PROVENCE SUMMER/FRENCH GORGES/BEAUX VILLAGES TOUR 2009

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Description

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The village of Gordes in Provence

A 10 day summer tour to Provence in the south of France driving through some of the most stunning gorges and canyons in France and visiting, along the route, twenty of France's most beautiful villages,( les plus beaux villages).Following an overnight ferry crossing to St. Malo our scenic route takes us across rural France stopping in a 4* luxury chateau hotel in the Loire Valley.From here we drive south through the Vienne valley to Brantome in the Dordogne.Our route then takes us along the Dordogne valley via half a dozen "beaux villages" through the gorge into Rocamadour and then on to Conques where we drive through the Lot Valley and smaller gorges to Millau where the world's highest and most beautiful suspension bridge spans the Millau gorge.Our hotel for the next two nights is a 16th century chateau hotel nestling in the stunning Gorges du Tarn which we will explore over the next two days.We then drive east into Provence stopping for two nights in the Luberon,( made famous by Peter Mayle as well as other classical French writers), exploring another half a dozen "beaux villages" before continuing east,still in Provence, into the Var and our hotel for the next two nights in the countryside just outside Aups.We then spend a day driving around Europe's largest gorge,the Gorge du Verdon, France's "Grand Canyon" and then the following day more pretty villages, a waterfall and a cistercian abbey hidden away in the woods.On our final day,still in Provence,we travel through the Gorge de Chateaudouble before driving through the Gorge de Loup in the Alpes Maritimes above Nice arriving on the Mediterranean coastline at Villefranche sur Mer for our final evening of the tour.

Provisional Itinerary

Wednesday, 17th June; Overnight ferry from Portsmouth to St. Malo (leaves Portsmouth 8.30pm)

Day 1 - Thursday, (approx 220 miles)

Ferry arrives St Malo at 8.15am. On leaving St Malo we take the pretty coast road east to our charming breakfast stop in a small secluded bay near Cancale before continuing along the coastal road overlooking the Mont St Michel bay.The route then heads south cross-country on quiet 'back-roads' to a lunch stop in the charming medieval town of Vitre. From Vitre we drive to Le Mans to visit the world famous motor museum before heading south, still on minor roads, towards the Loire Valley and our hotel for the night - the stunning 4* chateau hotel,Chateau-de-Rochecotte,( click on image below to view their site).

	Rochecotte Hotel: click to visit their site

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Aerial view of Brantôme in Dordogne

Day 2 - Friday, (approx 200 miles)

We drive along the nearby river Loire to Langeais and then, crossing the river, we continue to nearby Azay-le-Rideau and then across country to Descartes and on to our morning coffee stop at La Roche-Posay. We then continue through another of France's prettiest villages, Angles-sur-l'Anglin, driving on to our lunch stop at Chauvigny where we can visit, on foot, the charming medieval town.. From here we continue south through the pretty Vienne valley via l'Isle Jourdain and Confolens.Here, our afternoon coffee stop is the impressive "Gallo-Romain" baths at Chassenon.From here we continue through Rochechouart to Nontron and finally to Brantome, a beautiful town referred to as the "Venice of the Perigord" as the town is effectively an island completely encircled by the river Dronne. Our hotel for the night is on the outskirts of Brantome.

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The village of Conques

Day 3 - Saturday

Our scenic route takes us south and then east along the river Dordogne through six more beaux villages on to the stunning Rocamadour, a perched village on a cliff-side overlooking a gorge.Our route then takes us through to Conques, yet another of France's prettiest villages through another small gorge on to Rodez. From here we then drive east into the stunning Gorges des Tarn where our hotel for the next two nights is on the banks of the river Tarn in the gorge itself.

Day 4 - Sunday, (approx 150 miles )

Today we explore the stunning Gorges des Tarn together with nearby gorges followed by a visit to the Millau gorge where we have the opportunity to view, arguably, the world's most beautiful suspension bridge.

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The village of Bonnieux in Provence

Day 5 - Monday

We continue along the stunning Gorges du Tarn to Florac and continuing on scenic backroads drive through Uzes and into Provence where we visit Les Beaux-de-Provence perched in mountains and accessed via a scenic gorge before driving on to St. Remy de Provence located in Les Alpilles the "Little Alps" in the heart of Provence. We then drive to nearby Menerbes, another of France's "beaux villages" where our charming hotel for the next two nights nestles just underneath the hilltop village.

Day 6 - Tuesday

Today we explore Provence's Luberon area made famous by Peter Mayle in his best seller " A year in Provence" as well as many French writers . Our route visits six of France's "beaux villages" including, in the morning, Menerbes, Loumarin, Ansouis and Gordes, our lunch stop. In the afternoon we visit two more beaux villages; Venasque and Roussillon, unique for its stunning deep ochre colours.

Day 7-Wenesday

We head east into Provence's Var region to our hotel for the next two nights near Aups.

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Two views of the village of Gordes in Provence - click either picture for a larger view.

Day 8-Thursday

Today we visit the magnificent Gorges du Verdon France's "Grand Canyon" a breathtaking chasm and one of the most spectacular natural phenomena in France. Our route takes us via the scenic Lac de Sainte Croix to Moustiers-Ste-Marie another beau village in a stunning setting high on the edge of a ravine beneath craggy rocks. Above the village is the 12th century chapel of Notre-Dame de- Beauvoir. The narrow streets of Moustiers are full of shops selling the local ceramics. After coffee we continue in a clockwise direction alongside the canyon and then drive up to Castellane our lunch stop. We then proceed back to the canyon, this time taking the Route Napoleon road to the south to Bargeme, another beau village, before heading to the dramatic gorges stopping en-route to marvel at the stunning views, until we arrive back at the Lac de Sainte Croix before returning to our hotel.

Day 9- Friday

A comparatively relaxed day as we explore the local area visiting local villages including Aups, and then Sillans-la-Cascade, our morning coffee stop where we can enjoy a country walk to see the magnificent waterfall. We then drive on to Cotignac nestling under dramatic cave-pocked cliffs and our lunch stop. We then head south to Carces and then head into the forest to visit the Abbaye du Thoronet founded in 1146 and the first Cistercian building in Provence.Lost in woodland it occupies a typically remote site.We then drive up to Villecroze a town set against a natural backdrop of caves on two levels which local lords in the 16th century turned into dwellings known as the Grottes Troglodytes. From here we drive up the hill to Tourtour our coffee stop and another of France's most beautiful villages perched on a plateau with stunning views including Montagne Ste-Victoire which was one of Cezanne's favourite painting subjects. From Tourtour it is downhill to Aups and our hotel.

Views of Lac de Sainte Croix in Provence
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Click any picture above for a larger view.

Day 10-Saturday

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Villefranche Bay in Provence

We leave our hotel and travel up the hill to Tourtour and then via Ampus we drive through the scenic Gorges de Chateaudouble and then cross country to Bargemon our coffee stop. From here we continue east through Seillans another "beau village" passing by Fayence and Tourettes. We then take a little known road that takes us through the Gorges de la Siagne and then up to St.Vallier-de-Thiey where we drive south east along the "Route Napoleon" skirting the north of Grasse, the world's perfume capital. Here we head north up to Gourdon our lunch stop perched precipitously with a spectacular view of the Loup valley and the Mediterranean with Antibes and Cap Roux in the distance. After lunch we descend into the Gorges du Loup, a dramatic gorge with views of the Cascades de Demoiselles a 40m, (130 ft) waterfall. We then drive along the gorge to Tourettes-sur-Loup, an art and craft centre on a high plateau continuing on to St-Paul-de-Vence our afternoon coffee stop. This classic medieval perched village was first "discovered" by Modigliani and other artists of the 1920s. Since that time many of the rich and famous literati and gliterrati have flocked to St.Paul. After a walk round the medieval streets we drop down to the coast to Cagnes-sur-Mer and then drive along into Nice along the famous Promenade des Anglais. Hugging the coast we drive around Nice's port to nearby Villefranche-sur-Mer, one of the few unspoilt towns on the Riviera with a beautiful natural harbour deep enough to be a naval port, with a lively waterfront lined by bars and cafes. Our hotel is based overlooking the town and harbour. In the evening we walk down to the harbour before returning to our hotel for our last night celebratory dinner.

Day 11 - Sunday

The official end of our tour. Participants can make their way back to the ferry at Caen taking as long as they like with suggested routes available.

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