Walking in the Roya valley, Mercantour, France
| country: | France |
| location: | Mercantour, French Alps |
| trip type: | Moderate walking holidays |
| departures: | 2010: 27 Mar, 10 Apr, 29 May |
| price: | From £780 (8 days) excluding flights. Includes full board accommodation. |
| offers: | March 28 - Late Availabity and special in the Mediterranean back country! Enjoy the spring sunshine for just £640 PP for a week full board. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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introduction to Walking in the Roya valley, Mercantour, France
The Roya Valley has always been an important communication route (the "Salt Route") between the Piedmont mountains and the Mediterranean ("Mar Ligure"). The valley runs North/South parallel to the Vésubie, connecting Limone with Ventimiglia. Railway buffs will love the history of the magnificent railway buildings along the valley, its tracks wending in and out of the Franco-Italian border. Most of it is in France, except for the southern 15 km and the difference is striking.
The valley is part of the Nizza Canton which belonged to the Savoy Dukedom for 500 years before being integrated into Italy in 1870, and subsequently squabbled over! Other man made interest are the forts on the Col de Tende and other remnants of the Maginot Line.
Heading south the adventurer arrives in Tende, which is a bustling little town, which boasts the excellent Merveilles Museum. Most people who visit the valley start their journey from the Roya Valley, wending their way over via Casterino or the Minière. The road snakes south through gems such as Fontan, Saorge, and Breuil.
The venue for the holiday is the delightful Italian hamlet of Airole, just 12 kilometres north of Ventimiglia, from where the back country hills of the Rivera can be explored. It is also reachable by train, but hardly Liverpool Street Station. The hills around Airole are dominated by olive groves, and a fine and recent wine estate, plus pretty little villages awash with history and blessed with jolly bars.
The Sentier Botanique between Sospel in France and Olivetta in Italy is a must for flora enthusiasts, who will also love the Alpine pastures in the Valmasque valley further north.
Culture lovers will be interested in the valley's Franco/Italian past, its strategic importance as the "salt route" between France and the Piedmont plain, the wealth of Baroque art, the mysterious Merveilles Valley and a fascinating museum in Tende, its wartime Maginot line role...need we go on?
The valley is part of the Nizza Canton which belonged to the Savoy Dukedom for 500 years before being integrated into Italy in 1870, and subsequently squabbled over! Other man made interest are the forts on the Col de Tende and other remnants of the Maginot Line.
Heading south the adventurer arrives in Tende, which is a bustling little town, which boasts the excellent Merveilles Museum. Most people who visit the valley start their journey from the Roya Valley, wending their way over via Casterino or the Minière. The road snakes south through gems such as Fontan, Saorge, and Breuil.
The venue for the holiday is the delightful Italian hamlet of Airole, just 12 kilometres north of Ventimiglia, from where the back country hills of the Rivera can be explored. It is also reachable by train, but hardly Liverpool Street Station. The hills around Airole are dominated by olive groves, and a fine and recent wine estate, plus pretty little villages awash with history and blessed with jolly bars.
The Sentier Botanique between Sospel in France and Olivetta in Italy is a must for flora enthusiasts, who will also love the Alpine pastures in the Valmasque valley further north.
Culture lovers will be interested in the valley's Franco/Italian past, its strategic importance as the "salt route" between France and the Piedmont plain, the wealth of Baroque art, the mysterious Merveilles Valley and a fascinating museum in Tende, its wartime Maginot line role...need we go on?
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrive Nice airport and transfer to Airole. Settle in, apéritif and meal out in the small "Ristorante u Veciu Defisiu", situated in the charming little square. |
| Day 2: | Olivetta. Drive the short distance across the valley to the tiny perched village of Olivetta, from where we follow the "Sentier Botanique" and the Bevera river, and then follow a little known circuit around Mont Grazian, taking a short detour to have a look at the small village of Piène Haute, before returning to Olivetta. Picnic lunch & dinner in house. |
| Day 3: | Airole - Torri Superiore - Airole. Today, we start from Airole, cross the Roya, and follow the path to the tiny hamlet of Collabassa. From there we follow the Sentiera Balcone that winds its way above the Bevera river to the commune of Torri Superiore, where we stop for a sit down lunch. We return along the same footpath to Airole. Light supper in house. |
| Day 4: | Minière valley. Drive up the Roya valley for about 1/2 hour, until we reach Lac des Mesches. From here we walk up the Minière valley, and if conditions allow, all the way up to the Vallée des Merveilles. If not, we complete a lower circuit of the delightful Minière valley. Picnic lunch and dinner in house. |
| Day 5: | Tende and free afternoon. An easy day to let your muscles recover. In the morning, we drive to Tende and visit the Merveilles Museum, and the village. You'll have time to stroll around the winding little streets above the main square, and take a coffee. Return to Airole for light lunch in house. The afternoon is yours to do as you want - siesta! Evening meal in the "Ristorante u Veciu Defisiu". |
| Day 6: | Notre Dame des Fontaines. Drive to small village of la Brigue where we can stop to view its baroque churches, and then we continue on up the road for 3 km to Notre Dame des Fontaines. Here we start our circuit walk that takes you back up to the Italian border ridge, with superb views of the Med to the south and the Mountains to the north. Picnic lunch and dinner in house. |
| Day 7: | Vallon de Cairos. Drive up to the Vallon de Cairos (40 mins), from where we follow forest tracks to gain the crest of a ridge overlooking Breil sur Roya, with wonderful views of the high peaks of the Mercantour National Park to the north. Once we have gained the crest, we follow it for some 2-3 kilometres, before we descend again to our start point. This takes us through very unfrequented country, and so there may be a good chance of spotting deer and chamois during the day. Picnic lunch and last evening dinner in house. |
| Day 8: | Departure. Return to Nice airport. |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. how this holiday makes a difference
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Environment
Airole is a dream location from which to explore this superb area in the French/Italian Riviera hinterland. For non-fliers the village is on the train line - don’t imagine Liverpool Street Station as the occasional rumbling of a train is a rather charming addition to life in a sleepy hamlet. Aside from the care in restoration, careful control is maintained with regards to waste disposal, water use and traffic control. Information is provided to our guests to enable them to enjoy the area to the maximum while showing the utmost respect for the environment. We only use local, qualified guides who are passionate about the area that they live in. They are paid a living wage for their excellent services. The team fulfil their role as qualified guides to ensure that the environment remains unchanged when guests are in the countryside. Litter is always packed out, no flora is picked and the natural habitat of wildlife is respected. Community The village is so idyllic that it has attracted a variety of creative mainland Europeans over the past few decades. These incomers have added to the charm of the village by sympathetically renovating a large number of derelict houses in this traditional hanging village. Airole has an international flavour – but without attitude – there is a sense of community as all nationalities pull together to preserve the integrity of this historic place. We hope to add to the sense of well-being here by catering using local organic ingredients to create Franco/Italian classics, as well as enabling our guests to enjoy the pleasures of both the hinterland of the Rivieras, as well as the magic of the Mercantour. We only work with qualified guides for all activities. These passionate locals in the Mercantour create a genuine and rich experience for our visitors. They are paid the appropriate rate for professional guides. 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. As permanent residents in the Mercantour, our business is fully integrated into the community in the Vésubie valley – using local qualified guides paid a living wage, and individually run hotels which ensures that all revenue generated is beneficial to the life of the area. |
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. |
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