Flora in the Mercantour

The skies may be grey here today in the Mercantour, plus Nice Carnaval and "all that jazz" finishes on the coast of the French Riviera, but we are getting geared up for the portents of a great and early spring. It is always strange to imagine mimosa blossoming in February, when we are up here in the snow, but such is the charm of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France, sandwiched between the Med, the Ecrins and the Savoy, Provence to the West and Liguria in Italy, to the East. This fine region is unique and, away from the flim-flam in Nice, it boasts about half of all the plant species in France plus 40 or so which are endemic to the area - including both the Mercantour and the Italian Alpi Maritimi, across the border. The fine picture was taken a couple of years ago in the Valmasque, up the Roya Valley and in July when we are very pleased to be offering a Flower Power short break holiday. Not boasting of a huge awareness of flowers but enough to satisfy most people's interest in the glorious coloured (or not so coloured) fellows!! The other photograph was the following day - much higher up!! For hard core botanists we would hope to be able to muster the knowledge of our local expert Alain Creton who also does guiding in English and what's more has a teepee available in the splendid Merveilles Valley. Another interesting trail was established by an Englishman, Christopher Betts, some decades ago and although the trail is now looking rather neglected, it does form a rather formidable section of a superb walk during this holiday week. More information about Christopher Betts' work here. Following a tributary of the Bevera river south - is most fabulous for hard core canyoning as well as having a mass of "dingly dell" type flat sections to enjoy. One of the most joyous sights is to reach the Pas de L'Arpette from the Gordolasque (some 1000m of ascent) and to then look down to the glittering lakes of the Vallee de Merveilles or Valley of Wonders if you must!!, and a carpet of blue spring and trumpet gentians - as uplifting as a copse of bluebells in the UK, but with views. Edelweiss and the rare white blooms (currently not allowed to be picked) for the making of genepy are rarer sights - but we know where they are.

Spring has sprung - come take a walking break in France!!

The uncertainty of the French elections, plus the rather late dawning realisation that France may be affected by the global economic crisis, seem to be stopping the French from booking accommodation or walking holidays in France.


The British however, perhaps gee'd up by the excitement of the prospect of an extra Bank Holiday in early June, which falls the very week of school half term, seem to be very keen to move. Apparently a large number of holiday makers have transposed their summer holidays to the mega early Easter (early April - a month away!) and early June, rather than hanging on in there until July and August, when no doubt in the lure of the Olympics will keep them at home - here's hoping that Londoners in particular will be glued to a TV screen rather than taking their chances out on the roads - I imagine it will be bedlam!!




We happy chappies in France will be avoiding all that and are looking forward to welcoming the early escapees from the old country. To this end we've added some extra dates for our spring short breaks - trying to squeeze in holidays between the few expensive days for flights, plus if you must come and do via ferrata (yes that is me Liz on the VF!) you would be welcome to book just accommodation only here in Berthemont. The short break holiday packages - there's a handful of them appeal to families, couples and single travellers and include special interests, such as wolf watching, and for, later in the year, the Merveilles Valley and ogling the fantastic array of botany we have in the Alpes-Maritimes.

We had the very cold snap but are now back to enjoying blue skies and temperatures of up to 20 degrees (it's been foggy on the coast recently - yay!!). Long may it continue - the fair weather may have put paid to our winter walking and snowshoeing holiday season but one door shuts and another one opens....after the pizzazz of the Carnaval and the Lemon Festival which end shortly - March is usually a quiet month here in the Alpes-Maritimes - although there is often a good time to be had for Saint Patrick's Day.....thanks to the numerous ex-pats from the Emerald Isle and the French alike. This year it is on Saturday March 17 - also notably the day of the Wales/France match in the rugby Six Nations....so it could be a hot sort of evening!!!

The sun is warm and the ice is cool!! Winter activity in the Mercantour

The Mercantour has just made winter activity holidays much easier for you!! The snow was late here in Southern France – you know, that department which has not only the fab French Riviera, but also a great National Park just behind it, but now it is the French half term holidays in PACA and things are a’swingin…….

Alpine, cross country skiing and ski mountaineering a’plenty plus snow shoeing, of course - but get here soon as the temperatures are un-seasonally warm.

Our cunning friends in Saint-Martin-Vésubie have just had an ice climbing structure raised, just next to the wolf park.

In the past your resident holiday team at spacebetween had to venture into the Tinée valley to have a stab at ice climbing as part of their winter activity holiday - see the pic! ( However now there is safe ice, with four different “walls” all within five minutes of your car, and a self congratulatory vin chaud afterwards. The wall can be used on your own, if you have the kit and the confidence for an amazing €8 for two hours, or hire a hunky mountain guide and benefit from some great instruction for just €40. It is also possible to get a season ticket, and group rates. More information here.

Local residents are justifiably excited about it as it is the most up to date system in France – the other one in Champigny-la-Vanoise further north, has been installed for some time.

It is an excellent way of finding out just how tough ice-climbing is (looks so easy from the comfort of your sofa!!), and doing it in a safe environment with no icy water pouring down on your head, nor falling rocks. It really does give you a full body work out, that is for sure, never mind the adrenaline involved!!! The O à la Bouche restaurant open all day too, has a fireplace and an interesting menu.

The system is at 1700m, and the tower mainly well shaded so climbing should be possible until Easter this year – well it is very early in 2012…..given the vagaries of the weather in Europe this year, check it out before you come on down with your ice axes, and wrap them carefully in your luggage.

However, and as always, there is lots going on, Mardi Gras, and the best Carnival in Europe, plus of course there is the Menton Lemon Festival and countless Mimosa festivals…..

Contact spacebetween walking and adventure holidays for more information for more details on how to make the best of all that is on offer in the South Eastern corner of France.

Denis le cheval devient Denis la vache!!!

Hi - everyone's favourite Mr Denis - now has expanded his "herd" with two cows - no not for riding - well certainly not yet - currently "settling" in Sainte Agnes.....moooooooooo........my boys!!!

Carnaval!!! in Nice

Anthony Peregrine in the Telegraph recently stated that he felt that the Nice Carnaval (no I don't know why it is Carnaval with an "a" either - but it is!!) was the best in Europe....who am I to argue...I think that unfortunately for us locals it is more of a time when we might choose to avoid the streets of Nice (and Menton too - where there is a lively Citrus Festival at around the same time) due to the influx of the great and good to the town!! However that said - it is a fantastic spectacle - running this year between February 17 and March 4 - the Nice Carnaval website gives details of all the events and how to get tickets - you many choose the join the throngs on the streets or take your chances with a €10-€20 ticket in the seating areas. The theme for the Carnaval changes every year - this year it is sports orientated, and around the parades which take place, there are beauty pageants, flower battles and all sorts of mayhem. It's a great time of year to be up and about in the early morning with your camera with more that just a note of Blade Runner in the confetti strewn streets and surprising towering papier mache figures around every corner......always surprised that most people don't seem to understand that it is - Mardi Gras - a pancake day sort of indulgence - feasting and letting your hair down before the rigours of Lent. It is non tacky - and must cost the town a huge amount of money - which must be more than made up for by the tourist dollar!!! If you have February flatness (and/or fatness!!), get yourself on a plane or train to Nice and come and enjoy some mindless fun.....street party sensation..... for us at spacebetween - we are occasionally minded to escape from our mountain idyll - the organisation of walking holidays here in the Mercantour and so forth - and to get down to the coast to woop it up. If anyone has been over to the Venice Carnival - I'd be delighted to know!! although I gather it is almost impossible to get any sort of transport booked at that time- never mind a hotel room!!!! Enjoy .......

France in pole position still!!

According the the United Nations Tourist survey, France still tops the lot when it comes to attracting the most tourists every year - coming in at a staggering 76m++. Behind France comes the US, China, Spain, Italy and then the UK. It is a shame to see the UK (despite the sometimes unsure weather and high costs) lagging so far behind - despite a growing feeling that London has much more to offer spectacle wise, and culinary wise even (sorry French friends!) than Paris itself....hopefully the Olympic Games 2012 and the Queen's Jubilee will give a bit of a filip to proceedings. The Olympic Park certainly looks impressive - cheek by jowl with some of the poorest housing in London - this must be so strange for local inhabitants - although I remain unconvinced about the raison d'etre of that ghastly red metal centrepiece!! The arty among you could perhaps enlighten me - PLEASE??? The French are keen however to work their way up the rankings in the spend category where they come in at a meagre third. So far this year from our reservations at spacebetween (http://www.space-between.co.uk) for holiday accommodation and walking and adventure holidays in the Mercantour and beyond - it is the British who seem to have cast off their gloom (happy at last that the UK have their own currency?) while the French seem much more circumspect about spending money - hardly surprising perhaps with the uncertainty of the Euro and the elections this year where there doesn't seem a lot of choice other than the bitter little guy and the extreme right.

The image is of Nice Carnaval a couple of years ago - the Alpes-Maritimes continues its year round sense of fun!!!!

Snow cleats!!!

You may have thought that owning a pair of snow cleats said as much about you as possessing those must have frumpy checked shirts advertised in the back pages of the Press, tilting chairs, and crimpolene (or is it crimpalene?) tabards, but away with you, they are a great and inexpensive way to prevent yourself inadvertently featuring in the World Ice Skating Championships!!! We have bought several different kinds and come back to the Stabilicers type brand (we found that the Yaktrak [with coiled metal foot plate] didn't last very long and easily pinged off) which is a rubber galoshe which slips over the toe of your boot/shoe and has studs on both the ball of the foot and heel section. They come in various sizes and cost between about £10 and £15. Make sure that you have secured the cleat over both your toe box and the heel so that it is gripping where it should be. These little fellas are great to keep in the car to cope with the kind of weather that the UK is now "enjoying", the type that creeps up on you and you just haven't remembered to put your snow shovel, and luminuous padded coat in the car. Be forewarned - why not!?! In the mountains - the cleats have a superb function on days out, as we have seen in the Mercantour during our winter walking holidays, where is has been cold but there is no snow, with occasional icy patches, especially in areas with have no sunlight in the winter months....easier to pop the cleats on and walk deliberately, planting your feet firmly that to end up scrabbling around the undergrowth trying to avoid the spectacular ice!!! Of course for more serious stuff, snow shoes, half crampons and full crampons give much better purchase. Have a browse on a search engine - I've even seen ones suitable for high heeled shoes - for the fashion victims who don't mind breaking their necks and ruining their Louboutins in snow and ice!! - or get yourselves over here to the Mercantour where we have assorted rubber wear (!) plus plenty of lovely mountains abundant in snow and ice of every shape imaginable.
The picture was taken on a trip in JULY - in the Valmasque - there's a refuge at the far end of the left hand lake - we started out in wonderful Alpine pastures, knee deep in flowers, slept in the super friendly Valmasque refuge - and then slogged up to this view point the day after - be prepared for any weather in the South of France when walking, even in the summer......Enjoy...