PROVENCE – ALPILLES REGION
In
BAUX-DE-PROVENCE country
Independent
walking tour in half board accommodation in **Hôtels,
with luggage transfer
6 nights/5+ walking days
Nestling between the rivers Rhône
and Durance, extolled by poets and immortanised by painters,
Alpilles rise to the south of the region. The
Alpilles is a small limestone range with deeply cut
hills, dotted with villages perched atop the hills,
and with rocks sculpted by the wind, sunk in the middle
of vineyards, olive groves, lavender fields and plantations
of almond trees. You will follow in the footsteps of
Frédéric Mistral, Alphonse Daudet and Vincent Van Gogh;
an adventure into a land rich with art, history, traditions
and, of course, provençale cuisine !
ITINERARY
(D = descending elevations
- A = ascending elevations)
Day 1 Arrival at about 14 h 00 (if you wish to walk
on the first day) otherwise at about 18 h 00 at l'Hostellerie
de la Reine Jeanne in Baux-de-Provence.
Settling into the hotel then a short
circular walk via col de Vayèdes, le rocher des Baux and la Citadelle.
Today’s walk approx 2 hrs.
Day 2 Circular
tour around des Baux-de-Provence - Tour of la Vallée
d’Auge.
This is a charming site at the heart of the massif
des Alpilles. This tour with allow you time to
appreciate the view of des Baux from a little
known angle. You will see the beautiful
cliffs of la Lèque, the old bauxite roads (the
word ‘bauxite being derived from Baux, the area
from which the mineral was first extracted), the
rocks known as ‘les tafonis’ sculpted
by erosion and wind, and the marks of the quarrymen
on the stones. Night in the same hotel.
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Possibility of visiting la Citadelle,
the musée de l’Olivier upon return in the afternoon
10.6 miles 5½ hrs
A: 300 m
D : 300 m
Day 3 Les Baux-de-Provence ® Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
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Leave les Baux-de-Provence, following
a route giving panoramic views over the massif,
la Camargue and the sea ... descend to Saint-Rémy
via ridges and the lac de Saint-Rémy.
Possible visits : the site
de Glanum (gréco-roman remains). L’arc
deTriomphe et mausolée des Jules, musée archéologique
de l’hôtel de Sade... |
5 miles 3 hrs A : 200
m D : 250 m
Day 4 Circuit around Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
This magniicent walk take you across the Val-Saint-Clerg
and the famous ‘rocks with two holes’ to the wonderful
views of the plaine de la Durance, le Luberon,
le Ventoux and le plaine de la Crau from the ridge
and the plateau de Caume.
Return to Saint-Rémy passing Romanin and its ruined château
by way of the "La Voie Aurélia" (the old Roman road
which ran from Rome to Arles)
Possible visits: la cave cathédrale de Romanin (dégustation
is often possible here).
Night at same hotel.
10.6 miles 6 hrs
A: 350 m
D : 350 m
Day 5
Across Saint-Rémy ® Maussane
Leave via the site des Antiques
to barrage de Peiroou with a short passage through the
rock (chimney) – not difficult. Descend to Maussane
crossing vineyards and olive groves.
Possible visits : Mas de la Dame,
cave painted by Van Gogh.
Night at Hotel in Maussane.
7.5 miles 5 hrs
A : 250 m D : 250 m
Day 6
Maussane ® Fontvieille ® Maussane
On the way to the famous
Moulin de Daudet you will pass by a Roman flour mill
and the charming village of Paradou. Possible
visits : Moulin de Daudet, the village of Fontvieille…
Return to Maussane for the night.
12½ miles 6 hrs
A : 150 m
D : 150 m
Day 7
Depart after breakfast
GRADE OF WALK
This walk is comparatively easy
and would be a good first experience of walking in this
area – you should however be fit and used to walking
on a variety of terrain. The daily elevation is
between 200 and 400 m.
The altitude of the whole walk
is between 80 and 387 mètres and you will walk between
3 and 6 hours per day. Your luggage will be transported
from one accommodation to the next. However, your
overnight luggage should be in one bag only, weighing
no more than 10 kg. We cannot guarantee transportation
of any extra luggage or of a bag with excessive weight..
You will need a small day rucksack
for your daily needs (wet weather clothing, packed lunch,
water bottle, camera etc).
DATES
This tour can be taken at any time
of the year, except 30 June to 15 September when
the route is closed by police order because of fire
risk.
INCLUDED
Half board accommodation (bed & breakfast +
evening meal) in a double room (or single with supplement)
. All meals taken at your Hotel
A walk pack containing map case, itinerary on 1 :25000
cards will be sent direct to your first hotel with route
notes in English with descriptions of the areas you
will be walking through.
Luggage transfer
NOT INCLUDED
Travel to and from the start of the walk
Mid-day meals and drinks are not included
You can take your lunch where and when you wish - we
will tell you where the inns or villages are on your
walk. However, if you wish you may ask your accommodation
providers who will provide you with a packed lunch if
you ask them the night before - allow approx 7 to 8
euros per person for this.
Visits: this tour is littered with many sites :
chateaux, museums roman remains etc which you may visit
either during or after your daily walk. For all these
possible visits you should allow 32 euros per person
Holiday
cancellation insurance and personal accident insurance.
We consider these to be essential. You may make
your own arrangements or we will be happy to recommend
a company specialising in this field.
Climate
Dry and hot in summer (this tour
is not available in the height of summer for safety
reasons – risk of fire); pleasant in autumn, winter
and spring, sometimes with wind : Mistral and Tramontane.
Getting There
BY CAR: the village of Baux (Bouches-du-Rhône) is about
30 km south of Avignon and 15 km north west of Arles.
You may leave your car either
at the Hôtel Les
Magnarelles’ private car park (paying - contact
the hotel in advance for availability) or in the public
car park in the village, at place Henri Girault.
Then take the regular bus service ( Arles ® Marseille) to les Baux( a 5 minute
journey from Maussane to Baux)
or at the unsupervised car park
at Baux (the hotel does not have private parking facilities)
and return to your car on Day 07 by link bus Maussane
to Les Baux (journey 5 mn).
Carte Michelin N° 245 “Provence - Côte d’Azur”. Carte IGN green
series 1 : 100 000 N° 66.
BY TRAIN : regular bus service from SNCF station at Arles :
Arles to Les Baux
END OF WALK
Return by train : Regular bus service or taxi to SNCF station at Arles.
Call
for latest prices and availability
6 nights based on 2 persons sharing
a double or twin room
Single person supplement available
– please ask
PAYMENT
A deposit of 30% of the total holiday
cost is payable immediately upon confirmation of availability.
Celtic Trails can accept Visa or Mastercard, or personal
cheques. The balance is due not later than 6 weeks
before the start of the holiday. If you are booking
within 6 weeks of the start of the holiday then the
whole amount is payable upon confirmation of availability.
We strongly advise that you take out holiday cancellation
insurance and personal accident insurance as refunds
are not possible once payments have been made.
TO BOOK:
Booking Line UK
tel 0800 970 7585
E-mail
info@celtrail.com
Celtic Trails, PO Box 11, Chepstow,
NP16 6DZ
Overseas Tel: 0044 1291 689774
www.celtrail.com
