Provence cycling holiday, sightseeing & cycling tours, France
This holiday is operated by a company based in the holiday destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your holiday to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
We are based in the Luberon Regional Park, an area under cultural and wildlife protection. Guests stay at our 17th century farmhouse (restored following strict cultural & environmental legislation) for all of their stay, thus avoiding the daily use of transport to move between hotels. Of course by the very nature of our holidays guests use our bikes as a means of transport. Furthermore our tours can be reached by train and public transport.
We strive to keep water consumption to a minimum:
- Bathrooms - all have shower facilities.
- Water treatment - All used water & waste is treated by bacterial break down & a water runoff system.
- Garden - We have large grounds where every effort is made to reduce water consumption.
- Garden watering - Our garden only has varieties that work well in the local climate i.e. that don’t a lot of water. Any watering required is managed electronically by dropper system do deliver the exact amount of water required at the right time - watering is done during the night to reduce surface evaporation.
- Towels & laundry - Towels are not changed every day but on request. Low temperature washing is used along with sun drying. Air conditioning - we have not installed air conditioning as we feel we do not need it. We have the 17th century solution of very thick stone walls. These along with shutters, do the job very well.
Paper usage and recycling - as a sole trader operating almost entirely via lap top and the web I have very little use of printed materials. All correspondence is via email & phone. All refuse is recycled and sorted via the village recycling facilities.
Bike routes – The vast proportion of our rides use designated bike routes & quiet backroads. The activities we suggest are primarily cultural (given the nature of the area) thus with low environmental impact (village walks, churches, museums, protected Roman sites).
Community
Our aim is to provide small scale cycling holidays that have a low impact on both the local community & environmental. We do not offer mass marketed large scale tours. We live here, know the area well and aim to contribute to the area’s economy. The use of local goods and services provides valuable revenue and jobs for the local economy in an area that’s has traditionally high unemployment rates. The area has a large farming sector and little industry - tourism is very important to the area providing an alternative source of revenue.
Wherever possible we look to use local produce for meals at the B&B. We find some excellent traditional products as well as top quality local produce from our village farmers market (in order to sell at the market the produce cannot be grown more than 10kms away – thus reducing transport needs and improving quality). Breakfast produce is sourced from the local traditional bakers (500 metres away), we use homemade jams and local fruit.
We provide guests with our Real Provence and our Restaurant guides which recommend local services and sights (Farmers markets, Restaurants, Cafes, Vineyards, Monuments etc) all of which employ predominantly local people. We also use local suppliers wherever possible for work at the B&B (plumbers, roofers, cleaning, bike shops etc).
Many of the cultural sites that we recommend have a positive impact on the local environment. This positive impact is often from the funds raised from entrance fees. These fees are often used for renovation and preservation purposes, and at the very least pay local employees’ wages. Here are some examples:
- Oppede le Vieux village - the obligatory small parking fee is being used to help restore the 12th Century Chateau & Church at the top of the village.
- Villages des Bories - a unique collection of Provencal bories (dry stone buildings), this ancient settlement of stone buildings has, and continues to be, restored.
- Roussillon village - famous for its stunning ochre landscapes (partly due to the former Ochre mines), entrance and parking fees are being used to preserve and limit the erosion of this special site.
- Fort de Buoux - an impressive ancient settlement located at the summit of a large rock! The well deserved, small entrance fee is being used to improve & secure the site.
- Churches - there are numerous beautiful churches in the area that rely on donations for their survival.
- Tourism tax - we pay an annual tax to the village council - this money is used to improve village life and amongst others the cultural heritage of the village e.g. last year the ancient stone washhouse was renovated. All of the sites, restaurants & cafes that we recommend employ local people thus boosting the local economy. We recommend several local farmers’ markets - any money spent here goes straight to the farmer and not to middle men. Furthermore the produce is always in season, local and therefore often fresher and of a higher quality than could be purchased elsewhere.
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