... following ancient tracks wedged between the vineyards and olive groves. The paths are green with spring growth and the temperatures are ideal for walking.
After a night in a hotel hidden in the vines, our second day's walk takes us high above the vineyards, through the Dentelles de Montmirail mountain range. The vine-clad terraces rise until the slopes are almost vertical, while the summit of Mont Ventoux looms in the distance.
The dark and rumbling skies above the village of Gigondas give us warning, but we continue onwards. Before we reach our hotel the skies open, and within moments we're soaked to the bone, experiencing a typically fierce but brief Mediterranean storm...
Roger, his first time in France, making up for lost time during a picnic break:
Our third walk proves to be te toughest, around the foothills of Mont Ventoux, but smiles still paint our faces:
For our fourth walk we change the itinerary: the group is keen to climb to the summit of Ventoux, atop the roof of Provence. Here the vegetation changes from Mediterranean to Alpine, the young cones of a larch tree below:
The impressive slopes of Ventoux along the bare rock... the haze prevents views extending to the Alps on this day, but the landscapes are breathtaking nonetheless:
Among the mountain pine, larch, spruce and fir, Barbara and Roger spot some birds above our path. Barbara is a keen birder, donating her time to a bird rescue centre in the U.S.
Near the summit we encounter a patch of snow, still fending off the rising temperatures of Spring. Ross and Sheena from Australia bask in the novelty, while the couple from Chicago remains unimpressed.
We stage a video here which I've kindly left out of the blog, for the sake of all families involved, but more or less goes as follows:
Man from Chicago gives Aussie a small pocketknife, and Aussie responds: "You call that a knife?"
Aussie then gives man from Chicago a snowball, and man from Chicago responds: "You call that snow?"
The final few paces to the summit of Ventoux, above the trees, finishing a spectacular zigzagging path leading to the top:
An afternoon initiation of the game of pétanque; note the concentration in Barbara's face as she strives mercilessly to destroy the competition (which she does).
With four days of walking in our legs, the last walk feels almost like a Sunday stroll, through the thyme-laden hills above the village of Suzette.
Our final destination is Vaison la Romaine, where we stay in the heart of the medieval village:
The five of us a day before, at the summit of Mont Ventoux, overlooking all of Provence and happy to enjoy a week of walking together...
To learn more about this holiday, visit our website:
www.walkinnprovence.com
