Spring in Saignon

I often choose Wednesdays to do reconnaissance/field work, a way to cut the office work week straight down the middle, and help shed some of my winter fat.

Today's ambitious piece of field work began and ended in the perched village of Saignon, seen below through the cherry blossoms. I began by leaving the car in Saignon (end of the walk), and biking 20km to the village of Lourmarin, on the opposite slope of the Luberon mountain.
   

The spring fliowers were out in numbers and in great heaping patches.

Primula:

Liverwort, one of the first flowers to come up in the Spring. "Liverwort" because its leaves (not in this picture) have three lobes, resembling the liver, and at one time using the medicine of signatures this plant was used to try and cure liver disease (didn't work though...)  

The tiny village of Sivergues, nestled in the middle of nowhere in the Luberon mountains:

After completing two one-day hikes during the day I reached the village of Saignon. Below is the main square and its beautiful fountain:

Saignon to Rustrel

Yesterday's updating expedition began with a 3km climb by bike to the perched village of Saignon, wheeling my out-of-shape legs up a steep road. The village itself is huddled below the ruins of its castle, a few rows of majestic stone houses perched some 300m above the town of Apt, below in the valley.

The Belfry in Saignon:

An old, stone fountain in the centre of the village:

The walk took me from Saignon to the village of Rustrel, on the opposite side of the Calavon valley.

Rustrel is set by what the locals call the "Colorado Provençal": an ochre deposit of red, orange, and yellow sands, a veritable playground of walking paths and sandy pinnacles:

A path through the sands:

The almond trees in full bloom, and the sweet scent of honey in the air:

Luberon mountains

After a cold, cold winter, an early spring has sprung! Today it was easily over 20°C, the hot Provençal sun intensifying the scents of rosemary, thyme, and pine needles that line the paths. Within the first two minutes of walking I was dreading the decision of having worn pants and not shorts. It hasn't rained for five months in the region, and though the Mediterranean winters and summers tend to be dry, they're usually not bone-dry.


I was here updating one of our self-guided holidays with Sonja, who works with us in reservations.

A sunlit path up the southern slope:

Near the crest of the Luberon, overlooking a magnificent landscape:

Villages hidden behind Mont Ventoux

Montbrun les Bains: a village hidden below the northern slope of Ventoux, still authentic, devoid of tourist shops selling lavender bouquets and cicada-shaped soaps. It's the real deal. Listed among the "most beautiful villages in France", Montbrun's medieval centre is perched on a rocky outcrop, its cobbled streets winding around castle ruins and stone homes, and under its imposing belfry.
There are many such villages in Provence but few that have still remained below the tourist radar.

And that was precisely why I was there yesterday, with our (Walk Inn's ) new guide Charlotte, to put together a new self-guided walking trip...

The perched village of Monbrun-les-Bains:

Arriving above the medieval village, overlooking the church:

Charlotte writing walking notes through the village, to be turned into one of our famed Roadbooks:

Entrance gates into the old village:

Beyond Montbrun, a quiet farming track leading back to Reillanette, where we began our walk

The village Reillanette, in the last rays of sun cast from above Mont Ventoux.

Arriving back in Reillanette, its only commerce the hotel/restaurant where our guests will be based:

Cycling in Burgundy

Part of the 40km of cycle-path from Cluny to Givry, paved atop a dissafected railway line: