Getting Vertigo in Verdon Canyon, France

 

When I started to plan our trip to south-east France, one thing was clear - Les Gorges du Verdon or Verdon Canyon will most certainly be included in the itinerary. Ranging in depth between 250 and 700 m it is one of Europe's most beautiful, and often referred to as France's Grand Canyon.

Until 1905 Verdon Canyon was only known to locals but since it has become a major tourist attraction. And no wonder too.
The easiest way of seeing it is to start off in the town of Castellane, than drive a 130 km circuit that takes you to both sides of the canyon past spectacular viewpoints, high cliffs, rushing waterfalls and the very beautiful Sainte Croix Lake whose turquoise waters are so inviting after a long day of exploring.




Castellane was our first stop with its lovely old streets, often crumbling houses and a tapestry of roofs made up of a puzzle of tiles in colours ranging from beige to orange and brown. The best view of the town and its surrounding area is from The Rock, rising 184m above the city. Remarkably it's an easy 25 minute hike to the top of it and the lovely church perched precariously on its steep cliff. Despite the ascent, even carrying our 2 year old daughter up who, was too tired to walk herself, was a breeze.

 The canyon itself is 20-km long, created by the Verdon river whose beautiful turquoise colour is due to its glacial sources and the rock flour in it.
Arguably, the most impressive viewpoints lie along the loop road D23. We went on it from Castellane direction and were pleasantly surprised that this very windy, narrow and treacherous road is made one way, until we got to about the middle of it and cars suddenly started going past us. I assume there must have been a sign warning that the road becomes two way, but we must have missed it. Neither am I sure why it becomes two way in the middle of a loop road that doesn't lead anywhere. There must be a lot of frustrated people who drive to the middle of it from Sainte Croix direction and then have to turn back as they are not allowed to drive further. To that I can only say: "They're French!". As nice and lovely as French people are, they do some really strange things...

Sainte-Croix Lake is actually a man-made dam that swallowed a village by the same name after its construction. We walked along its shores for a while, just enjoying the view - turquoise lake set between hike cliffs.

We decided to spend a few hours walking around the nearby town of Moustiers Sainte Marie. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful in France - it is set on a foot of a mountain with narrow steep streets, lots of lovely old churches, and lots of waterfalls running through the middle of it. The best view of the town is from a church set on cliff above it, we had great time trying to find a way to get to it. A women working in her garden noticed our confusion and pointed us in the right direction: "That's the right way. Just keep going." Then she looked at my flip-flops and shook her head. Oh, dear. Soon we found out why. The narrow path took us next to a high cliff where any small mistake would have sent us flying down - not easy under any circumstances but especially whilst carrying a 2-year-old.
After around half an hour we came to a very large pathway made from bricks and stone that led straight up to the church. We joined it only for the very last bit. That would have been a much easier way up. Oh, well. At least, the going up on our little path was rather spectacular, offering us great views of the town below.


Although we spent most of the time at the north rim of the canyon which, in my opinion, is the most spectacular, the south rim offers stunning views as well and is worth a drive around.
If you don't have a young child with you then hiking and kayaking are the best ways of experiencing this area. There are several designated hiking routes in the canyon and over 1,500 different rock climbs.
We saw some fabulous places in France, but this was definitely the most impressive part.