A week with Walk Inn Provence

For Walk Inn Provence, this is one of my favourite holidays to lead. Using three very different bases, we set off to explore (two days each): the Dentelles de Montmirail, then the Luberon, and finally the Alpilles mountains, giving my guests a great overview of some of the most majestic landscapes of Provence.

It had rained the day before the trip start, the only non-walking day I've had over the past two weeks, and the only rains as well. But as is customary in Provence after a rainy day, the chilly Mistral winds kick in, and our first day of walking was at 15°C, a veritable temperature nosedive after walking in 30° weather all last week. But the Mistral winds always bring clear views and make for beautiful photographs. Below, we are on the crest of one of the "Dentelles", a set of three limestone teeth hovering high above the Rhône Valley.

Sitting above the village of Gigondas, the foothills of the Dentelles chain are laden with famed vineyards, planted on terraces carved into the steep slopes. In the backdrop of the picture and in the clouds is Mont Ventoux, Provence's highest mountain.

But best of all in the Dentelles mountains is the Florets hotel, nestled in the vines, and in the heart of the appellation of Gigondas. We stayed there two nights. Their food is to die for, and one of the many perks of being a mountain guide...











And we can walk off those fabulous meals the following day! Leaving Gigondas after our second night at the hotel, we find tracks that wind through the vineyards and into the plains, where we enter the olive groves of Beaumes de Venise.






After our pushup contest (which I handily lost), Christina relishes in her victory...







Walking along the Carpentras canal on our way to the centre of Beaumes de Venise:











A bakery in the village of Lourmarin, on the southern slope of the Luberon:







And just before arriving in Lourmarin, Christina makes a friend:

Our base for the 2nd part of the trip: the Auberge des Seguins hotel deep in the Luberon:







Merope at the hotel, just before dinner:








Our picnic lunches prepared by the Auberge des Seguins. Yum!

Diane preparing herself for the secret staircase to leave the Fort de Buoux:







And here's Cindy making her way down the vertiginous limestone steps, carved into the rock 3000 years ago.

Neville displaying the finer points of the game of Pétanque while brother Darryl watches. Sorry boys, you were up 12-3 but we came back to win 13-12 (just though I'd remind you...)

The photo below isn't great but captures what I've never seen from the summit of the Luberon mountains (where the shot was taken): the Ecrins mountains -- the snowy peaks in the background -- about 200 kilometers away and culminating at over 4000m in altitude.








But Neville has better things to do on the ridge of the Luberon: a Provençal sieste!

After the Luberon we took a short transfer to Saint Rémy, at the foot of the Alpilles mountains.

My favourite place to eat in Saint Rémy: the Mirabeau restaurant with its XL salads, the one below complete with an entire camembert cheese. At the expense of having to leave some of the garnishes, the camembert was finished...

Darryl nearing a summit of the Alpilles mountains, above St. Rémy. The windswept crest offers fantastic views of the Rhône Valley below, flat as a pancake.

Mother and daughter both taking a picture from atop the Alpilles of the medieval village of Les Baux de Provence, the end point of our last walk.

A sign of the times.
In Les Baux de Provence, a riverboat tourist -- in her 70s --using her iPad to take pictures of the medieval buildings.

My group outside a café in Les Baux de Provence, a building held by the same family for 400 years:

A short taxi transfer took us to the Roman city of Arles, where we spent the last night of our holiday. Here we are exploring the labyrinth of streets in the centre of town.







The whole group outside the Auberge des Seguins: thank you to Merope, Neville, Donna, Darryl, Christine, Cindy, and Diane for a great week!!

Up towards the coliseum in Arles:

A week with Pierre and Gina

The 4 star Welcome hotel, set on the Villefranche bay, made for an elegant setting for a Walk Inn holiday last week. The building is centuries old and has "welcomed" illustrious guests, including Picasso.







Breakfast at the Welcome hotel as the morning bustle plays out on the bay, with local fisherman and café owners. I never miss a chance for bacon and eggs when I can get it (some North American traditions die hard...)







After a week with 18 guests, this week had only two: Pierre and Gina from New York.

Our first walk on the peninsula of Saint Jean Cap Ferrat included the purchase of a 3€ tomato at the small market stall below.

The 14th century Rue Obscure in the heart of Villefranche sur Mer

The sky the following morning as we left for the train station. The rain would hold off all day and the cloud cover would provide solace from the hot summer sun as we walked through the back country.

The church steeple as we look up to the village of Castellar, to the lower right of the photo. We had planned an easier walk from the village of Sainte Agnès to Gorbio, but decided upon another route leading all the way down -- save the 200m climb to Castellar -- to the Mediterranean Sea. On two more occasions we would stretch the "level 1" walking holiday into level 2, considering Pierre and Gina are still fit for even more challenging outings (do a level 3 next time!!).

Gina in the sleepy town of Castellar, after a long climb. Luckily Pierre was by my side to keep the pace reasonable, as Gina could have otherwise run circles around me.

In Castellar:

Arriving in the town of Menton after a long day's walk:

The following day, after a train ride to Cannes, we walked on the island of Sainte Marguerite. Set just 1km off the coast of Cannes, the unbuilt island, with its quiet coves and walking paths, offers a stark contrast to the Louis Vuittoned coastline in Cannes (yes, I just used Louis Vuitton as an adjective).

Gina admiring the views from the island.

We spent the night in Nice, and walked along the famed Promenade des Anglais. Hey Pierre, can you spot yourself in the picture?

Colourful statues sitting and kneeling in quiet contemplation, overlooking the Place Massena in Nice.

After a night in Nice we spent the day in Aix en Provence, not planned for in the itinerary but Pierre and Gina had never been there before, and it was on the way to the Luberon. We went to my favourite restaurant in town, Jacquou le Croquant. You will note that when using Google, or any other internet translator, the results can be interesting, such as on the menu below:

But who cares about the translation on the English menu when the Cassoulet is good:

From within the cloister of the Saint Sauveur Cathedral in Aix en Provence:

My Provençal parents joining us on our hike in the Luberon mountains, looking over a limestone wall...

Our hike in the Luberon took us up to the rounded summits, laden with thyme:

From with a "borie": a centuries-old dry stone hut where we had a break during our final walk to the village of Lacoste:

Nearing Lacoste:

We passed some ripe muscat grapes, and couldn't resist the temptation:

Under the village of Lacoste, crowned by the ruins of the castle of the Marquis de Sade:

Through the medieval streets of Lacoste, just under the castle:

Thanks to Pierre and Gina for a wonderful week of jokes and hiking through the countryside. Next time bring me some pickles.

The Swiss on the Golden Islands

Prosenectute: a group of retired Swiss walkers, French-speaking, spending the week with me walking the Iles d'Or: the "Golden Islands". We were based in the seaside town of Le Lavandou and every day we walked through the region, whether on the coastline or on the islands.

The group members were easily recognizable by their orange hats, which each of them sported when I met them at the Marseille train station:









Taking the train from Marseille to Toulon:

Our first walk began from the hotel in Le Lavandou, and up to the town of Bormes les Mimosas, famous for its flowered gardens and streets. Leading the group in the photo below is Candide, over 80 years old and still walking strong...

Our second walk was on the island of Porquerolles, a 45 minute ferry ride from Le Lavandou.

Being the end of August the island was packed with cyclists and beach-goers, but we still found some seldom-used paths to get away from the crowds. In the photo below, up at the fort, Rosemary overlooks the bay:

"Couscous de poisson" at a restaurant on the island. I was the only one who
managed to finish the plate (there were 19 of us...)

Alice, almost 80 years old, still climbing trees...

The island of Porquerolles harbours a botanical conservation zone, including an olive grove with dozens of varieties of olive trees. In the interior of Provence you won't find any olive trees this big, as almost all of them perished in the frost of 1956.

Back at the Petite Bohème hotel, a gecko on the wall while we were eating at the restaurant...

But the gecko was hungry too, and managed to swipe a cricket as we watched the scene. The ladies in my group let out some bursts of laughter, and the gecko, now frightened, dropped the cricket and hid behind the menu board (to the right of the photo). Displeased with the outcome, Alice (from the olive tree) got up from her seat, picked up the cricket, and standing up on a chair put it back on the wall...

Our third walk together was along the coastline of the mainland and probably, at least as far as my experience goes, the most spectacular walking in the region. From the Pellegrin beach to Cabasson beach the coast is unbuilt, with a path carved into the jagged rocks and along hidden beaches. In the photo below Marie-Claire is heading towards the Brégançon fort, seen to the very left of the photo. The fort is now used as the President's vacation residence (though Carla Bruni has better real estate 10km to the east)

Children playing on a kayak in the water:

My last evening at the Petite Bohème hotel/restaurant, complete with a jazz band in the magnificent courtyard.

Bruno, the hotel manager (formerly a chef), serving our table. You'll notice the headscarves on the ladies in my group: knowing that the band would play some gypsy-style music, my Swiss group decided to play the part...

Our last walk on the Island of Port Cros, the national park:

Leaving the port and heading towards the lush forests of cork oak and tree heather:

Candide sitting on a trunk of tree heather:

Hedwige looking over the sheer cliffs to the south of the island:

Along one of the many paths of the island. This is what a Mediterranean forest should look like if untouched and protected, not the brush vegetation so often associated with Provence:

On the ferry back to Le Lavandou after a week's walking vacation:

The whole group with the village of Bormes les Mimosas as a backdrop. Many thanks to a wonderful bunch of ladies (and Roger and Candide, the two men), showing that even in your 70s and 80s there's still lots of adventure left in your legs...