaring through the sky, canoeing, scuba diving or snorkelling on a sparkling reef just off the shore, tortoise feeding, whale and manta ray watching, Nature walks or even, dare I say, relaxing. It is always summer here, being only 7° south of the equator. The beaches are pristine and the island is full of ancient woodland and coconut glades.