Provence
Sardinia
A Southern French Odyssey
Just inland of the Cote d’Azur’s sun-kissed beaches and hardly a stone’s throw from the airport, is a different Provence, a land of wonderful and often surprising landscapes, and beautiful gardens and Châteaux. We’ll stay in one such, the elegant Château Saint Roux, a perfect base to explore the Massif des Maures, an astonishing “wooded savannah” where large red-ochre rock slabs emerge from a landscape unique in Franc. A mosaic of rare ecosystems is protected by the National Reserve of the Plaine de Maures.
Immense forests of Cork Oaks dotted with both Stone Pines and Maritime Pine surround two lakes, these with reedbeds and riparian forest that attract many birds. Temporary streams and ponds host rare plants such as Durieu’s Quillwort, Revelière’s Buttercup and the Portuguese Adder’s-Tongue Fern, as well as several species of frog. Helianthemum lawns are covered in a superb show of Tongue Orchids, notably the pretty pink Serapias neglecta, along with Serapias olbia, Serapias cordigera and Serapias strictiflora. We can find Hermann’s Tortoise, Ocellated Lizard, European Roller, Honey Buzzard and Short-toed Eagles. Chestnut groves have a special flora with two lovely vetches – Vicia melanops and Vicia laeta, as well as Doronicum plantagineum and Tulipa sylvestris. Provence’s oak forests are rich in lovely spring blooms. Under a fine show of pink Cistus albidus are the tubby bells of Fritillaria involucrata as well as Iris lutescens, Leucojum pulchellum and purple Romulea arnaudii. Amongst Genista linifolia and Adenocarpus telonensis, Anenome hortensis and delicate Anacamptis longicornu flower.
For the second part of the holiday we move to the Prealpes de Grasse. Again we’ll have a somewhat luxurious pad to enjoy, the lovely Hotel du Clos, in the hamlet of Le Rouret. We’ll explore coastal sites where we’ll see the highly endangered Jupiter’s Beard and equally rare Leucojum nicaeense. In the Mountains amongst swathes of Narcissus poeticus are Gladiolus dubius, Romulea revelieri, Tulipa agenensis, and plentiful orchids with MilKy Orchid, Woodcock Orchid, Yellow Bee Orchid, and the local endemic Ophrys splendida among them. the exposed limestone rocks of the Plateau de Calern hosts a fabulous spring flora with Colchicum bulbocodium mixing with Crocus versicolor. Abundant Gageas bloom amongst Burnt-tip Orchids and Toothed Orchids, Elder-flowered Orchids and the gorgeous fluffy Pulsatilla halleri. The important part man has played in shaping Provence’s landscapes will not be ignored and we’ll visit some of the most beautiful examples of the estates and gardens that embellish these sublime landscapes, notable amongst them the Domaine du Royal.
Scenically stunning Corsica has long held an interest to naturalists, there are many elegantly penned articles from a bygone era with prose redolent of aromatic maquis and dramatic gorges.
Brick pink granitic cliffs sweep down to the sea west of Ajaccio, where yellow Calicotome villosa dominates maquis that has a rich flora including Convolvulus sicula and Succowia balearica. Southern coastal limestone is home to beautiful Erodium corsicum, endemic Morisia monanthos, and fine hummocks of Astragalus massiliensis. Orchids include Orchis laxiflora and bee orchids such as Ophrys morisii, Ophrys marmorata and Ophrys lutea corsica. Corsican Dappled White and the Corsican Swallowtail are on the wing as we stop by roadsides dotted with Green-winged and Pink Butterfly Orchids.
Cytinus hypocistus’s yellow flowers glow from crimson bracts amongst Cistus, and in meadows there are displays of Serapias hardly matched elsewhere in the Mediterranean with large-flowered Serapias cordigera and Serapias neglecta and the common Serapias lingua. In the mountainous interior extensive Corsican Pine forests are home to the endemic Corsican Nuthatch, and a second endemic bird, Corsican Finch, is rather common, especially amid Sweet Chestnut woods. Endemics continue with the rare Tyrrhenian Tree Frog, European Leaf-toed Gecko, and Pygmy Algyroides.
In the south Kerry Lily blooms, and the broomrapes Orobanche rigens and Orobanche sanguinea are both beautiful richly-coloured species. Narcissus tazetta and Romulea requienii decorate rocky crevices and shorelines have much Matthiola tricuspidata, Medicago marina,and purple-streaked Silene sericea. Moving inland we’ll find Brimeura fastigata and Pancratium illyricum, which unlike its more widespread European cousin flowers far up into the mountains. Cyclamen repandum blooms at all altitudes, with Corydalis pumila at higher passes amid a selection of gageas, and slopes covered with pretty lilac Crocus corsicus, the outside of the flowers etched with deep purple lines. Fabulous mounds of Saxifraga cervicornis adorn shaded rocks in a narrow gorge where Armeria leucocephala, Saxifraga corsica, Arenaria balearica, and Orchis olbiensis bloom. On the east coast we will see the endangered Anchusa crispa at one of its remaining sites. Our hotel in the Gorges du Restonica sits beside the cascading river, Helleborus argutifolius flowering abundantly nearby.
Dates and Prices
8th April - 22nd April 2025 (15 days)
* doesn't apply if you're willing to share and a room-mate can be arranged
Spring Flowers. Also Birds, Butterflies, Landscapes and Gardens.
Paul Cardy , Stefano Doglio , Jonathan Bradley
One leader for a group of up to 6, two leaders up to the maximum group size of 12. Paul Cardy will lead throughout, with Stefano in the first week and Jonathan in the second as second leaders.
All flights. All transport, accommodation and meals in France. Services of your leaders. Please note: drinks, tips and items of a personal nature such as travel insurance, are not included.
In Provence was stay at two rather luxurious hotels. The first three nights will see us based at the fabulous Château Saint-Roux, a historic farmhouse dating back to the 15th century, now a fine hotel with rooms of the purest Provencal style. The Château is surrounded by forty hectares of organic vines and has an exceptional restaurant. The remaining four nights will be at the warmly welcoming Hotel du Clos, in the little hamlet of Le Rouret. This beautiful hotel is set amid an acre of gardens with notably old olives and fruit trees. The rooms are characterful and very comfortable, the ambience and the aspect very much of Southern France.
In Corsica we start with a night in the Hotel Stella di Mare situated in a lovely spot on the Parata Peninsula with pleasant gardens right by the sea. Next we’ve four nights in the central mountains in the magnificent scenery of the Gorges du Restonica. Our hotel, the very comfortable Dominique-Colonna, is set in a well-wooded stretch of the gorge and right by the rushing river, a very lovely setting indeed. We finish the holiday with two nights at the Prea Gianca sited on a clifftop on the outskirts of Bonifacio with views out over the Mediterranean towards Sardinia. This hotel prides itself on its gastronomic approach, the restaurant featuring a range of local and French cuisine focussing on local produced ingredients. The recently refurbished rooms are very comfortable and there’s a swimming pool to enjoy if the weather’s warm enough! All rooms on this tour have en suite facilities.
Relaxed and easy. Up to two or three miles a day and always at a slow pace, perfectly suited to flower photographers.
UK direct flights to Nice are available from London Gatwick, London Heathrow*, London Stansted*, Manchester*, Edinburgh* and Birmingham*. There is a flight from Nice to Ajaccio in the middle of the tour. Return Flights are from Figari and go via Nice to various UK Airports. Indirect flights are available from various regional airports*.
*These routes may incur a supplement.
Variable. Often warm and sunny with some showers though sometimes cooler with occasionally prolonged wet weather.
Either the first or second week of the tour can be done independantly – see Corsica and Provence.
Contact us to check if there is availability for the number of places you require. Click on the ‘Book this Tour’ button on this page to be taken to the online booking form or contact us and we will send one to you which you can complete and send back to us. You will receive confirmation of your place, and then a detailed information pack will be dispatched to you about twelve weeks before departure. This will contain up-to-date health information.
