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Holidays & Walks
Graded in order of walking
difficulty
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Treks & Skiing
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UK Treks
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The Secrets of Provence,Drome Provencal
Explore this unspoilt corner of provence famous for its wine ,
lavender, fruit , truffles , herbs and olives.Half day walks
combined with a chance to find out more about the ingredients that
make Provence so special. |
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An 8 day holiday ..Saturday to Saturday.. with 7 nights accommodation
and 6 days of activities
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Grade:
Moderate with walks of
about 2 to 3hrs .
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Accommodation is on half board
basis with 5 picnic lunches included. Entry fees to the silk museum
, Truffle farm and the olive mill are included.Two expert local guides
will combine to provide the best of local botany , history and walks.
. Each day is half walking and half guided visit apart from the
Vaison la Romaine Day. Transfers are included Avignon TGV Station /Airport and Nimes Airport..
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Situation
In the NE corner of Provence you will find a truly unspoilt rural
area still thriving on its vineyards,olives,lavender, fruit and
truffles .It is called the Enclave des Papes. A mix of tiny medieval villages and bustling market towns,
like Nyons , Valreas and Vaison la Romaine all provide their own
history and character . With our expert local guide , Francoise,
find out about the history , fables , culture, characters . Understand
the use of the plants and herbs of the region. Visit the truffle
farms , silk industry and , above all , enjoy the lovely walks that
combine all the above so well.
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Accommodation.
A comfortable guesthouse situated
on the outskirts of Valreas which is run by an Anglo French couple
, Mike and Chantal .The large house has been totally renovated with
ensuite bedrooms,comfortable lounge and large gardens with pool
.It also has the advantage that it is only 10 minutes stroll to
the town centre with its bars , cafes and restaurants.The guesthouse
also has a bar facility.
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Guesthouse in Valreas
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Swimming pool and garden.
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The Programme
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Saturday . . The transfer to Valreas takes about
1hr from Avignon. Mike will
be waiting to settle you in with an aperitif and chat about
the week.
Dinner is provided in the guesthouse, 3 course with wine. .
Mike also has an excellent bar selling beer, wine etc etc .A
sample menu is attached at the end .Out hosts have received
rave reports from our clients this year ..superb food and wine
,extremely helpful and prepared to go out of their way to ensure
a good trouble free holiday.
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Sunday. . A walk on the Dentelles
de Montmirail home of the famous Gigondas wine .Our
walk starts high up and then circles around the Dentelles
to a lovely viewpoint over the Dentelles and up to the giant of
Provence , Mont Ventoux , at 1900m.. The walk then returns to a
delightful picnic spot where we have lunch in the shade.
After lunch we descend to Gigondas for a drink and possibly a
degustation before driving back to Valreas via the very
attractive village of Seguret. Seguret's name is derived
from the latin 'securitas' or secure and it is a very
attractive fortified provencal village .The area around the
fountain is a must for artists .6km walk..2hrs30
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Monday. .A 15 minute transfer takes
us to Nyons , the capital of Olive growing for this region
.Its olives are justly famous so this morning's walk follows
a signposted trail for 4kms through some of these famous
groves . Some of the trees are over 400yrs old. A visit is
then paid to a local family run olive producer where the
subtle differences in quality and taste of olive oil are
explained. A picnic lunch is prepared in the garden of the
Guesthouse and there is time for a rest before our local guide leads a comprehensive tour of the
historic centre of Richerenches. Steeped in the history of
its links both of the Papal presence in Avignon and the
Knights Templar it is a fascinating tour of the village. Return by 5pm . Dinner with Chantal again this evening .There are aperitifs before the meal and wine provided during the meal as a little 'extra' ..much appreciated by clients.
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Tuesday...Visit to Vaison la Romaine..
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A slightly later start this morning for the 20 min transfer
to Vaison for a visit to the large market in the morning, lunch
in town and then a chance to visit first the medieval hilltop
part of the town and then the famous Roman remains , the
amphitheatre
and the museum . Plenty of excellent places to eat and shop
.Do visit the Cathedral and the Roman bridge , the latter being
the sole survivor of 13 bridges destroyed in the floods of 1992.
The Tourist Office in the town centre has a useful resources
centre and the entrance to the Roman ruins is next door .We
will arrange for collection from the Car park near the Tourist
Centre at 4pm .Clients buy their own lunch today. Dinner is at
the Guesthouse.We can also provide a walk in the afternoon .
Vaison la Romaine medieval town with Mont
Ventoux behind. |
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Market day
in Vaison..a whole street given over to food stalls
alone ! Just the place to buy provencal souvenirs. |
| Wednesday. The Gorge de
St May.A 30 minute transfer leads to a totally different
part of Provence. Rugged cliffs , dramatic gorges and plateaux
covered in Lavender and thyme.Our 3hr walk this morning is over
one of these to a superb cliff where a colony of
European vultures have been reintroduced. These dramatic
birds with a 3m wingspan soar and swoop directly in front of our
'ringside' seats.This and the outstanding views of the mountains
of this region make this a very popular morning.Our picnic table
is set right on the top of the plateau among the lavender
fields. After lunch we return to Nyons for a stroll through the
town .Later on visits are paid to an Olive Mill and the local
lavender and herb distillery , both are guided by English
speaking guides and both are family run concerns. Return to
Valreas where this evening clients buy their own dinner in town
. Chantal will recommend some of her favourites.
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Our
region is blessed with some of the best red wines at
very reasonable prices. The multitude of local wineries
ensure a variety of tastes and mirror the pride that these
small growers have in their product.Try the Vinsobres ,Cairanne
and Vasqueras for a start!! |
| Thursday.Walking the Vinsobres plateau. a delightful morning walk of about 3hrs leads up
from the valley onto the famous Vinsobres lavender plateau . The
walk along the ridge provides good views over the whole
region with Mont Ventoux ever present in the background.After a
shady picnic ..local cheeses,salads,pate, fruit and wine are
standard..we drive to Grignon for a visit to the chateau and the village . . After this
short visit we meet up with a local truffle farmer ..and his dog..and he will explain the truffle history and take you on a
truffle hunt.He is the 4th generation of his family to farm
here.Truffles and truffle oil on sale here.
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Our
farmer with his labrador 'truffle sniffer'..
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One of our
groups accompanying the farmer through the truffle oak wood
in search of the 'black gold'.At the end of the afternoon
the dog has a biscuit and we have the opportunity to
taste some
of the fine truffles..We
end the day back at the guesthouse in time for a relax
before dinner. Dinner by the way is a very social event with
Mike and Chantal eating with the guests. As Mike is an ex
London policeman and Chantal a local girl whose father was
the town Doctor, there are plenty of good stories and
anecdotes flying around !! |
| Friday. The Garde Grosse Mountain at 950m and a
botanical walk. A walk which climbs up through forest with superb views of the whole area. Mt Ventoux , Nyons and the hill country culminate in distant views of the Alps. Accompanying the group will be a local herb and flower expert who will explain the medicinal and culinary benefits of the plants.After a great picnic on the top we descent via a small road back to the vehicle. We then drive to the beautiful hill village of Buisson to meet Anne and Ian who are local wine experts.A visit to an organic farmer who uses powdered horn and the moon's influence to grow grapes is followed by some wine tasting ..all good fun !!.Suitably inibriated we then drive back to Valreas for a good rest by the pool before joining Chantal and Mike for another great provencal meal ..lots of fun and laughter as we discuss the week .. Saturday am Depart at 9am ..Avignon or Montelimar for the TGV .
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| Throughout the holiday
the famous Mont Ventoux is ever present.The 'Giant of Provence',
at 1900 metres , is now a UNESCO world heritage site. It has
unique plants and ecosytem .Ferocious winds have scoured the
summit area leaving stark white limestone scree or rock
fields.An initimidating area when the Mistral wind blows..often
up to 100km per hour.. |
. . This
view is in early Spring with a mantle of snow covering the top
600m. |
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PRICE . E800..Inclusive of 7 nights full board** with wine , full guiding by a qualified mountain leader and French environment guide, all visits and transfers from Nimes or Avignon
.Excluded **are ..1 dinner and 1 lunch and entries to facilities
on the Vaison day
.Based on our Gite the price is E650. DATES FOR 2010....10 to 17 April.. 1 to 8 May.. 5 to 12 June. 3 to 10 July . 28 August to 4 Sept 9 to 16 October.
PLEASE NOTE..We can offer other
dates for groups of 2 or more.
TRY this holiday for the best
overall view of all that makes Provence what it is..
E-Mail us on
Francetrek@aol.com OR
Telephone 0033475276829. |
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