walking & adventure holidays

Combine exercise with improving your French

Why not mix in some gentle exercise with improving your Franch language skills?

We can offer you charming accommodation in the Mercantour where a couple of hours French tuition can take place after a breakfast, followed by a walk and a picnic lunch in the hills, before returning “home” for a well earned rest and evening meal.

There will be a couple of meals out in the evenings together where local restaurateurs will treat you to good Alpine cooking and talk you through their specialities.

We will tailor walks to include dropping in to local cheese producers, honey shops, an organic farm, and the Alpha Wolf Sanctuary in Le Boréon near Saint-Martin-Vésubie, so that you will have ample opportunity to practice your new confidence with French.

The last night will be spent in Nice allowing an early morning visit to the Nice flower market, where guests can chat to locals and barter for some Provençal goodies.

When contacting us please do indicate your level of French and interest so that we can try to match guests with similar skills.

French courses led by a TEFL qualified instructor, and walks by an International Mountain Leader.

Season

Early May to end September

Departures to date

2010 - Apr 24; May 22; Jul 10

Pricing

Standard weekly package :

Gite based - £405

Hotel or Chambre d'Hote B&B- £590

Hotel or Chambre d'Hote full board - £785

For non-standard periods and programmes, contact us to discuss the options. Read about our flexible way of working.

How to book...

Walking Grades

grade

Your Accommodation - On all our Mercantour based trips you will either stay in our gîte at La Zourcière, or if you choose our B&B or half board options we are very pleased to work with local hotels or chambres d'hôte in the area.

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.

Hotel or Chambre d'Hôte

What's included

Seven nights accommodation.

Meals :Dinner on the nights of days 1,3 and 6, and picnic lunches days 2,3,5 and 6, with lunch at the local bar in Belvédère on day 4. Drinks are at own cost.

Transport : To and from all venues. To and from Nice airport, aside from gite guests who decide to hire a car during their stay in Berthemont. We offer supermarket visits for self catering guests who do not wish to hire a car.
Activities : Five days guided walking accompanied by a TEFL trained French instructor, and all walks guided by a qualified IML. Visit to flower market in Nice accompanied by a TEFL trained instructor.

Itinerary

• Day 1. Arrive in Nice. Transfer to Berthemont gîte, or your hotel in Saint-Martin-Vésubie, Roquebilliere or Saint-Dalmas Valdeblore.
• Day 2. French class in the morning followed by lunch in Le Boréon, a visit to Alpha Wolf Sanctuary, and a visit to a local cheese maker.
• Day 3. A French class is followed by a trip down to Utelle, and a short walk before lunch where one of the most stunning views of the Mercantour can be enjoyed. After lunch there is the opportunity to visit the village of Utelle which is steeped in Templar history. Dinner in La Source restaurant in Lantosque.
• Day 4. Visit an organic farm in Berthemont in the morning, before heading off via the thermal baths to Belvédère village for a lunch in the village square and a visit to a honey shop. Afternoon French class followed by dinner at leisure.
• Day 5. Spend the morning exploring the historic village of Saint-Martin-Vésubie, including a guided visit, followed by a walk to the nearby perched village of Venanson where a picnic lunch can be enjoyed, overlooking the Vésubie valley. The afternoon will include some French tuition followed by an evening at leisure.
• Day 6. The morning concentrates on French, before a bite of lunch and an afternoon in the great outdoors in the Gordolasque valley. Dinner will be enjoyed together at the Provençal restaurant in Roquebillière.
• Day 7. Travel down to Nice for overnight. Stay in hotel Villa la Tour. Afternoon and evening at leisure.
• Day 8. Early morning visit to Nice flower market. Depart for the UK.

Suitable for

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 qualifed 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.