Sun

Walks and cultural heritage
nearby

Arrival date
1 octobre
Departure date
1 octobre
Castellane, typical middle-aged mountain village

Sites & cultures

Castellane is a typical medieval mountain village full of history. An imposing rock dominates where stands the church, the chapel Notre Dame du Roc, which you should definitely visit.

Castellane has many nice stores, cafes, restaurants and a market on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. There are various festivities throughout the year culminating in Fête de la Transhumance in mid-June!

Mandarom visit close to Castillon de Provence nature campsite

Near our campsite is the holy city of Mandarom. Children sometimes think it is an amusement park, adults are obviously curious about the philosophy behind these particular images. Every Sunday there is a guided tour by one of the monks. For more information about Mandarom, visit the official website of Aumism

The Provencal markets, to discover during your stay, at Castillon de Provence naturist campsite

Provencal markets

In Provence, markets are part of the culture. They give rhythm to the week and remain a place of exchange and encounter.
In Castellane there is a market on Wednesday and Saturday. On Wednesdays, the focus is on local flavors such as french cheese, charcuterie, olives and tapenade, honey. . . On Saturday, the market is slightly larger and you can also, for example, find clothing, handicrafts and other products memories.

Provencal markets

Almost every day there is a market in one of the surrounding villages. The most fun is to take a day trip. Drive, for example, to Entrevaux, Moustiers Sainte Marie, Annot or Colmars.

Saturday
Castellane, Saint-André, Digne-les-Bains, Draguignan, Grasse, Sisteron, Valensole.
Sunday
Cannes.
Monday
Forcalquier.
Tuesday
Annot, Banon, Colmars, Gréoux les Bains.
Wednesday
Castellane, Saint-André.
Thursday
Allos, Gréoux les Bains.
Friday
Colmars, Entrevaux, Moustiers.

Do you want to get a complete overview of all the markets in the region? You can anytime get information onwww.verdontourisme.com.

Typical city of the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region

Going down to the sea

You are at 30 minutes by car from Saint-André-les-Alpes. From there begins a train trip that will take you through the mountains of Nice, charming typical villages and fields of lavender. Of course, you can also visit the French Riviera and its fashionable resorts such as Cannes, Antibes and Saint-Tropez . . . Even Monaco could be visited in one day, it is a 2. 5 hour trip.

Moustiers Sainte Marie village  to visit during your stay, at Castillon de Provence campsite, in the Alpes de Haute-Provence

In the vicinity

Other pleasant places in the area which are certainly worth visiting are Entrevaux with its citadel, Moustiers Sainte Marie famous for its pottery and its location at Sainte-Croix Lake, Colmars and the mountain village of Allos where some ski lifts are used in the summer.
From Saint André, there is a small train that takes you to Nice going through the mountains, the villages and the lavender fields. From the campsite you could go on a trip to Entrevaux, Moustiers Sainte Marie and Colmars or Grasse, the city of perfumes, with a visit of a perfumery. The community of Monaco is not in the nearest area, but is absolutely worth a visit detour when you are so close!

Verdon canyon, close to Castillon de Provence naturist campsite in the Alpes de Haute-Provence

Walking around in Provence

Walking around in Provence means enjoying beautiful views, plants and flowers, and a wonderful nature. Castillon de Provence is located practically in the centre of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and from there you can go on many beautiful walks : in the valley or in the mountains, nearby and in the region, for example in Verdon Canyon or in Mercantour national park. Camping Castillon de Provence has put about 30 steps on GPS unit and describes 15 steps. We hope that our guests will have even more fun walking. Camping Castillon de Provence has about 30 walks on GPS unit and 15 described walks. We hope our guests will have more fun walking.

Important information

Be careful on the trails

Most of the walks are on narrow paths, through forests, over hills, mountains in deep valleys or plains with beautiful views. A single climb over rocks may also occur or a steep descent over loose rocks.
In the valleys because of the heavy rains, walks trails are no longer recognizable. Then, it takes some time to find your way back. A recommendation if you can no longer follow the path, turn around and go back
Some walks are marked with yellow markers. These are often well-maintained trails.

Safety and mobile network coverage

Hiking in the mountains also means that you will not often meet anyone on your way or sporadically another hiker. The advice is, for safety reasons: do not go into the mountains alone! Nowadays, mobile phones are available in many places, but there are also places where you cannot get any connection, for example in deep canyons.
NB: the French emergency number is the same as for the Netherlands and Belgium: 112.
Most walks take a few hours. Make sure that you have enough drinking water, especially in summer. A minimum of 1. 5 liters of water per person is required for a walking day. If you walk around with your mobile phone, make sure you have a power bank with you. The phone's battery is empty after a few hours and you still want to go home.

Preparation

Prepare your walk carefully. Draw the walk in advance on a walking map. Study it and pay attention to the different heights, ridges and gorges and determine whether it is a marked hiking trail

if you are afraid of heights, be especially careful. A walk along a ridge at the edge of a ravine or a steep slope is not suitable for people with a fear of heights.

Even if you walk with the help of a GPS device, it is necessary to have a walking map with you and to check the walk in advance. The GPS unit can sometimes fail for some reason. Good and comfortable shoes with a ridged sole are a must and rain gear is necessary. In Provence, a thunderstorm or a shower can always surprise the walker. Check the weather forecast in advance. During a thunderstorm, it is advisable to stop and wait for the rain to stop. This, due the stones which may break off and roll down the slopes. Hiking in the mountains differs from hiking in the Netherlands. In the Netherlands the walks are generally flat, and you can walk at a high pace. The walk is characterized by the number of kilometers specified. In the mountains it is different. Narrow paths, steep slopes and descents, climbing sections climbing sections slow down the pace considerably. An average of two kilometres per hour is a good pace in the mountains for a trained hiker. The walk is therefore not indicated in kilometres but in hours. It is not advisable to bring dogs. Many walks are not suitable for dogs.The paths are often too narrow or include climbing sections. You may encounter a flock of sheep on your walks..In any case, there is a big loop around it around because of the dogs and the chance that the flock will start to jump. If there is a shepherd with the flock, there is not much to do. He watches the dogs and the herd. If there is no shepherd, the herd can be guarded by big white dogs called Patous. These are trained to protect the herd and they do it well. Keep calm, stay away from the dogs and walk around the herd in a wide loop. If the hike is long or has a significant elevation gain, leave early to get up before the mid-day heat, especially in summer. In summer, thunderstorms usually arrive in the late afternoon. Take this into account when choosing your hike, and if you see that the clouds are building up quickly clouds are building up quickly, don't hesitate to turn around and go back. If you wish, inform the campsite management of your itinerary and your return time; in case of an incident: fall, sudden storm, telephone connection difficult or impossible, the search and rescue will be easier.

GPS units for Castillon de Provence

Castillon de Provence has two GPS units, the Garmin eTrex 20, which can be borrowed for walking. The topographic map of France is installed there. The routes of the walks can be placed on the GPS units with waypoints. A waypoint is a point marked on the track with a special instruction.
You can choose from fifteen walks with different distances and levels of difficulty (height difference). If you are not starting from the campsite, enter the starting points in the format hddd º mm, mm '(degrees minutes). Using the general map of the tour, you can also find the starting point on your own map and enter it into the navigation system of your car.

Castillon de Provence naturist campsite will inform you about the various available hikes