We’ve had a straightforward day today, with no problems for once. We left the campsite in Le Bar-sur-Loup and drove to Palud-sur-Verdon. The journey was mainly on decent but very bendy roads, which climbed higher and higher into the mountains.
We passed through Grasse and went over several cols, which were all over 1000 metres in altitude. The highest was 1169 metres, which is higher than Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), and the mountains either side were higher still. Now we’re camped at over 900 metres so its a bit cooler than than it was in the Ardèche or at the coast, which is much better for me, especially for activities such as walking and cycling. The rain has stopped too and the sun is shining… perfect!
The scenery was beautiful and varied as we travelled for over 2 hours. At first we could see over the valleys below to the coast in the distance. Then we passed through areas of pine trees, rocky mountains covered with scrubby bushes, and lush green valleys reminiscent of home.
Finally, we reached the Verdon Gorge, also known as the Grand Canyon of Europe. Although this was our destination, we (or I) hadn’t been expecting the stunning landscape that we suddenly came upon. We rounded a corner to be confronted with a rocky overhang. Luckily a bus had just come in the opposite direction so we knew Bertie would fit under it.
As we wound around the sheer cliff with the gorge to my left, I managed to get a few photos from the window. Poor John was too busy concentrating on the road to be able to see down into the canyon with the River Verdon far below. He’ll get to see it tomorrow though as we’re doing the Blanc-Martel Trail. This is a one-way 16 kilometre (10 mile) hike in the gorge that takes 5-6 hours. It has tunnels and ladders so it should be fun, assuming it’s not too scary!
Ramblings 
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