Walking in Provence, France

For many, the allure extends beyond the landscapes to the cuisine, featuring local olive oil, fresh rosemary, plump red tomatoes and creamy goat's cheese, and best accompanied by the region's crisp rosé wines. This leisurely walk reveals the quiet side of Provence – the ravishing landscapes between the wooded folds of the Luberon and the rugged summit of Mount Lure. Along the way, you discover sleepy villages, gently rolling hills coated with aromatic plants, tiny chapels, lavender fields, and medieval Forcalquier whose ancient citadel stands guard over these timeless, undulating landscapes. Distances are short, leaving you plenty of time to relax and unwind at the characterful hotels. We have worked with the owners of all three for several years and they continue to earn consistently high praise for their warm hospitality and delicious Provençal cuisine.

Accommodation:

La Campagne Berne, Pierrerue Converted from an old stone house and decorated in traditional Provençal style, this is a special place run by the truly charming Eric Delaetre and Bruno Boulanger, who go out of their way to make your stay an enjoyable one and treat you to mouth-watering regional cuisine. Perhaps the best feature is the view from the terrace - on a clear day you can see as far as the Alps as you enjoy your breakfast.

La Bastide Saint Georges, Forcalquier A beautifully appointed hotel 1km from the centre of the medieval market town of Forcalquier. Each bedroom is individually decorated with plenty of elegant touches. Most boast their own terrace overlooking the garden and the outdoor pool, which is surrounded by olive trees.

Auberge de Reillanne, Reillanne Converted from a fortified manor house, Monique Balmand's much-praised auberge offers spacious, rustic bedrooms, good country cooking and plenty of space to sit and relax in the pleasant gardens.

Traveller Reviews of This Trip

We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday, and have already looked at your website for next year! We particularly appreciated the auberge aspects - personal attention, comfortable room and home-cooked food. We were delighted at the cleanliness of all the places we stayed. We liked arriving from a great day's walking and knowing that after a shower and rest in the garden we'd be treated to a delicious dinner and local wine. Eric and Bruno were the perfect hosts and their warm welcome and understanding of what makes excellent service set us up for the week. Eric had good English and spoke clear French that was easily understandable to us, and had excellent judgement on how long to chat and interact with us and when to leave us alone. The special touches - the home-made aperitifs and very unusual jams (melon, tomato!) - were delightful, and the picnic was great (terrific to have crisps as a salty snack - important when walking in hot weather). La Bastide St Georges was markedly less personal (a sharp contrast to La Campagne Berne). We were very impressed with Monique at Auberge de Reillanne, and although her style is not chatty, she knew how to give excellent service and make guests welcome and comfortable and at ease. Her food was outstanding. We had tea in the garden on both afternoons, and she gave us home-made biscuits and a wonderful large jug of hot chocolate. The house and garden were a lovely setting. We would have liked a little more orientation on arrival - e.g. we had to ask the time for dinner. Mr S Jordan, Dagenham, 05/06/2011 

La Campagne Berne is a very special place and Eric and Bruno are exceptional hosts. In your brochure, you don’t make enough of the fantastic flora and fauna. We saw an amazing array of butterflies and flowers including bee orchids and nightingales and cuckoos in abundance. We don’t think we shall ever forget the nightingales which sang around the clock. Mrs R Urbainczyk, Yeovil, Somerset, 13/07/2010

We especially enjoyed being at La Campagne Berne – there could not have been a better start to our holiday – hospitality and ambience were unsurpassable! Food wonderful. Food was also wonderful at Auberge de Reillannne. We really appreciated the contrast between the different locations. Mrs C, West Lothian, 15/07/2009

For more reviews of this trip, see: Reviews of Walking in Provence