Moderate walking on varied surfaces, with some long days and regular ascents / descents.
The season for this holiday is:
19 April 2020 - 05 July 2020
01 September 2020 - 31 October 2020
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| °C | 9 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 22 | 25 | 28 | 29 | 24 | 19 | 13 | 9 |
| mm | 68 | 47 | 41 | 67 | 49 | 24 | 17 | 20 | 52 | 76 | 96 | 72 |
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We really loved our holiday! The choice of accommodation was perfect, the hosts very friendly and welcoming, the food and wine was superb and this hidden corner of France was a delight. We would never have discovered it without Inntravel! How lovely to walk at our own pace along such quiet tracks which opened up to such lovely vistas and fascinating wee villages and towns. We had the peace of mind just to be "us" for the first time in an age. We could forget we were parents, pet owners, and could leave all the general miscellany of modern life behind us. We arrived home refreshed and rejuvenated.
A beautiful area and excellent walks, plus accommodation which surpassed even Inntravel's high standards!
Highlights - Hosts and dinners at Les Esplanes. Truffle museum at St Paul - very interesting.
Recommendations - If no picnic is provided, book your lunch restaurant early or obtain supplies at the first opportunity. No shop or bar in some of the villages and local stalls always seemed to be closed when we passed them eg Cheese Farm only open Fridays from 17.30-19.00!
We really loved our holiday! The choice of accommodation was perfect, the hosts very friendly and welcoming, the food and wine was superb and this hidden corner of France was a delight. We would never have discovered it without Inntravel! How lovely to walk at our own pace along such quiet tracks which opened up to such lovely vistas and fascinating wee villages and towns. We had the peace of mind just to be "us" for the first time in an age. We could forget we were parents, pet owners, and could leave all the general miscellany of modern life behind us. We arrived home refreshed and rejuvenated.
A beautiful area and excellent walks, plus accommodation which surpassed even Inntravel's high standards!
Highlights - Hosts and dinners at Les Esplanes. Truffle museum at St Paul - very interesting.
Recommendations - If no picnic is provided, book your lunch restaurant early or obtain supplies at the first opportunity. No shop or bar in some of the villages and local stalls always seemed to be closed when we passed them eg Cheese Farm only open Fridays from 17.30-19.00!
Both holidays were wonderful. The meals at Les Bois des Dames and Mas Bella Cortis in particular were a real treat. The walk to the Pont du Gard was also fascinating, passing through the quarry and then seeing the same stone in situ. Note that tours of the Pont are limited once summer holiday season is at an end and mid-week.
INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers booked our Secret Provence walk followed by The Best of Roman Provence short break
It was our first holiday with Inntravel and our first walking holiday; we thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience from planning the holiday, the varied accommodation to the scenery and walking routes, also not forgetting the wonderful cuisine and great local wines. A very memorable holiday and we will definitely be re-booking for another Inntravel adventure. Thank you.
Domaine du Bois des Dames on first 2 nights was exceptional in all aspects. This is a wonderful, quiet and unspoilt part of France, whic, as you say, the French keep to themselves.
The final day's walk was a fascinating mix of truffle-related information, a great lunch stop and some extraordinary history and architecture.
A classic 'slow moment' was hearing a trumpet and violin player rehearsing with the organist in the church at St Paul Trois Chateaux on our last evening.
Excellent accommodation and food, well thought out walks in a beautiful area
Beautiful undiscovered countryside. It really lives up to the ' secret' name. Accommodation exceptionally good. St Restitut a gem of a village. Walking notes on day 2 give alternative routes for three sections that are very steep and could be slippery when wet. They are very steep and slippery even when dry! And, with the wisdom of hindsight, I think we might have opted for the alternative routes, even though it added a bit to the overall distance, because it was tricky and and very slow going in some places. We walked in September after the lavender had been harvested. It must be spectacular to do it in early summer when the lavender fields are in full bloom.
We found this holiday to be a relatively easy grade two walk, except for the cliff-top sections if you suffer from vertigo. There was a good variety of terrain and many woodland sections. The hoteliers were lovely and the food generally of very high standard.
The walks are pretty, well-shaded and not too strenuous, in a lovely unspoilt part of Provence. Grignan and La-Garde-Adhémar are beautiful villages. Most days we found the walks were just the right length for us, but one day was a bit too short. We found the Walking Notes poor and not up to the usual Inntravel standard, sadly, with a number of mistakes and missing instructions. Two of the paths had sections which could be difficult for vertigo-sufferers; both were narrow, one along the edge of a gorge, and another along the edge of a ridge and a ravine. We think these should be mentioned in the notes.
The highlights of the trip are undoubtedly the two Chambres d'Hotes, where the buildings, settings and catering are all wonderful, and the warmth of the welcome we received from Arnold and Clotilde, and from Pascal and Christelle was a delight. We would have loved to stay longer in both of them!
Overall, it's a lovely holiday with some teething-problems that we hope you will iron out.
INNTRAVEL RESPONSE: We're pleased you had a lovely holiday, but have noted your comments on the walking notes, which we will be reviewing.
Don't arrange to arrive in St Paul on a Monday as the hotel restaurant is shut, as are several of the restaurants in town.
It is common practice throughout France for restaurants to close on one or two evenings each week; this is often on a Sunday or a Monday. There may be fewer places to choose from on those days but we always ensure that dinner is available or if not, we impose holiday start days which avoid those 'closed days'.
Both the Cevennes and Provence Drome were great walking and highly recommended. Every day was a highlight. The Cevennes was somewhat tougher walking, but not too taxing for an ancient. The contrast between the two walks was interesting. The Cevennes at lower levels was very verdant and streams and rivers criss-crossed your way. At higher levels it was much more open, but the flora and fauna remained profuse. Indeed, everywhere was a riot of colour with pink and yellow predominanting. Further, I was much more conscious of the bird life than I usually am on my Continental journeys. However, whilst the Cevennes is promoted as remote (and it is certainly rural and sparsely populated by normal standards), walkers are quite numerous. But they are easy to lose and on the longer walks they fade away. Provence Drome is, well 'just' Provence. Quite verdant, rural and with many historical sites to explore. And I saw fewer walkers than in the Cevennes. Indeed, I was the only one - which provided an additional pleasure. My only regret is that I didn't spend more time at each of the hotels. They all had their charms and were certainly 'traditional' with delightful hosts.
In Provence Drome I hit the high temperatures and was especially grateful for the pools (and a cool beer). It was very hot, but the walking was acceptable so long as you carried a reduced rucksack load, but with plenty of water.
We had a wonderful holiday. Everything was top class. We would thoroughly recommend Inntravel to our family and friends.
Inntravel's overall arrangements were very efficient and friendly - no wonder we keep coming back to you!
The hospitality we met at our places of accommodation was outstanding and contributed much to our enjoyment of the holiday.
Despite being unable to walk due to injury, we had an excellent holiday facilitated at short notice by Inntravel - much appreciated. Marseilles was a great city to add on for a few days - we loved it!
INNTRAVEL NOTE: The customers booked our Marseilles city add-on after our Secret Provence walk
Secret Provence it certainly is - quintessential Provençal character but without the tourists! The only voices heard are French, villages are quiet, food delicious and local wines the best!
Scenic walking through vineyards, asparagus fields, and of course, row upon row of lavender are contrasted with gentle climbs through truffle-rich holm oak woodland. Panoramic ridge walks interspersed with chapels, towers & dungeons perched atop limestone cliffs add points of drama and picnic spots with wonderful views!
Excellent welcome at Les Bois des Dames. Room was upgraded as it was available - the hosts were very friendly. Le Mas Bella Cortis was very relaxing and the food was very good. Soleine restaurant recommendation in St Paul Trois Chateaux was good tapas and we tried La Chapelle which was a very nice, quirky sort of place with a unique style we enjoyed. The holiday was very good with only minor route errors and apart from the last day's vertigo-inducing edge walk, we both really enjoyed the trip.
We're sorry to hear that you found the final walk induced vertigo. This last, optional, circuit - our route assessors favourite of the holiday - ends with a 'balcony-style' path which follows the line of the ridge, offering valley views all the way. We did not feel that this wide path would pose problems for those susceptible to vertigo; however, vertigo can be a very individual matter. We haven't received any other comments to cause concern, but we will monitor future feedback carefully.
Shhh Don't tell anyone how good Hotel Domaine Le Bois des Dames is. We want to keep it all to ourselves. I think this place is going to be very popular! Would liked to have stayed for longer. The dessert course at Hotel Augusta was amazing. Lovely holiday. Very varied walking and fantastic food. Also interesting historically as we added Avignon for a night at the beginning.
Combining the two walks (Secret Provence and Hill-Top Villages of the Luberon) made an excellent holiday with very good walking and superb accommodation. In particular Le Domaine du Bois des Dames and Le Mas Bella Cortis made us most welcome and provided us with lovely if different environments. Thank you to Clothilde and Arnold and Pascale and Christelle for their hospitality and good food. All of the accommodation was well chosen by Inntravel and all hosts were very welcoming. The Hôtel de l'Horloge (which we added on in Avignon) is a gem for a city centre hotel.