Walking short breaks in France
| country: | France |
| location: | Mercantour, French Alps, Parcs sans Frontières |
| departures: | These trips can be taken most of the year round, depending on location. See below for details of breaks for early 2010 |
| price: | From £200 (4-5 days) excluding flights; price depends on trip and accommodation option chosen |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
We run six short walking breaks each with different activities and focus. See below for trip outlines.
Parc Sans Frontiers (Moderate walking holidays)
From £425 (4-5 days) ex flights. Departs: 24 Jul, 21 Aug 2010
Enjoy a few hard walking but enjoyable days, frontier hopping in the Mercantour National Park in France and Italy. All activities are lead by fully qualified mountain leader/specialist activity personnel.
Fly out on Sunday afternoon, spend your first night in a hotel in St Martin Vésubie, and then spend three days crossing the high cols into Italy and back, staying in CAF or CAI affiliated mountain refuges to return to St Martin Vésubie on Wednesday evening. The route will take us from the Salese valley via the Pas de Prefouns on the Italian border, to the refuge at La Questa.
We then circle back on the old trail built by one of the Dukes of Turin specifically for hunting via the Baisse de Druos and the Lacs de Terre Rouge to the private refuge at Mollières, where we can enjoy Fred and Maurice’s own brand of local cuisine. From Mollières, we return via the Salese again and back down into St Martin Vésubie. Accommodation is hotel and refuge based with full board in comfortable self catering gite, B&B or hotel options.
We also offer long Autumn weekends (4 days) - make a long weekend of it and enjoy two varied days walking in the Mercantour National Park.
Wolfing short walking break (Moderate walking holidays)
From £375 (4-5 days) ex flights. Trip includes: Airport collection/drop off – late afternoon Day 1/mid morning Day 5, 4 nights accommodation including one refuge night. Guided walking with mountain leader. Entrance to Alpha. All meals.
Departs: 23 Jan 2010
This 5 day trip has 3 action packed days “on the ground”, visiting our local and acclaimed wolf centre before going off in search of their wild compatriots, walking through wolf frequented terrain then staying in the atmospheric village of Mollières, plus a day of leisure in Nice, before returning home.
Flower Power short walking break (Moderate walking holidays)
From £495 (4-5 days) ex flights. Trip includes: Tende collection/Sospel drop off – 4 nights accommodation including two refuge nights. Half board accommodation (on a twin/double room basis in hotels). Guided walking with mountain leader. Train cost not included.
Departs 2010: 26 Jun, 03 & 17th Jul.
Following a very exciting trip over to the Valmasque in early July last year – we thought we would give our guests the chance to get to Nice and enjoy some Mediterranean air, before taking the Train des Merveilles up the Roya valley to meet us in Tende, and flowers – great refuges – some rock carvings etc. Then over to Fontanalbe – to take in some of the Merveilles Bronze Age rock carvinbgs. We return to Casterino and down to Sospel, before returning to Nice for a free leisure day before returning home.
Merveilles (Moderate walking holidays)
From £495 (5-6 days) ex flights. Trip includes: Nice airport collection/drop off – 4 nights accommodation including two refuge nights. Full board accommodation. Guided walking with mountain leader and one day with accredited Merveilles guide.
Departs 2010: 9th Jul & 23 Jul.
Find out what makes this place so marvellous and why on earth did Bronze Age man create over 35K carvings on the rocks here? Heading down to Gordolasque valley then on to Merveilles, before returning to Berthemont en route to Nice. Five and six day trips depending on your fancy!
Mongolia comes to the Med (Moderate walking holidays)
1) Walk On:
From £200 (4 days) ex flights. Trip includes: Collection/drop off Menton. Three nights full board accommodation, sharing a yurt (3-8 people) and newly created bathroom. Two days guided walking. Free morning to investigate Sainte Agnès. Possibility to extend your break.
Departs 2010: 6th Jan, 31st Jan.
4 days guided walking holiday in the vicinity of Saint Agnes, taking in the town of Saint Agnes and starting in Nice. Accommodation in Yurt.
2) Two legs and four legs:
From £250 (4 days) ex flights. Trip includes: Collection/drop off Menton. Three nights full board accommodation, sharing a yurt (3-8 people) and newly created bathroom. One day guided walking/one day horse riding. Free morning to investigate Sainte Agnès. Possibility to extend your break.
Departs 2010: 09th & 16th Jan
Four day short break with guided walking and horse riding, exploring Saint Agnes and starting in Nice. Accommodation in Yurt.
For a sample daily itinerary, please see below (trip shown for example is Wolfing short break walking holiday).
Parc Sans Frontiers (Moderate walking holidays)
From £425 (4-5 days) ex flights. Departs: 24 Jul, 21 Aug 2010
Enjoy a few hard walking but enjoyable days, frontier hopping in the Mercantour National Park in France and Italy. All activities are lead by fully qualified mountain leader/specialist activity personnel.
Fly out on Sunday afternoon, spend your first night in a hotel in St Martin Vésubie, and then spend three days crossing the high cols into Italy and back, staying in CAF or CAI affiliated mountain refuges to return to St Martin Vésubie on Wednesday evening. The route will take us from the Salese valley via the Pas de Prefouns on the Italian border, to the refuge at La Questa.
We then circle back on the old trail built by one of the Dukes of Turin specifically for hunting via the Baisse de Druos and the Lacs de Terre Rouge to the private refuge at Mollières, where we can enjoy Fred and Maurice’s own brand of local cuisine. From Mollières, we return via the Salese again and back down into St Martin Vésubie. Accommodation is hotel and refuge based with full board in comfortable self catering gite, B&B or hotel options.
We also offer long Autumn weekends (4 days) - make a long weekend of it and enjoy two varied days walking in the Mercantour National Park.
Wolfing short walking break (Moderate walking holidays)
From £375 (4-5 days) ex flights. Trip includes: Airport collection/drop off – late afternoon Day 1/mid morning Day 5, 4 nights accommodation including one refuge night. Guided walking with mountain leader. Entrance to Alpha. All meals.
Departs: 23 Jan 2010
This 5 day trip has 3 action packed days “on the ground”, visiting our local and acclaimed wolf centre before going off in search of their wild compatriots, walking through wolf frequented terrain then staying in the atmospheric village of Mollières, plus a day of leisure in Nice, before returning home.
Flower Power short walking break (Moderate walking holidays)From £495 (4-5 days) ex flights. Trip includes: Tende collection/Sospel drop off – 4 nights accommodation including two refuge nights. Half board accommodation (on a twin/double room basis in hotels). Guided walking with mountain leader. Train cost not included.
Departs 2010: 26 Jun, 03 & 17th Jul.
Following a very exciting trip over to the Valmasque in early July last year – we thought we would give our guests the chance to get to Nice and enjoy some Mediterranean air, before taking the Train des Merveilles up the Roya valley to meet us in Tende, and flowers – great refuges – some rock carvings etc. Then over to Fontanalbe – to take in some of the Merveilles Bronze Age rock carvinbgs. We return to Casterino and down to Sospel, before returning to Nice for a free leisure day before returning home.
Merveilles (Moderate walking holidays)
From £495 (5-6 days) ex flights. Trip includes: Nice airport collection/drop off – 4 nights accommodation including two refuge nights. Full board accommodation. Guided walking with mountain leader and one day with accredited Merveilles guide.
Departs 2010: 9th Jul & 23 Jul.
Find out what makes this place so marvellous and why on earth did Bronze Age man create over 35K carvings on the rocks here? Heading down to Gordolasque valley then on to Merveilles, before returning to Berthemont en route to Nice. Five and six day trips depending on your fancy!
Mongolia comes to the Med (Moderate walking holidays)
1) Walk On:
From £200 (4 days) ex flights. Trip includes: Collection/drop off Menton. Three nights full board accommodation, sharing a yurt (3-8 people) and newly created bathroom. Two days guided walking. Free morning to investigate Sainte Agnès. Possibility to extend your break.
Departs 2010: 6th Jan, 31st Jan.
4 days guided walking holiday in the vicinity of Saint Agnes, taking in the town of Saint Agnes and starting in Nice. Accommodation in Yurt.
2) Two legs and four legs:
From £250 (4 days) ex flights. Trip includes: Collection/drop off Menton. Three nights full board accommodation, sharing a yurt (3-8 people) and newly created bathroom. One day guided walking/one day horse riding. Free morning to investigate Sainte Agnès. Possibility to extend your break.
Departs 2010: 09th & 16th Jan
Four day short break with guided walking and horse riding, exploring Saint Agnes and starting in Nice. Accommodation in Yurt.
For a sample daily itinerary, please see below (trip shown for example is Wolfing short break walking holiday).
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrive Nice – pick up from airport – overnight stay – Berthemont. |
| Day 2: | Visit Alpha wolf centre a.m. – half day walk p.m. |
| Day 3: | Walk through wolf frequented terrain to the formerly abandoned village of Mollières – overnight Mollières. |
| Day 4: | Return to Millefonts via Wolf Valley – overnight Berthemont. |
| Day 5: | Drop off at Nice airport – day at leisure in Nice. |
travellers' tales
Most memorable was tartiflette eaten by candlelight (cooked by the concert pianist and his wife who run the refuge) and the sound of the river in its rocky bed as we fell asleep. (more)
how this holiday makes a difference
 As permanent residents in the Mercantour, our company is fully integrated into the community in the Vésubie valley – using local guides and individually run hotels on the coast which ensures that all revenue generated is beneficial to the life of the area. In line with the published code of the National Park, our clients are encouraged to treat the region with respect and thus uphold the standards of conservation required in such a fragile area. Our gite As we await permission to fulfill our vision for our centuries old farm house and land, we are keen to implement as many environmentally sympathetic measures as possible. We encourage the preservation of our pure water which comes straight off the mountain and use our splendid climate for laundry drying outside. As much waste as possible is re-cycled, including pony manure which goes straight onto our vegetable patch. We aim to be as self sufficient as possible from your own garden. Gite guests are welcome to help themselves to fruit and vegetables. When meals are provided they are prepared with local produce only, often solely from the Vésubie valley. Vegetarians are willingly catered for. Energy efficient bulbs are used throughout the house. We try to minimise the use of paper in our office. Guests are encouraged to shop locally and of course to respect the integrity of the National Park. Working relationships We only work with qualified guides for all activities. These passionate locals create a genuine and rich experience for our visitors. They are paid the appropriate rate for professional guides. Our local accommodation partners are chosen for their warm welcome and a willingness to share their love for the region. Business development In the longer term we will use abundant natural resources (wood and sunshine) for heat and light as well as providing alternative accommodation on our land. A project for three bases in the Alpes-Maritimes is underway. This would provide an inspiring holiday venue for young and old alike. Access for the handicapped would be included. We are planning to use pack animals so our guests can share their adventures with a faithful companion, and leave directly from Berthemont. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |