Gorges du Tarn
June 17, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Head inland from the Languedoc coast, and north into the Lozere department, and you will find one of France’s scenic highlights at the Gorges du Tarn.
The gorges run for some 40 kilometres along the course of the Tarn River, starting west of Florac finishing near Les Vignes.
There is a road that follows along the bottom of the gorge offering some very impressive scenery and a sprinkling of villages to discover en route.
You might not realise as you travel through the cliff-lined valley but these are the deepest gorges to be found in Europe – they don’t ‘feel’ as big as the Gorges du Verdon further east in France for example.
South of France hotels
June 16, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
If you are planning your visit it is very likely that you will be looking for somewhere to stay!
We’ve looked at various options before but I thought I’d list a few hotel options to make your life easier. Some regions have more hotels than others – Gascony has far fewer than the French Riviera for example. But unless you are staying somewhere very rural most places have a wide choice available.
Likewise, the larger airports have several hotels next to or nearby, whereas for smaller airports and for those that have opened recently and don’t yet have a fully developed infrastructure, you will probably need to venture into the nearest town.
Our recommended hotels come from booking.com – they offer a very wide range in many regions, and offer a ‘best price guarantee’ (see their site for details of this guarantee). Instant online booking is also available of course.
We are happy to recommend them because we use them ourselves when we go exploring! The following should be useful:
For lots more options and to search for your selected destination see booking.com .
Medieval market halls
June 9, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
One of the more unusual building types that you will come across in southern France – especially in the medieval and bastide towns of the south-west of the country – is the traditional market hall.
These typically date back up to 700 years, and have long served as permanent ‘covered markets’. Because of this role they are usually found in the centre of towns (eg Villereal, Monpazier, Domme and many others), usually in a large open square.
There are various different versions of the structure, even in the unmodified form.
Mont Lozere
June 8, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Mont Lozere is in the Lozere department, northern languedoc-Roussillon. To the north is the valley of the Lot River, and to the south the valley of the Tarn.
The road across the mountain runs from the village of le Bleymard, heading south for about 30 kilometres to eventually reach the town of le Pont-de-Montvert.
Leaving le Bleymard you at first enter a verdant tree lined valley. The road climbs rapidly and the landscape changes, and within a few kilometres you are in pine forest.
After passing through the Mont Lozere ski station you leave trees behind and enter a more barren landscape of open moorland where a few trees battle for survival against the wind and winter cold.
Ardeche villages in photos
June 7, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
The most attractive Ardeche villages receive the award ‘village of character’ from the local tourist authority. Much like the national ‘most beautiful village’ award it is a recognition of the village itself and its attention to preserving the fabric of the village, and also a tribute to the setting of the village – typically running down a hillside below a ruined castle…but not always.
In tribute to these selected Ardeche villages, a selection of photos…
Alba-la-Romaine
Ardeche Gorges
June 7, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
The Gorges of the Ardeche are located towards the southern edge of the Ardeche department (Rhone-Alps region) of France, north-west of Avignon.
Running for approximately 40 kilometres, they are one of the most impressive scenic highlights in France. A visit usually starts from Vallon Pont d’Arc, an active town a few kilometres to the west.
Heading east, the first highlight, and the entrance to the gorges, is at Pont d’Arc. This is a natural stone arch over the Ardeche River that is exceptionally scenic. It also has river beaches which are very popular with visitors.
