Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Pont du Loup
. Standing over the Loup River, under what's left of the old
railway bridge
(bombed during WWII), this is where villagers from Gourdon used to come and cultivate
flowers and fruit trees. Access to Gourdon was via the
chemin du Paradis
, a track that
still exists and is very popular with walkers.
Testimony to this fertile past is sweet factory
Confiserie Florian
( 04 93 59 32 91;
www.confiserieflorian.com
;
9am-noon & 2-6.30pm)
, where jasmine jam, candied
clementines and crystallised flowers such as violets or roses are cooked up in a 19th-cen-
tury flour mill. Free 10-minute tours show you how and finish in the factory shop where
you can sample the goods.
If the unusual flavours of the
confiserie
have piqued your curiosity, try the cooking
classes of
Atelier de la Cuisine des Fleurs
(The Flowers' Cooking Workshop; 04 92
11 06 94;
www.la-cuisine-des-fleurs.com
;
16 Pont du Loup; 1-/3-course-meal lesson €45/
80)
, run by chef Yves Terrillon. The original menus change monthly according to flowers
(violet in March, centifolia rose in May, verbena in August etc). Lessons are fun, very
hands-on and take place in Yves' airy, 1st-floor kitchen. L'Atelier also runs a great kids'
class where little ones (from the age of eight) can learn to bake their own birthday cake or
prepare funky sandwiches for picnics.
Further down Le Pont du Loup, on the D2210, hilltop
Le Bar-sur-Loup
(population
2853) pops onto the horizon. Bitter orange trees are cultivated in terraces around the beau-
tifully intact medieval village. There are some great walks from the village and the tourist
office (in the town hall) has put together a leaflet with three itineraries in English.
Sleeping & Eating
If you're keen to stay somewhere to get away from it all, you've come to the right place.
The only downside is that unless you eat where you stay (often possible, thankfully),
you'll have quite a drive to go out. Day trippers will revel in the scenic drives and great
lunch options though.
La Cascade €
B&B
( 04 93 09 65 85;
www.gitedelacascade.com
; 635 chemin de la Cascade, Courmes;
d/tr/q €75/80/130; )
It really doesn't come much better than La Cascade for
rural idyll. This stunning B&B is an old sheepfold sitting snug in 4 hectares of land, com-
plete with forest, ponds, swimming pool, pétanque pitch and the most awesome views of
the Gorges du Loup.
