Provence and Luberon

Day 2

Exiting Avignon it is worth stopping to look back at the Papal Palace and famous bridge, with Mont Ventoux in the distance. There follows a section along the river plain before crossing back over the Rhone and into the famous vineyards of Chateauneuf du Pape. The village sits on a hill with lovely views and you then follow quiet roads to Courthezon with its ancient citadel. There is then a pretty route through the vineyards of the Cotes de Rhone all the way to Vaison la Romaine, passing many hilltop villages and with only a couple of hills along the way.  (40.7 miles / 65 km).

Day 4

The day starts with a sharp climb but it is mercifully short - when you reach the sharp left hand bend the work is done. This is followed, after the descent, by a long section which is essentially flat and goes round the side of the Luberon Massif, including a very lovely road through the forest. The villages are once again ancient and most have their defensive walls intact. Your overnight hotel lies Lourmarin, one of the 'Plus Beaux Villages de France' and well worth exploring; this is classic Provence and Peter Mayle recently sold his house here and much of the filming of Jean de Florette took place a couple of miles further up the road. (31 miles / 50 km).

Day 6

A lovely downhill starts the day with views across the plain to mountains beyond. Before long you reach Manerbes, where Peter Mayle lived whilst he wrote 'A Year in Provence'. This is a lovely village surrounded by vineyards and olive groves; quiet lanes lead on to Oppede le Vieux, similarly pretty. Cavaillon is a larger town with plenty of facilities, and having crossed the river and weaved your way through the outskirts back onto quiet lanes, it is a flat run to St Remy de Provence, a typical Provençale town with pretty centre, and where Van Gogh spent a productive year in the asylum after cutting off his ear. Well worth a visit are the remains of the Roman town of Glanum at Les Antiques, a kilometre up the road from your hotel. (35 miles / 55 km).

Day 8

Depart for home