Hello,

My husband and I are busy organizing for a month vacation in France, starting in late September. We have rented an apartment in Bonnieux for three weeks. Although we have stayed in Provence before, this will be our first rental, having previously stayed in B&B's in several villages. We are gathering info- I print pages and put them in a file and Larry adds things to his PDA. Between the 2 of us, we have lists of restaurants, sites, Stu Dudley's driving tours, etc.

We hope to spend some time just exploring villages previously overlooked on shorter trips. We love to walk- notice I didn't exactly say hike. We are in our mid sixties- Larry is probably more fit than I am, but I'm good for a couple hours walks. Does anyone know a good book or have suggestions on walks in the area. We will have a car for the duration of our time in Provence.

Thanks in advance for your help,

Margret

Margret, here's a book on walks in Provence.

http://www.bestwalks.com/france/provencebooks.htm

Hi Margaret,

I've seen references from time to time to les Grandes Randonnées, France's system of walking trails. If I remember correctly, they are fairly well marked and come in varying degrees of difficulty. I have also seen walking trail maps for sale in towns in Provence.

Here's one site that will provide a bit more information:

www.franceonfoot.com/index.html

Happy trails ...

Anselm

I just misspelled your name! Sorry, Margret.

AA

I just used a great guide: Walking in Provence, by Jannette Norton. We were there in June and used three of her itineraries. They were amazingly accurate.

Also, there is a contributor over on slowtrav.com who has tons of useful advice and details on Provence walks.

Have fun; I wish I was going back!

phyliss, that's the first book on the list I gave Margret.

Margret,

Another point is to go to the local tourist bureau in areas that appeal to you. Many of them will have handouts on local walks that they will give you for free. Some of our nicest walks/hikes came from these.

I think I'm the person on Slow Travel with the information on walking. Our family has lived in Bonnieux and visits there several times a year and we have hiked all over the area. Some of the hikes are more strenuous (with altitude), but there are also lovely walks that don't involve so much altitude change.

Take a look at this: http://www.slowtrav.com/france/hiking/luberon.htm I've also got notes on a couple of other hikes if you'd like to e-mail me.

Here are a couple of walks we did this summer that you might enjoy:

Le Sentier des Ocres at Roussillon: http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/wood/archives/002007.html

From Bonnieux to the Petit Luberon: http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/wood/archives/002032.html

St. Saturnin-les-Apt: http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/wood/archives/002018.html

It sounds like you have a wonderful trip planned. And three weeks-- you're doing it right.

Kathy

Thanks you everyone. I'll order the book, thanks, Mimi and Phyllis for the suggestion. It isn't expensive on Amazon.

Kathy, I was hoping you would write. I've followed your reports on Fodors and slowtrav.com, though somehow, I missed your hiking entries. Thanks for your suggestions. We've been to Provence twice before, staying 3 nights in Bonnieux 2 years ago. We love the area, but even though we've been there before, we feel like newbies. Staying in a house or apartment feels different. Although we will still see some "sights," we want to spend time just enjoying the region and visitng some of the less known small villages. If it isn't too much trouble, I'd love to email you. Is that OK?

I have some additional questions for the Forum, and will post them under a different heading. Thanks, everyone,

Margie

Margie, please do e-mail. I'd love to hear from you.

We'll be back in Bonnieux the last two weeks of September. Maybe we'll even see you there.

Kathy