{"id":1655,"date":"2021-10-24T14:21:11","date_gmt":"2021-10-24T13:21:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.deasydoesit.co.uk\/?p=1655"},"modified":"2021-11-04T19:49:50","modified_gmt":"2021-11-04T19:49:50","slug":"gorge-de-verdon-castellane-mons-callian-and-antibes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.deasydoesit.co.uk\/?p=1655","title":{"rendered":"Gorge de Verdon, Castellane, Mons, Callian and Antibes"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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We left Gap and headed to Gorge de Verdon.\u00a0 This place was recommended to us as a ‘must see’ place.\u00a0 We did a quick search to see where we could park and found a municipal campsite that was open to the end of October.<\/p>

It was a bit out of our way but well worth the trip.\u00a0 The roads were narrow and steep, with lots of hairpin bends that gave us a few anxious moments!\u00a0 \u00a0The views were stunning.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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We arrived at the campsite and were pleasantly surprised.\u00a0 We had heard that municipal sites were basic campsites but they have everything we needed.\u00a0<\/p>

We had our pick of where we wanted to park, there were lots trees but we managed to find a pitch that still had the sun shining.\u00a0 Out came the chairs and we opened a bottle of Alsace Riesling that we had picked up in Cr\u00e9mieu.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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As the evening approached\u00a0 we took a short stroll down to the lake, less that 200 metres. Just in time to catch a beautiful sunset.<\/p>

The beach was a pebble one with the largest pebbles I have ever seen.<\/p>

That night we ate in the van and had a very quiet nights sleep.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The following morning the sun was shining so we pumped up the paddleboards and took them to the lake.<\/p>

The lake was flat and there was very little wind.\u00a0 We put the kayak seats onto the boards and set off up the lake.\u00a0 We had seen on the map that there was a channel that took you up to the gorge but looking out across the lake we couldn’t see it!\u00a0 We kept going until we saw the channel.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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As we rounded the corner we saw the bridge we had driven over the day before.\u00a0 This was the entrance.\u00a0 We paddled under the bridge and along the Gorge.\u00a0 The views were spectacular, I can see why they call it the Grand Canyon of France.<\/p>

Being off season there were only a few other people\u00a0 who had hired pedalos so we felt we had the whole place to ourselves.\u00a0<\/p>

I would highly recommend doing this if you are ever in this area.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The following day we continued on our journey.\u00a0 Next stop Castellane but first we needed to get there.\u00a0 It was only 32 miles but wow, what a road.\u00a0 We meandered along very narrow, windy roads with sheer drops to the side.\u00a0 The whole drive took about an hour and a half!\u00a0 The mountains overhung the road in places and we wondered if we would get under them with our solar intact!<\/p>

We were very glad to arrive at our next Aire.<\/p>

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Our next spot for the night was directly under the Chapelle Notre-Dame Du Roc<\/a> which is a little chapel on the top of a mountain.<\/p>

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We decided to take a walk up to the chapel. Sign post said 1.5km, about half an hour. We were a lot slower!\u00a0 \u00a0Coming back down, yes, probably managed the half hour.<\/p>

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The chapel dates back to the 9th Century in places.\u00a0 There are remains of a village that used to be up there.\u00a0 We found a drinking tap, which came in really handy as we had forgotten to pack our water bottles and worked up quite a thirst in the sunshine.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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From here we headed to Mons and Callian to meet up with family for a few days.\u00a0 We had been unable to do this for the last couple of years and it was great to see them.\u00a0<\/p>

Whilst here we took the opportunity to visit Antibes, a very popular port. Some amazing boats were moored here and looking around the old town you could understand why it is so popular, as there was a fantastic variety of shops and restaurants to suit everyone’s taste and pocket.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Callian has some very steep valleys and it was fascinating to see the terraces which are used to grow olive trees. Probably dating back to Roman times.\u00a0 There are some nice walks around here and we enjoyed the tranquillity wandering through the forest.\u00a0 We had seen one wild boar when driving down but didn’t see any on our walk but there were tell tales.<\/p>

This was the first big milestone of our trip and it gave us a chance to catch up with family and take a moment to reflect on our journey so far.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Gap to Verdon Gorge<\/p>

Mileage – 87<\/p>

Route – D1085<\/p>

Camping Les Ruis Verdon –\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Cost – \u20ac34.88\/\u00a329.35 for two nights with EHU<\/p><\/blockquote>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Verdon Gorge to Castellane<\/p>

Mileage – 32<\/p>

Route – D952<\/p>

Cost -\u20ac9 for 24 hours<\/p><\/blockquote>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Castellane to Mons<\/p>

Mileage – 32<\/p>

Route – D6085<\/p><\/blockquote>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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We left Gap and headed to Gorge de Verdon.\u00a0 This place was recommended to us as a ‘must see’ place.\u00a0 We did a quick search to see where we could park and found a municipal campsite that was open to the end of October. It was a bit out of our way but well worth 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