Self guided cycling vacations in Provence, France
This vacation is operated by a company based in the vacation destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your vacation to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.
How this vacation makes a difference
Environment
We are based in the Luberon Regional Park, an area under cultural and wildlife protection. Guests stay at our 17th century farmhouse (restored following strict cultural & environmental legislation) for all of their stay, thus avoiding the daily use of transport to move between hotels. Of course by the very nature of our vacations guests use our bikes as a means of transport. Furthermore our tours can be reached by train and public transport.
We strive to keep water consumption to a minimum:
- Bathrooms - all have shower facilities.
- Water treatment - All used water & waste is treated by bacterial break down & a water runoff system.
- Garden - We have large grounds where every effort is made to reduce water consumption.
- Garden watering - Our garden only has varieties that work well in the local climate i.e. that don’t a lot of water. Any watering required is managed electronically by dropper system do deliver the exact amount of water required at the right time - watering is done during the night to reduce surface evaporation.
- Towels & laundry - Towels are not changed every day but on request. Low temperature washing is used along with sun drying. Air conditioning - we have not installed air conditioning as we feel we do not need it. We have the 17th century solution of very thick stone walls. These along with shutters, do the job very well.
Paper usage and recycling - as a sole trader operating almost entirely via lap top and the web I have very little use of printed materials. All correspondence is via email & phone. All refuse is recycled and sorted via the village recycling facilities.
Bike routes – The vast proportion of our rides use designated bike routes & quiet backroads. The activities we suggest are primarily cultural (given the nature of the area) thus with low environmental impact (village walks, churches, museums, protected Roman sites).
Community
Our aim is to provide small scale cycling vacations that have a low impact on both the local community & environmental. We do not offer mass marketed large scale tours. We live here, know the area well and aim to contribute to the area’s economy. The use of local goods and services provides valuable revenue and jobs for the local economy in an area that’s has traditionally high unemployment rates. The area has a large farming sector and little industry - tourism is very important to the area providing an alternative source of revenue.
Wherever possible we look to use local produce for meals at the B&B. We find some excellent traditional products as well as top quality local produce from our village farmers market (in order to sell at the market the produce cannot be grown more than 10kms away – thus reducing transport needs and improving quality). Breakfast produce is sourced from the local traditional bakers (500 metres away), we use homemade jams and local fruit.
We provide guests with our Real Provence and our Restaurant guides which recommend local services and sights (Farmers markets, Restaurants, Cafes, Vineyards, Monuments etc) all of which employ predominantly local people. We also use local suppliers wherever possible for work at the B&B (plumbers, roofers, cleaning, bike shops etc).
1of4
