France's Upper Provence Frangrances
Sunday: Meeting at 5 p.m. at Marseille airport, 5:30 p.m. at Aix-en-Provence tgv station, 5:45 p.m. at Aix-en-Provence center train station, at 6:30 p.m. at Manosque train station, or at 7:30 p.m. at the accommodation near Sigonce.
Monday : Sigonce – Les Mollières. Undulating landscapes and forest trails will take you to the Plateau de Ganagobie, covered with pine trees and green oaks. From its 10th century inhabitants remains the beautiful Prieuré de Ganagobie. There, you will have your lunch break and will have time to have a look around and enjoy a superb view on the Durance Valley and the Plateau de Valensole. The afternoon ride will take you to the outstanding Mas “Les Mollières”, where Cathy and Michel will welcome you. What a beautiful site! You will admire the surrounding landscapes, looking over the “Pénitents des Mées”, rocks which are about a 100 metres high whose shapes make them look like a procession; and in the distance…the summits of the Southern Alps.
Tuesday: Les Mollières – Les Mollières. The Chapels tour. A pleasant day during which you will discover old chapels nicely restored : Chapelle Saint-Donnat (14th century), Chapelle d’Augès with its beautiful sight on the Durance Valley and the Montagne de Lure. We will also look for the vestige of the mysterious “buried chapel”, where Monk Saint Donat lived in total seclusion… We will have lunch nearby the village of Malefougasse, and then go back to Les Mollières through the hills…for another delicious provencal dinner.
Wednesday : Les Mollières – Les Mollières. On the Voie Dominitia. You will ride along parts of the lay out of the roads built by the Romans during their conquests. You will thus take one of these grand antique route, namely, the one uniting Rome to the south of Spain. This historical road will take us to the ruins of the old village of Chateauneuf-Val-Saint-Donat. Today’s lunch will be taken in the forest. As with every day, the assistant will have made you a pleasant buffet of fresh salads, tarts, and local goat cheese and wine (no overdoing it!).
Thursday: Les Mollières – Cruis. The Montagne de Lure is the last spur of Upper Provence. You will climb up in the oak and beech forests on the southern side of the mountain. You will ride on nice forest trails and the smaller paths will show you to various stone works often dating back from the 12th century passing Jas, sheepfolds, bories, wells and walls of dry stones. You will have a picnic lunch by a sheep pen, or on the mountain top. A pic-nic lunch carried in our saddle bags because motorised vehicles cannot access these protected areas. You will then make your way back down, to the pretty village of Cruis and have a nice dinner in a guesthouse close to the village. Night in the guesthouse.
Friday: Cruis – Sigonce. Today you will make your way back alongside lavander fields, and through enscented garrigue. You will cross the village of Sigonce after an agreable picnic lunch. The afternoon will take you back to the farm near Sigonce. After the ride, you will be taken to Forcalquier for a little shopping-stroll in the small market town. Tonight you will enjoy an apéritif and an end of trail dinner.
Saturday: After breakfast you will be taken by minibus transfer to Manosque train station.
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