WOLVES - and wildlife holidays in France

WHO is afraid of the big bad wolf????

From April 2014, for the new spring season, there are three new residents in Alpha, the wolf park near to Saint-Martin-Vésubie, in the Mercantour National Park, France.

Hoona, Healy and Galena arrived at Alpha last Tuesday - long legged, short eared and granite eyed they are a very different "kettle of fish" to the current incumbents of the wolf park.  They are easily distinguishable - Hoona, with fur black enough strike fear into the heart of anyone who enjoys the myth of the wolf, Galena with a small white "goatee" under her chin, and Healy with a white patch on her chest.

This handsome trio of Canadian wolves, brought in from Mulhouse in Eastern France are about a year old, and have been introduced as part of the continuous development of Alpha, according to Sophie Barberis, Deputy Director of the Alpha Park.  A facility such as this certainly has "teeth", being based on the perimeter of the Mercantour National Park in larch forest at about 1500m, where despite the current warm temperatures - there is still snow to mess around in.

Official opening this weekend - April 12th - and apparently if you say CANADA to reception on arrival - you may get a surprise!!

For more details 

Alpha Wolf Park - Le Boreon - Saint Martin Vesubie.  Facebook

Accommodation and holidays

spacebetween - self catering accommodation in Berthemont les Bains (25 minutes away), walking holidays and adventure holidays in the Mercantour, France.
Wolf watching holiday with late availability on April 22nd and May 15th. Facebook

Restos

Good eating near by at "O a la Bouche" - open all day but not in the evenings

Accommodation

Chalet accommodation in Le Boreon - L'Arberc
Chambre d'hote accommodation - Grand Chalet - in Valdeblore (20 minutes away)
Gite d'etape - Gite du Boreon in Le Boreon

Activities

Horse riding with Denis Longfellow from the middle of June to end September
Fishing - season just started, snow shoeing at altitude, fantastic walking and climbing!
 

Images courtesy of Alpha

Activity holidays in France.....

..........just got easier with the forthcoming launch - on April 12th of the Cote D'Azur Card for 2014. 

If you are planning on taking a family holiday in France this year why not also take advantage of the new actvities card which is being launched in the next couple of weeks.

If your loved one/family and friends and your good self are interested in taking in the best of what the Cote D'Azur has to offer check out what you might want to do over the course of a few or even six days - and see how you might be able to max out the use of this card.....

110 activities - €39 for 3 days - €54 for 6 days and less for kids.......

With spacebetween in the Mercantour now offering flexible activity holidays which allow you to enjoy their comfortable accommodation in Berthemont les Bains - plus choose to add on transport and food - and then select what you want to do - this card is another great bonus.

Your hosts spacebetween currently checkin' out how they might be able to have some cards available for their guests too - so zero hassle!!!

Some availability for the Easter and summer term half term, and summer school holidays.

The site isn't currently in English but you can check out the attraction sites which often are - and see what super savings you could be making.

spacebetween - berthemont les bains - just an hour north of Nice.

Tel - 00 33 4 93 03 48 57



Photo - Timandra Harkness - journalist - on the Via Ferrata at La Colmiane - one of the venues for the card

New promenade in Nice and a statue of liberty!!!

This is the new promenade du Paillon in Nice - a wonderful green lung in the heart of Nice - (runs parallel to the sea two or three blocks inland.  Lovely for strolling on a Sunday morning with the kids - there are also some superbly designed childrens' playgrounds en route - or - play at being a big kid yourself by dodging in and out of the rythmic fountains!!!

A short video here to give you a good flavour for it.

While you are taking a turn before a welcome coffee and croissant break, or socca and a rose (with an accent!) - also head to the Quai des Etats-Unis where a (smallish!) replica of the Statue of Liberty now graces the quai, looking hopefully out to sea.

 No time like the present to enjoy the lovely spring weather down here in the Alpes-Maritimes - a perfect holiday break in France - use the knowledge of your resident experts in the Mercantour - Liz and Mel of space-between - and watch out for their new website just after Valentine's Day!!!  Enjoy some time on the coast enjoying the Nice Carnaval or Menton Lemon Festival (both from mid February), or even the Mimosa festival in Cannes-Mandelieu before taking some time out in the snow in the Mercantour - a National Park just an hour north where there is an abundance of the white stuff currently and plenty of wolves and other beasties getting ready to awaken from their winter slumbers.

Liz Lord and Mel Jones - spacebetween - self catering accommodation plus walking and adventure holidays in the Mercantour - France.

contact@space-between.co.uk

Furry/feathered fauna in the Mercantour

It is excellent to see the cross border collaboration between the French and the Italians striving to achieve UNESCO world heritage site status for the National Parks and for other areas in the Alpes-Maritimes and Liguria/Piedmont.

In addition to the French Mercantour National Park web site there is also a site for the combined Parks,

with some English.

Even here in “sunny” – I wish – Berthemont - it has been very interesting recently to see a whole host of tracks left in the snow – badger, fox, deer, roe deer, wild boar and all manner of birdies…..owls a hooting too of course…..and currently all fed up of the Ark weather that the United Kingdom and Europe have been having….

Further afield in the Park itself, there is the equivalent of the Big 5 in Africa – if not quite so prestigious – but hey I’m happy to see ibex, chamois, wolves, golden eagles and lammageias – not bad for starters.  

The diversity extends to the micro too, with the presence of many hundreds of insect/invertebrate species which have been lurking around since the Ice Age and many of which are threatened.

Fun to spot a ptarmigan in the Northern stretches of the Park, as well as green lizards on its Southern boundaries…..

For anyone particularly keen on learning more – look here for a page in English about various topics relating to both National Parks – from where you can download pdf files – currently in French  and Italian only – am sure that Google translate would give a not bad version if your language skills are not tip top.

Want to get to grips with the Mercantour – contact the only British holiday company to be based here in the Mercantour – in the fine Vésubie valley.

Accommodation only or self guided/guided  walking holidays in France  - plus adventure holidays for the adrenaline orientated!!

www.space-between.co.uk

Liz Lord & Mel Jones

Berthemont les Bains

Historic Berthemont les Bains - the perfect walking holiday destination!

I love these old postcards - here in France you can often find people selling old postcards - many of which have also been written on and posted!, at local town fairs.  There's also a Facebook page for the Old postcards museum in Nice.

Berthemont hasn't changed much over the years!!!

Like to come and stay?  Just an hour from Nice!

 

www.space-between.co.uk

Nick Danziger - living in the Alpes-Maritimes

"I often travel to three or four continents a year, covering locations from furnace-like deserts to teeming mega-cities. I spend too much time at 30,000 feet, but once I am home I am in one of the most beautiful corners of the world. As I look out of my window in the South of France, I can see the beginning of the Mediterranean Alps. Within an hour and a half, my family can trek to unspoilt wilderness areas, walking on to picnic by a lake in an amphitheatre of mountains. Trekking along the border between France and Italy means every picnic is a feast of pain de campagne and bresaola, coated in olive oil and lemon, with olives, cheese and wine. We trek in all seasons, which offers us clear blue Mediterranean skies in summer, blankets of descending mist in autumn, snow in winter, and crisp but usually dry weather in spring. If we are lucky we will spot a chamois or ibex; they are as curious to watch us as we are to watch them. It is not just the physical beauty of this place that takes my breath away, but three elements - home, family and the mountains – that combine to give me the greatest of all possible pleasures".

Nick Danziger 

From Lonely Planet Magazine - May 2010

Your Mercantour hosts - www.space-between.co.uk

Image - view of Argentera - 3400m

Mercantour walking in new Unesco Heritage site – the Maritime Alps!*

You may have thought spacebetween were exaggerating as they have been banging on about the Mercantour for the last 10 years……but finally… finally… the unique attributes of this region in SE France and NW Italy have been acknowledged, in the quest to achieve global recognition of the multi-national natural park of the Maritime Alps.

Yippy do – no doubt the machinery will turn slowly to achieve the stature of a UNESCO World Heritage Site especially as it is a large area – some 1300 km2 covering six French and Italian parks – namely the Mercantour, the Alpi Marittime plus 4 other smaller wonders including the coastal  strip of the site of the Hanbury Gardens.   

The area is populated by about 25000 people and attracts over a million people.  I’d be interested to know what the population of the French Riviera is and how many tourists visit the honey pots on the coast – answers on a postcard please!

A co-operation document was signed in June in the Mercantour and a further meeting in the Roya valley is 
planned for November 18^th 2013 when the various parks will present their cases.

The rationale for this project is its geological uniqueness – a visual feast naturally, plus the great diversity of plant and animal species making it one of the 34 biodiversity "hot spots" on the planet, to say nothing of the splendid evocative site of the Vallee des Merveilles, (the Valley of Marvels) – a wonderful valley strewn with over 35K Bronze Age carvings on its rocks.

I’ll keep you posted.

*Well nearly – how could the powers that be refuse!!

More info – www.mercantour.eu

Accommodation and walking and activity holidays in the Mercantour, South East France – www.space-between.co.uk

The perfect venue for a great walking holiday in the south of France – the Mercantour – all year round

Photos - Heading down to the Vallee des Merveilles from the Pas de L'Arpette/La Bollene Vesubie