East to Gordes

It was just 20 miles east to our next destination, the free aire is 1½ miles short of the hilltop village and I think a few hundred feet below in altitude. Walking up to the village from the wooded aire, one is suddenly exposed to a stunning view of the village across a deep gorge. It is obvious that there has been no shortage of investment in the area with the roads and buildings being immaculate. It’s the sort of place where people with money buy property or holiday, we just park our ‘home’ in a dusty car park and enjoy the surroundings.

The bikes haven’t turned a wheel since Spain, so this afternoon was an ideal time to fire one up and head to the next hilltop village. The battery wasn’t fully charged, but there was still enough power to rack up 16 miles on turbo with juice to spare.

The village of Roussillon is red, all the houses are red and it’s built atop a red rock. Situated in one of the biggest ochre deposits in the world, Roussillon is famous for its magnificent red cliffs and ochre quarries. Although it gets the, ‘One of France’s prettiest villages’ accreditation, for me it was on the tacky side of touristy. I must be turning into a Provence village snob, having been spoilt with L’Isle sur la Sorgue and Gordes, and with so many more to see!

The lavender fields don’t come into bloom until July but I was fortunate enough to see them in their infancy. So far Provence has been a delight!

It's 'early doors' for the lavender fields but nice to see.

Roussillon

Life in Provence