Walking Holidays In Rural France
There are many ways of having holidays, and the usual bus tours, cruises and package tours are still extremely popular with a particular segment of society. If, however, you are conservation minded there are many other methods of taking vacations in Italy, France, and Europe in general. Minimize your global warming footprint, and take a nice cycling holiday in the countryside.
France is a country that is as well known for its beautiful countryside as it is for its truffles and some of the finest wines in the world. Spending a week or so in the French countryside, tasting some of the renowned French cooking and wine and walking across the rolling pastures, green valleys and magical woods is as close to paradise as you can get.
One of the walking holidays currently available, for example, is a 7-Day Holiday in The Poitou, Charentes, France. Based in the Le Moulin du Chemin. In the mid 17th century, this facility was a cereal mill. It has been beautifully transformed into an lodge, which is run by Peter Roche and Carolynn Grimaldi. Peter is very knowledgeable on the surrounding area and a wine expert-enthusiast of considerable reputation, whilst Carolynn’s cookoing are absolutely first class.
Whether you wish to walk across the undulating countryside, or follow the strange little walkways that lead to wonderful fields of fruit, it is your choice. You can also visit the local Loire Chateaux in La Rochelle or some of the renowned distilleries in Cognac. Take along a picnic lunch to eat under the shady walnut trees, or just feast off the land by collecting berries, apples off the hedgerows as you pass by, and quench your thirst in the crystal streams.
Throw away the old type of holiday of travelling on package tours, experiencing only the superficial side of a country. If you really want to get to know what a country really has to offer, then you must have a rural holiday where you will stay in anything from a beautiful room in a castle to small gites.
The difference is that it is not an anonymous hotel chain but a privately-owned accommodation.Rural holidays give you the chance to experience how the real people live. You can experience the arts and crafts of the region and the local food. You can ignore the plastic food served up in flashy cafes.
Agritourismo or agritourism is also an excellent way of seeing the countryside in Europe. Agritourism allows you to experience life on working farms in various areas in France, Italy, and Spain. Living in the farmhouse, and taking part in some farming tasks, and eating from the land the food that you have collected.
Learn all about how to cultivate the grapes and make the wine that certain regions are famous for, help to look after the cows, or man a farm stall for your hosts at a farmers’ market. Many of these farms use organic methods of farming, and all of them supply food from their own labours. Depending on the farm, they could also produce the wine for the evening meal from their own cellars, or at least from the area.
You don’t need to use plastic knives and forks in a cafe being stuck for hours in an organised excursion. You can experience one of the most wonderful, healthiest holidays amongst local people of the land.
David Tatham has travelled extensively throughout France and lived in the country for many years. He has a wealth of information and knowledge on the culture, the food and les vins. His website can be viewed at http://www.perigeux.com and if you are thinking of a short visit, we would highly recommend the Dordogne area of SouthWest France.
Tagged with: countryside • france • holiday • walking