Don’t look down kids!!! Exploring the raw beauty of the Gorge du Verdon & Castellane
Just every once in a while we find somewhere that blow our minds…. and the Gorge du Verdon has certainly done that!!! Part of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, this viewpoint is truly breath taking, perhaps on the same scale as places we’ve previously visited in Norway (i.e Trolltunga / Voringsfossen) or Sierra Nevada (i.e Alpajurras)…
The drop of perhaps a 1000ft was sheer and without any hand rails…. As we say to both girls each time, it’s about having a healthy respect for danger but also ensuring you live a little too… so with hands held tightly we ventured closer to the edge! (much to their grandparent’s concern!) Wow, what a truly inspiring view!
We’ll certainly return to this stunning areas, hopefully to add more white water rafting to our growing collection of water sports adventures across Europe – there look to be a couple of decent outdoor adventure experts here (based in Castellane) so hopefully we’ll get some canyoning too! (Anyone visiting in a motorhome could do worse than the brilliantly located aire just underneath the ‘church on a rock‘ )
Castellane has enjoyed it’s own rich history… part of the famous ‘Route de Napoleon‘ towards the Côte d’Azur…. it’s often explained as the stone gateway to the South… and it’s worth every minute of the drive over some truly stunning mountainous passes and gorge lined valleys… It features in their 10 ultimate drives and it would certainly make it onto our list of scenic drives taken so far(all in our trusty Adria motorhome!)
Captured by the Saracens in the 800’s after a period of Roman rule, it has been pillaged and destroyed (1500’s), rebuilt and guarded by monks…. and now makes the perfect place to visit if you can get there on the 14th august to see the torch-bearing pilgrimage climb to the very top of the 184m high rock… But there’s far more than just a solid piece of limestone to Castellane… its a vibrant, yet small market town!
From Ducelia to Castellane la Vaillanteyou’ll love this region! Castellanes’s bustling Saturday market even allowed us to try ‘truffle cheese’ & ‘lavender honey from Provence’ with both girls managing to find a gift for granny/grandpa! We’ll certainly return again and hope people reading this might also discover this great ‘window’ into genuine French village life.
Castellane
so where did we park the bus for the night?
Again, no GPS I’m afraid… but head straight for the very centre of the town and you can’t miss the car park/aire that sits underneath the ‘little church on the rock’… One of our favourites to stay in due to it’s location on the ‘Napoleons Route’
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