Verdon gorge ↑ all posts

The driving tour of Provence continues with a couple of hours inland to the Verdon gorge. This is a huge canyon carved out by the Verdon river, hundreds of metres deep and 25 km long. Stunning views from the rim down to the bright blue river snaking its way along the bottom. We park at the Auberges des Cavaliers and hike down a steep path to the river, 700 m below. The path follows the river and at points has been carved through cliff faces. There are points where fixed cables are necessary as you work your way along one of these sections with the river far below. At Point Imbut the map (actually a photo that I took of a page in a guidebook!) suggests that there’s a way back up to the road, a path called Sortie Vidal. There’s a small sign pointing directly at a vertical wall, surely some mistake. But then we spot some cables fixed in the rock high up on the cliff and it turns out that this is a very steep scramble. Much less scary than it looks from below and great views back over the edge.