Gorges du Verdon self-guided walking holiday with luggage transfer
This self-guided walking holiday takes you into the surrounding landscape of the remarkable and dramatic Gorges du Verdon. The gorges have been formed by the Verdon River, a tributary of the Durance, as it cuts itself through the chalk plateaus of Haute Provence. The most famous of these gorges stretches for more than 20 kms from Castellane to the Lac de Sainte-Croix. The landscape is intoxicating with its eerie overhangs, tunnels, canyons and plunging drop-offs. There are stays in pretty villages such as Moustiers Sainte Marie and Castellane, and chapels and castles to spy along the trail. Dinner is included on three nights and there are opportunities to eat out if you want on other nights. Walks are of a duration of about 6 to 9 hours a day, the terrain can be tough under foot and there are some sheer drops with precarious passages particularly on Day 4 when you follow part of the famous Martel trail, there are long ascents and descents of more than 1000m, and the walk is classed as Grade 4, so hill walking experience is recommended, route-finding may be tricky and a reasonably high standard of fitness and stamina are essential. The area is busy in the high summer months, so best recommended for before and after July and August.
Highlights
Moustiers Sainte Marie • Font Roult Ravine • Sainte Croix lake • Bastidon trail • Mainmorte Ravine • Mainreste Belvedere • Martel trail • Gorges du Verdon • Brandis Ravine • Castellane • Castillon lake • La Baume pass • Cheiron Ravine
Walking information
Average of 16 to 23 kms per day • Average of 6 to 9 hours a day with long ascents and descents of more than 1000m • Grade 4 difficulty • Recommended mid-April to mid-October • Walking experience is necessary as is a reasonably high level of fitness and stamina
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room for six nights.
From about
£1,590 Comfort in 2- and 3-star hotels
Holiday Code CWFR04
Additional nights can be added before, after or during the tour.
Call us on 01392 441266
Gorges du Verdon self-guided walking holiday with luggage transfer
This lovely town, situated within the Natural Regional Park of the Verdon, enjoys a strategic and dramatic location at the opening of a large gap carved into the cliffside by the Rioul River, and is recognised as one of the most beautiful ‘villages’ in France. The town developed around the 5th century monastery created by Saint Maxime, Bishop of Riez, and the monks who had come from the Lérins Abbey. Moustiers was at its height of influence in the 17th and 18th centuries, known during this period for its pottery. But its fame declined, and in 1874 the last kiln was extinguished...momentarily. Towards the 1930’s the activity picked up again and is now the driving force of the local economy. The best way to discover this Moustiers Sainte Marie is simply by wandering through the narrow streets. The old priory church of Notre Dame was built in the 12th century and has a distinct three-story Romanesque bell tower. You also won’t want to miss the Musée de la Faience, dedicated to the local pottery, located in a vast mediaeval crypt built by the monks. For a panoramic view of Moustiers, climb up to the Notre-Dame-de-Beauvoir chapel, perched on a hill above the town. Allow time to check your kit, pack your rucksack and study your guides and maps. Accommodation is on bed and breakfast in a 3-star hotel. Dinner is not included tonight but there is plenty of choice in the city.
You leave Moustiers by the Chapelle Saint Anne to follow an ancient Roman route to the hamlet of Venascle and find yourself in a wild, desert-like space. Though dominated by stone and rock, the landscape lacks nothing in beauty. You pass along the Font Rouit Ravine before crossing the National Forest of Montdenier and through the Ane Pass. This brings you to the Sainte Croix Lake and the last of the gorges. You make your way along the crest, and then head off across the plateau towards the gorges of Vénarelle and the ravine of Le Coteau d’Acle. You reach the La Croix de Chateauneuf Pass and then arrive in La Palud sur Verdon. Dinner, bed and breakfast is in a 4-star hotel.
Distance: About 20 kms
Time: About 5 hrs
Ascent: 700 metres
Today is a circuit of about 6 hours around the village of La Palud sur Verdon. Leave the village, following the Mainmorte Ravine and Bastidon Trail, which runs through the gorges along the cliffs. The path is narrow and meanders up and down through the gorges. All the while you will enjoy breathtaking views. Pass through the ruins of Cabrielle, and then, from the parking area, you will come to the Mayreste Belvedere and, leaving the gorges, climb out of the ravine to Grinhan. You will welcome the shade and cool air of the forest that covers the north slope of Barbin. Then cross to the opposite slope to arrive back at La Palud. Return to your 4-star hotel in La Palud for dinner, bed and breakfast.
Distance: About 16 kms
Time: About 6 hrs
This is the most beautiful, inspirational and rigorous phase of the hike. You leave La Palud and follow Route D23 to Chalet de la Maline. Along the length of this route you are afforded fantastic views of the gorges and belvederes. At Chalet de la Maline you take up the famous Martel trail, which will leave you with unforgettable memories of the vast canyon. Be careful, as several precarious passages line this stretch – stairs including the famous Breche Imbert, narrow passageways, tunnels (a head torch is recommended). Those subject to vertigo might want to consider another route. Spectacle follows spectacle as this path leads you to its end at the Point Sublime viewpoint, very near Rougon. Tonight, you have dinner, bed and breakfast in 2-star hotel.
Distance: About 23 kms
Time: About 8 hrs
You leave the village of Rougon this orning and skirt around La Barre de Catalan and Les Règles, which overlook the gorges, and pass through arid zones before arriving at a pleasant forest. The forest leads you to the hamlet of Chastreuil. Follow the path around rocky ridges to the Chapel of Saint Jean and, by way of the Brandis Ravine, arrive at the small village of Villers-Brandis. This once-abandoned village has found rebirth recently as city people have come back to country life. You will then descend slowing towards the small town of Castellane, built on a magnificent site overlooking Le Roc, an immense chalk cliff standing at a height of over 200 metres above the Verdon, and a listed historical site. The GR4 trail passes through the town and it stands on an historic herding route from the end of the Middle Ages. Your accommodation is on bed and breakfast in a 3-sar hotel.
Distance: About 22 kms
Time: About 7 hrs
Ascent: 400 metres
Today a taxi transfers you to Saint André les Alpes, about 30 minutes’ drive away to the north. From Saint André you start today’s hike with a slow climb to the old village of Courchon to look out over the lake of Castillon, which has swallowed up a large part of the valley. Then you arrive in the hamlet of Blaron, where, from a promontory, you have a splendid view of the lake and the village of Saint Julien du Verdon, which once sat high above the waters but now finds itself on the lake’s shores! From here you reach the village of La Baume and the La Baume Pass and will cross the Cheiron Ravine to descend finally towards Castellane. You return to the same hotel for bed and breakfast tonight.
Distance: About 21 kms
Time: About 7 hours
Ascent: 400 metres
The tour arrangements end after breakfast. Allow yourself, if possible, time to visit the old quarters of Castellane, with its narrow streets and historic, architectural monuments such as the Romanesque church of Saint Victor and the Tour d l’Horloge. Climb to the chapel of Notre-Dame-du-Roc for a final, magnificent view of the town and the Verdon. Own transport onwards.
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room for six nights.
From about
£1,590 Comfort in 2- and 3-star hotels
Holiday Code CWFR04
Additional nights can be added before, after or during the tour.
Our prices include
● Accommodation in a double or twin room on bed and breakfast
● 3 gourmet dinners
● Luggage transfer between hotels
● Taxi transfers as mentioned during the tour (Castellane to Saint-André)
● Set of maps (1/25 000 scale) with the route marked and detailed notes describing the trail
● Daily itinerary with information about facilities and places of interest along the trail
● English-speaking emergency assistance 24 hours a day
Call us on 01392 441266
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room for six nights.
From about
£1,590 Comfort in 2- and 3-star hotels
Holiday Code CWFR04
Additional nights can be added before, after or during the tour.
Our prices include
• Accommodation in a double or twin room on bed and breakfast
• 3 gourmet dinners
• Luggage transfer between hotels
• Taxi transfers as mentioned during the tour (Castellane to Saint-André)
• Set of maps (1/25 000 scale) with the route marked and detailed notes describing the trail
• Daily itinerary with information about facilities and places of interest along the trail
• English-speaking emergency assistance 24 hours a day
The journey and how you get there
The nearest airport is Nice and from here you can take a train to Dignes, and then a bus to Moustiers Sainte Marie. Alternatively, you can take a train from Nice to St Andre des Alpes and then a taxi. If you want to hire a car for before and after the walking holiday, you can leave it in Moustiers and take a taxi from Saint André des Alpes to Moustiers at the end.
Transport is not included in the holiday price, other than luggage transfer during the tour and taxis mentioned in the itinerary.
Call us on 01392 441266
Gorges du Verdon self-guided walking holiday with luggage transfer
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room for six nights.
From about
£1,590 Comfort in 2- and 3-star hotels
Holiday Code CWFR04
Additional nights can be added before, after or during the tour.
Our prices include
• Accommodation in a double or twin room on bed and breakfast
• 3 gourmet dinners
• Luggage transfer between hotels
• Taxi transfers as mentioned during the tour (Castellane to Saint-André)
• Set of maps (1/25 000 scale) with the route marked and detailed notes describing the trail
• Daily itinerary with information about facilities and places of interest along the trail
• English-speaking emergency assistance 24 hours a day
The journey and how you get there
The nearest airport is Nice and from here you can take a train to Dignes, and then a bus to Moustiers Sainte Marie. Alternatively, you can take a train from Nice to St Andre des Alpes and then a taxi. If you want to hire a car for before and after the walking holiday, you can leave it in Moustiers and take a taxi from Saint André des Alpes to Moustiers at the end.
Transport is not included in the holiday price, other than luggage transfer during the tour and taxis mentioned in the itinerary.
Call us on 01392 441266
Gorges du Verdon self-guided walking holiday with luggage transfer
About Provence
Provence is the ancient province of the Romans and criss-crossed by footsteps since those times and earlier of soldiers, pilgrims, peasants and artists. The Via Domitia was the first Roman road to be built in Gaul and linked Italy with Hispania. Provence proffers a rich tapestry of landscapes, culture and traditions. Its countryside of sunflower fields, lavender beds, olive groves, vineyards and wooded rolling hills, interspersed with mountains and plateaus is hauntingly familiar. Its paths still cross this landscape and are there for the hiker to enjoy along with the colourful markets in the hill-top villages of blond stone, the shady squares with their stone fountains, the hearty local produce with its sun-ripened fruit, oil and wine. As you walk the countryside offers you a feast for your senses from the deep blue skies, the undulating hills to the perfumes of lavender, thyme, rosemary and pine. Walking here offers a mix of terrain, some easy-going, some more rugged. Provence has a good share of the Grandes Randonnées too, with the GR4 featuring about 166 kms in the Vaucluse and Mont Ventoux, the GR6 has 103 kms in the Vaucluse covering Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, Gordes, Roussillon, Rustrel and Viens (all featured in our Luberon tour), and the GR9 has 163 kms in the Vaucluse. The GR9 crosses Provence from south to north over a distance of 100 km and traverses from the coast at Saint-Raphael to the north of the Gorges du Verdon.
