Villages of Provence cycling holiday

Planet

Activity:
Cycling has minimal impact on the environment as you provide most of the energy yourself. Also, by travelling independently, and not having to worry about keeping up with a group, you set the pace so you can soak up the sights, sounds and scents of your surrounds and really get under the skin of the place you’re visiting.

We proactively encourage our clients to think about travelling responsibly too: packing light, saving water, buying locally, re-cycling all maps and route notes at the end of their trip as well as to be mindful of not leaving any rubbish behind.

UK Office:
We are aware of the impact tourism has at home and abroad, and we make every effort to balance the environmental impact of travelling with the immense benefits sustainable tourism can bring to destinations and the people who live there. So, we start in the office: we turn off all electrical equipment every night; we use energy-efficient bulbs; we measure print and paper consumption, and re-cycle wherever possible; we print our brochures on paper from sustainable sources, and send them out in bio-degradable packaging.

People

Leaders & local suppliers:
On this holiday you'll discover the beauty of Provence - a region where refinement and tradition blend beautifully, and whose natural light and landscapes have served as inspiration to the likes of Van Gogh, Cezanne, Picasso and Dumas, not to mention Peter Mayle! You'll look out over a patchwork blanket of fields, olive groves, vineyards and, in the south east, apple orchards which cover the floor between the mountains on either side.

When you’re rowing from village to village, you can enjoy a relationship with locals in a way motorists passing through never can. You get off the beaten track, and you’ll find that people treat you as a visitor rather than a tourist. While the vineyards here may not be as well-known as those of the Rhone, Burgundy and Bordeaux, some superb wines are produced here - so be sure to stop off for a tasting or two. We've hand-picked a lovely selection of hotels for your holiday.

The Hotel l'Hermitage in Pernes-les-Fontaines is set in 2 hectares of grounds with a saltwater swimming pool and its own orangery; the Hotel les Sables d'Ocre in Roussillon sits amidst landscaped lawns with a relaxing pool area. As with all our holidays, we encourage visitors to buy from independently-run shops & establishments where possible, supporting the local people and their families.