walking & adventure holidays
La Transhumance
Migration on horseback. Ride the range (French/American style) on a great trail ride in the Alpes-Maritimes.
The annual migration of stock from high pasture to low pasture and back is still very much part of life in the Mercantour National Park. They are celebrated events, attracting all manner of fêtes and activities along the routes.
Join Denis Longfellow as he takes three days to move his stock between their winter base at the coast at Sainte Agnès above Menton, to Le Boréon near St Martin Vésubie, or the trip back down to Sainte-Agnès in the autumn.
Enjoy the thrills of stock migration in the glorious hills of the area, and finish off your ride with a well earned dip in the Med.
Horse riding can also be enjoyed as part of our activity holidays.
All round tailor made courses and rides for the less experienced also available.
Testimonials
We are back home and setting back to the rain of England! God its
flat here!! Missing everything and everyone in Mercantour! I wish I
was back there on the back of a horse up a mountain!
Lizzie Girvan-Hart October 2006
See French T.V. Channel FR3's take on Denis Longfellow and Ste Agnes .......
Season
Mid June and end September only
Departures
2012 : Jun 14 and Sep 28
Pricing
Full board hotel and gîte/gîte d'etape accommodation - £580 pp
Single supplement for the 1st (northbound) and last nights (southbound) only £38
For non-standard periods and programmes, contact us to discuss the options. Read about our flexible way of working.
How to book...
Grades
grade
| attributes | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| physical fitness | x | x | x |
| confidence with heights | x | x | x |
| technical ability | x | x | x |
| mountain experience | x | x | x |
Our grades are explained in "essential info"
Your Accommodation
Gîte
Enjoy the beautifully secluded situation of La Zourcière in the small hamlet of Berthemont les Bains in the Vésubie valley. The gîte sits on the ground floor of the house and is fully self contained. There are shops about 10 minutes drive from the hamlet, and an organic farm just 200m down the road from the house. Follow this link for more details.
The Hotel Saint Yves - is situated on the tiny cobbled high street of Ste Agnes - reputed to be the highest coastal perched village on the Mediterranean. It's homely, family run atmosphere and locally sourced food is a real treat after three days in the saddle.
Other accommodation options can be found here
What's included
All meals, inclusive of packed lunches. Drinks at own cost in Hotel Saint Yves only.
Accommodation : See itinerary below.
Transport : To and from Nice airport.
Activities :
5 day break, 1st and last night in a hotels/or gite with all meals provided. Shared mountain refuge type accommodation on trail days. Three days guided horse riding by qualified leader. Hats, chaps and saddle bags are provided. Transport of luggage.
Itinerary
The itinerary below covers the trip both ways.
- Day 1 Arrive Nice airport, transfer to Sainte Agnès (northbound), or La Zourcière (southbound) – about 90 minutes. Stay at Ste Agnes or La Zourcière.
- Day 2 Depart on horseback to Peϊra Cava (northbound) or the Gordolasque Valley (southbound). Stay at Chambre d’hôte with Jean- Paul and Karine, or the gîte d'etape Relais des Merveilles. (refuge, bunk type accommodation).
- Day 3 The opposite if Day 2 above, depending on whether it's a northbound or southbound trek. Accommodation as day 2 above.
- Day 4 Finally traverse over the Baisse de Prals to the Vallon de la Madone de Fenestre, and then on to Le Boréon (northbound), or the Menton back country to Sainte Agnès (southbound). Stay at La Zourcière, or Ste Agnes.
- Day 5 Transfer back to Nice airport.
Suitable for
Adults and young persons over 14 years, with riding experience.
Your welfare & protection
As a small enterprise, it's very important to us that our guests are professionally looked after during their stay with us.
Your protection : our operational base is in France, and our company in France is registered as a tour operator (habilitation touristique) and holds business failure cover and public liability cover.
Your welfare : all our activities are led by fully qualified local Mountain Guides and International Mountain Leaders (Accompagnateurs), thus ensuring that you receive not only top professional care, but that you will also benefit from their in-depth local knowledge of the regions that we operate in.
la transhumance
This web site is serviced by Futureservers. Contact John Short at john@webok.co.uk.
Copyright : Spacebetween Alpine Adventures Ltd registered in England, company No : 5154532.
Spacebetween registered in France, siret No : 477 861 900 00025