dossier

Walking in Haute Provence

Travel Information
Season: May to mid October. Please note that it is very hot in thisarea in July and August and those months are better avoided. This is an idealtrip for spring or autumn: times of early flowers or golden hues rather thanthe Lavender blues! Both Spring and Autumn can bring rain spells, and highsummer is can also produce electrical storms.

Arrival: Between 5p.m and 7p.m on Day 1

First hotel: At St Andre Les Alpes

Travel: The ideal arrangement would be an "open jaw" airticket into Nice (via Paris) and return from Marseille (via Paris) to avoid theneed to travel back from Marseille to Nice by train or bus.

By air to Nice: Air France. Scheduled flights available from mostregional airports via Paris to Nice. Then airport bus no 23 to Chemins de Ferde Provence railway station (40mins) and by train from Nice to St.Andre-les-Alpes, which takes about 2 hours (14 Euros/US$19.50 approx. notincluded). The last train leaves Nice at 17.00 hours.

End of Tour: Aix en Provence after breakfast on day 8. Bus/train toMarseille, which takes around 40 mins. You could also travel by bus or trainback to Nice (3-4 hours). (Bus / train tickets are not included). BritishAirways flight Marseille to Gatwick for return flight home.

Marseille-Provence airport at Marignane is linked by an airport bus servicewith Marseille train station (every 20 minutes) and with Aix bus station(about once per hour). The journey time in each case is around 30 minutes andthe fare 10 Euros/approx US$12 per person one way. The bus station in Aix isabout 10 minutes walk/short taxi ride from the train station, and in Marseillejust outside the train station. There is plenty of room for baggage on theairport bus services.

Level of Difficulty
Fitness: This is asubjective matter on this tour. Breakaway walking grades presume a certain standard common to similartours and an individual’s perception of their own fitness in relation tograding will vary.

The walking on this tour is variously: easy, moderate and quite demanding on feet and lungs. A reasonable levelof fitness, a reasonable head for heights and an ability on rocky paths isrequired for the gorge day and the day to La Moustiers. You need good boots throughout the tour: Thetrails are generally good, but on occasion there are steep or winding sectionsof loose limestone shingle. Carry plenty of drinking water and adequateprotection against the sun, including a sun hat. There are steep ascents/descents sometimes in hot weather. You will need to take care walking on thistour.

Day stages: In the region of 14km to 23km (9 to 15 mi) per day withaverage altitude gains of 550m. 5 to 7 hrs walking per day for most people,slow walkers will take longer.

Waymarks: The trail follows in the main well-established paths, muchof the way being waymarked with the distinctive white/red/white GR (GrandeRandonnee) waymarks and presents no special difficulties. There are sectionswith steep steel ladders during the traverse of the Gorges du Verdon, but theyhave posed no problems to any of the hundreds of our customers who have donethis trek either escorted or self-guided. A compass and the skill to useit can be desirable at one or two points, notably on Days 3 & 5.

Accommodation & Meals
Accommodation is on a half board basis on most nights in countryinns (1* , 2* or 3* Logis de France approved or similar standard) and 1converted chateau. Bed and breakfast and 4 evening meals are included; on threenights you dine out at your own expense. Picnic lunches are not included in thetour cost but are available from hotels or can easily be obtained from localshops. We indicate in the route notes where there are suitable restaurants orcafes for lunch stops, or recommend you carry food if there are none convenientto the trail.

Night 1: St Andre-les-Alpes. A delightful Alpine village on thefamous Ligne des Pignes narrow gauge railway that links Digne and Nice. Acentre for parascending. This hotel is marvellously situated at the edge ofSaint Andre les Alpes, facing the rising sun, in the heart of a wide valleywith a beautiful view of the Valley du Verdon and the surrounding mountains.Classified 2* star in the Logis de France guide, this hotel offers rooms withensuite facilities, as well as a good restaurant for your evening meal (Dinnerincluded).

Night 2: Castellane. This 2* hotel overlooks the main square of thehistoric mountain town, right on the 'Route Napoleon'. You will receive afriendly welcome at our hotel; all rooms have en suite facilities, T.V.Telephone as well as a fine large windowed restaurant serving fine evening meals(Bed and Breakfast only).

Night 3: Point Sublime. This is the only hotel in the area, a ratherneo Victorian establishment, situated on its terrace above the Verdon andacross from the vertical cleft in the limestone plateau that marks the entranceto the gorge. Good food is the norm, there is a nice terrace bar and there is apleasing old-fashioned air about the place. During the high season it may benecessary to spend the night in La Palud as tomorrow and to do the gorge walkwith a taxi transfer back to point Sublime which will be included if this isthe case (Dinner is included). Pleasenote that the hotels restaurant is closed on Wednesday evenings. If you happen to be at the hotel on aWednesday, we can organize for a “cold plate” meal to be provided for you inthe lounge. (Dinner included).

Night 4: La Palud. Our preferred, very welcoming, modern hotel insidethe ancient centre of the village well deserves its 2 star classification inthe Logis de France guide. Its 20 spacious rooms have full ensuite facilities,TV etc. The cuisine is of a high standard – their buffet, when available, isparticularly good value for the money. Breakfast is a buffet style as well andmay include yoghurt with honey, a variety of fresh fruit, freshly baked breadand croissants. (Dinner is included).

Night 5: Moustiers-Ste-Marie. Our comfortable and sensitivelymodernized small hotel is centrally situated in this popular villageoverlooking a series of waterfalls. It has a restaurant where you can takeyour time over dinner and from the light and airy breakfast room you mayobserve dippers flitting from boulder to boulder in the torrent below. (Dinneris included).

Night 6. Near Riez. We stay at a converted chateau in an idyllicrural setting 4km/2.4 mi from the town of Riez. This is a real country housewith very obvious connections with hunting and horses. The place has a rusticrural elegance (Dinner is included)

Night 7. We offer a modern town hotel near the center of Aix enProvence. It is situated just a fewblocks away from the coach /bus station for Nice or Marseilles. It is a useful springboard for visiting therest of town. (Bed and breakfast only.)

Please note that in the case of late bookings or hotel closure we may usevarious other hotels, which offer a similar standard of accommodation andcuisine.

Escorted Tours 2008
Sat 17 May – Sat 24 May

Sat 20 Sept – Sat 27 Sept

Please note: That the holiday price does not includethe cost of public transport to thefirst Hotel in St. Andre on Day 1: The train from Manosque to Aix en Provenceon Day 7:, and transport from Aix todeparture points on Day 8.

ITINERARY

Day 1. Arrive Nice. Transfer from airport to Chemin de Fer de Provence narrow gauge railway station and thence by train along spectacular alpine valleys to St. Andre, a small village set between forested hills and the Lac de Castillon. If there is time it is recommended that if you are able to take an early train that you stop at the beautiful historic town of Entrevoux and then catch the later train to St. Andre. (Train not included in tour price).

Day 2. We follow narrow trails over the hills high above the western side of the Lac de Castillon. Along the way the intense yellow flowers and honeyed scent of wild Broom and Rosemary, contrast with the deep green shades and resinous air of the pine forest. You are finally greeted by the stunning out crop of Notre Dame de Roche above Castellane; and you should have plenty of time before dinner to climb up to the little chapel there and take in the sunset. 15km/9mi/6hrs.

Day 3. The well waymarked GR4 long distance trail from Castellane follows an ancient Roman route high up on the side of the deep winding Verdon valley. Ancient villages, with their tightly clustered ochre-walled houses, seem to grow naturally out of the rugged landscape. There is a small artisan village en route where you can purchase hand made brooches, pottery and lavender essence, before heading off over the high limestone moors (compass useful here) and pastures before dropping down to Rougon and thence to Point Sublime. 22km/14mi/7hrs

Day 4: Today we tackle the traverse of the famous Gorges du Verdon, France's Grand Canyon. High up on the towering red and grey limestone walls of the gorge you may even spot rock gymnasts pitting their skill against the force of gravity. The gorge is quite challenging for hikers too, as there are a number of metal ladders to negotiate along the way. The walking is not as daunting as it may sound and only a modest head for heights is required. Halfway along is a delightful spot to picnic and cool off by the river. At certain water levels this is a nice place for a dip although normally very cold! Then climb up to La Maline, where from the balcony of the lodge there you can enjoy an overview of the gorge over a cold drink, before debating whether or not to walk the last section on road to La Palud, or take a taxi.12km/7mi/6hrs (Point Sublime to Maline); 20km/12mi/8hrs (point Sublime to La Palud).

Day 5: Today we follow a high forested ridge overlooking the turquoise-blue Lac de Ste. Croix, before making a steep descent and gradual reascent to the little town of Moustiers Ste. Marie, clustered at the foot of towering crags and long famous for its ceramics. The walking is dramatic, wild and beautiful and on the descent, you wind through giant limestone crags and rock towers. 16km/10mi/6hrs

Day 6: We walk abruptly up over the scarp slope and out of the Alps and into a new landscape: the broad vistas and immense arching skies of the Plateau de Valensole. The plateau is cultivated for cereals, lavender (at its best in July) and truffles (hidden underground between rows of specially planted Downey oaks). We descend to the tiny village of Roumoules and then a gentle climb along a woody ridge and then a short steepish descent down to the town of Riez, where the columns of a Roman temple remind us of its historic past. Our next night is spent in a converted chateau in a quiet rural setting about 3km/1.8mi from Riez. It is a superb quiet location to unwind. In season on warm days, you may want to enjoy the swimming in which to cool off. 23km/14mi/6.5hrs

Day 7: After breakfast you will be transported to Manosque to take a morning train to Aix en Provence (50 min).

Day 8: Depart Aix when ready: Bus or train from Aix perhaps to Marseille and its airport or (changing trains in Marseille) back to Nice. Marseille is only 40 minutes away. Nice is about 3 hours. Some people have preferred to return to Nice by train to Digne and then the Ligne des Pignes to Nice.

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