Provence - Sept 2010

HF Holidays - a week of walking based at Malaucène, north east of Avignon.

Holidays

Photo Gallery

(1) C'est moi, climbing the lower slopess of Mount Ventoux, scene of a famous 21 km long climb of the Tour De France, from Malaucène (Day 1)
(2) Typical limestone formations around Ventoux
(3) Blue skies all round for the whole week!
(4) Heading up a gorge towards a reservoir. Today our destination was the pretty hilltop village of Gordes (Day 2).
(5) Caves created by wind action can be seen in the limestone cliffs.
(6) Dry stone walls on a stoney lane leading down to Gordes.
(7) Typical Provence roof scenery looking down from the chateau atop the pretty village of Le Barroux.
This day we walked back to Malaucène (Day 3)
(8) Me standing in a portal of a ruined aqueduct near which we had lunch on Day 3.
(9) Pretty autumnal colours in a rural garden.
(10) A striking facade of a building along the main route through Avignon (our 'rest day' on Day 4).
(11) Marian, Betty, Val and Ron as we stopped for a nice coffee in Avignon.
(12) How to combine the dessert with the coffee as we had lunch in the sun in a square in the town centre.
(13) Lunch in the sunshine. It doesn't get much better than this!
(14) I recall a song we used to sing at school, although according to the true lyrics you dance under the bridge not on it.
(15) Sign near a communal washing trough - err, really, is it necessary to stipulate this?
(16) Our group (the harder walkers) on a 9 mile walk starting and finishing in the village of Fontaine de Vaucluse (Day 5).
Before I forget everyone's name over time, it's Ron, Ruth, Mark, Margaret, Alistair, Margaret, Elizabeth, Laurie, Rik and Rod. Our leader who took the photo was Jan.
(17) A typical limestone formation, worth a photo.
(18) Reminder of the place we were headed for.
(19) Intriguing, this is the official source of the river Sorgue.
In very wet times this 900 foot pit spews out thousands of gallons per minutes from the foot of the cliffs.
The river itself emerges in drier times from rocks further down the bed.
(20) The final walking day was a 9 mile circuit with a spectacular mountain climb up and along one of the famous Dentelle ridges near Beaume de Venise.
Superb!
(21) One of many spectacular rocks to the north of the Dentelles Sarrasines.
(22) Another twin peak formation.
(23) On our ridge there were a few see-through bits including this one.
(24) Another peak.
(25) Standing in the window.
(26) Grand Montmirail, one of a line of rocks which we skirted around after our ridge walk.
(27) Our final evening meal in one of two local restaurants.
(28) Our hotel was the Domaine des Tilleuls (lime trees). My room was top floor, top of the staircase.
(29) The family dog, Simba used to put his head on your knee at the breakfast table, looking for titbits.

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