rupert123 Posted September 26, 2008 Share Posted September 26, 2008 My wife and I are going to have a few weeks trawling around Europe in October, last big trip before the ski season, and I want to make a visit to Verdon Gorge. This is a bit of nostalgia for me have not been their since my rock climbing days in the early eighties. I cannot remember how good roads are for a m/h, was on a m/cycle at the time and what best way to see it as a tourist is, any suggestions would be welcome. Also any good campsites in the area. Henry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted September 26, 2008 Share Posted September 26, 2008 rupert123 - 2008-09-26 10:07 AM My wife and I are going to have a few weeks trawling around Europe in October, last big trip before the ski season, and I want to make a visit to Verdon Gorge. This is a bit of nostalgia for me have not been their since my rock climbing days in the early eighties. I cannot remember how good roads are for a m/h, was on a m/cycle at the time and what best way to see it as a tourist is, any suggestions would be welcome. Also any good campsites in the area. Henry A few years ago we stayed at a very nice site in Castellane called Camp du Verdon. I should think they have a website. I think it was 4 star at the time, so could be pricey now unless you go in low season. Plenty of shade. We drove a circular route round the gorge ( by car - not van ) and seem to recall it was quite winding - whether or not you would find it difficult depends on the size of your van. I'm sure you will hear from someone who has been more recently. Have a good trip anyway . :-| p.s. Have just re-read your post and see you are off in October ! The site I mentioned may well be closed by then - used to close in Sept Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia Posted September 26, 2008 Share Posted September 26, 2008 Visited this area a few years ago and approached the lake on the southern road along the gorges. This was windy but ok and we were towing a small car. Campsite we used you would turn left as you arrive at the lake and it was the first one on the left. I don't think the facilities were very good as we usually use our own but the views, especially of the sunsets, were spectacular. We went up on the terrace and parked lengthways so the door was towards the view. Looked for the name of the site but cannot find it. If you want to wild camp there is a site in a little village on the opposite side of the lake. I drove along the north side of the gorges in the little car and I was extremely glad not to be driving the m/home! A lot of lorries use this side and come hurtling around the corners at breakneck speed. We went Easter-time so the traffic would be similar to that in October I would think. There is a small village very close which is very picturesque with religious significance but I can't remember the name of that either but you will find it on your map. Hope you have a good time - we loved it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupert123 Posted September 26, 2008 Author Share Posted September 26, 2008 Thanks for replys, looks like the South side is best for m\h to drive. Will look up sites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia Posted September 26, 2008 Share Posted September 26, 2008 Patricia - 2008-09-26 9:23 PM There is a small village very close which is very picturesque with religious significance but I can't remember the name of that either but you will find it on your map. Hope you have a good time - we loved it. The small village as above is called Moustiers-Sainte-Marie and the other village with a small aire is Ste-Croix-de-Verdon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minstrel Posted September 26, 2008 Share Posted September 26, 2008 We went with a car three years ago, before we had the motorhome and I don't we would take it along some of the roads, which is a pity because we found it amazing. I only wish I could post some piccies, but I still haven't worked out how to do it. We saw vultures soaring on the thermals within 15 metres of us. I can also thoroughly recommend swimming in the Lac de St Croix and taking an electric boat up the gorge from the lake. We never tired of looking down at the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gedger Posted September 27, 2008 Share Posted September 27, 2008 We were there during June 2008 and stayed near Rougon at this campsite. http://www.rougon.fr/campingangl.htm The site was OK with basic facilities but it's in the middle of nowhere and the little on-site snack bar was awful! However, there's a fantastic walk to Rougon over the hills (felt like mountains?) and it's very peaceful. Our main aim was to walk through the Gorge, you take a taxi one way and walk back, well worth it one of the best walks we've done in France. However, if we went again we would stay at La Palud-sur-Verdon where there's a bit of a town and a few campsites to choose from. We have a Boxer van conversion and didn't have any problems with the roads but allow plenty of time as it's slow going... Have fun. Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupert123 Posted September 27, 2008 Author Share Posted September 27, 2008 Thanks for suggestions, will follow them up. Any more will be welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berti Posted September 28, 2008 Share Posted September 28, 2008 hi rupert123 we have a hymer 694g ( over 7m ) and found it to be quite a challenging drive in 2006 we almost went over the edge at a point on the road which had a large statue of the virgin up in the rock face we weren't too confident of carrying on, and, as the road was fairly wide at that point we tried to turn to go back this was in february and it was pretty quiet.. jeani said she wouldn't fancy it in the summer however, the views are spectacular and we came away unscathed we did have a photo of us on the edge ..will try and locate it does anyone recollect a story in mmm re a small hymer actually going over a cliff and the occupant was unhurt !! can't remember where it happened berti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupert123 Posted September 28, 2008 Author Share Posted September 28, 2008 berti - 2008-09-28 11:49 AM hi rupert123 we have a hymer 694g ( over 7m ) and found it to be quite a challenging drive in 2006 we almost went over the edge at a point on the road which had a large statue of the virgin up in the rock face we weren't too confident of carrying on, and, as the road was fairly wide at that point we tried to turn to go back this was in february and it was pretty quiet.. jeani said she wouldn't fancy it in the summer however, the views are spectacular and we came away unscathed we did have a photo of us on the edge ..will try and locate it does anyone recollect a story in mmm re a small hymer actually going over a cliff and the occupant was unhurt !! can't remember where it happened berti That sounds pretty hairy Albert. Our van is 5.75 mtrs but is just as wide as most. I have a scooter on the back, on a rack not trailor, so sounds as though it may be best to park up and use this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia Posted September 28, 2008 Share Posted September 28, 2008 That sounds a very sensible idea. I would suggest you find a site that you like by St Croix lake and then perhaps do a round trip. We left the area going west and these roads were alright so you could arrive via that direction or even from the north. Of course if you go along the gorges from west to east i.e. the north side then of course you are driving right along the edge and as I said this is the busiest side and not for the faint-hearted! You would find the scooter much easier to park too so that you can enjoy the views - lots of stopping places but many are quite small. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupert123 Posted September 28, 2008 Author Share Posted September 28, 2008 Patricia - 2008-09-28 7:57 PM That sounds a very sensible idea. I would suggest you find a site that you like by St Croix lake and then perhaps do a round trip. We left the area going west and these roads were alright so you could arrive via that direction or even from the north. Of course if you go along the gorges from west to east i.e. the north side then of course you are driving right along the edge and as I said this is the busiest side and not for the faint-hearted! You would find the scooter much easier to park too so that you can enjoy the views - lots of stopping places but many are quite small. This is what we will probably do Patricia, my memories of it are very shaky and you get a differant picture anyway climbing. You like being in the hills, of course, but the main purpose is just to climb a couple of routes site seeing is a poor second. We did one from the bottom road up and the other we abseiled down from the top so did not go down to road level. Even when I went into the gorge I had a lift so did not take much notice. We were only their a short time before moving on to our next objective. A long time ago and am looking forward to a return visit. It is funny how the memory plays tricks, one of the places we visited this spring was a small Austrian village we stayed at on our honeymoon, even longer ago, and although it has not grown much was not at all as I remembered, even the road seemed to be in a differant place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupert123 Posted September 28, 2008 Author Share Posted September 28, 2008 Patricia - 2008-09-28 7:57 PM That sounds a very sensible idea. I would suggest you find a site that you like by St Croix lake and then perhaps do a round trip. We left the area going west and these roads were alright so you could arrive via that direction or even from the north. Of course if you go along the gorges from west to east i.e. the north side then of course you are driving right along the edge and as I said this is the busiest side and not for the faint-hearted! You would find the scooter much easier to park too so that you can enjoy the views - lots of stopping places but many are quite small. This is what we will probably do Patricia, my memories of it are very shaky and you get a differant picture anyway climbing. You like being in the hills, of course, but the main purpose is just to climb a couple of routes site seeing is a poor second. We did one from the bottom road up and the other we abseiled down from the top so did not go down to road level. Even when I went into the gorge I had a lift so did not take much notice. We were only their a short time before moving on to our next objective. A long time ago and am looking forward to a return visit. It is funny how the memory plays tricks, one of the places we visited this spring was a small Austrian village we stayed at on our honeymoon, even longer ago, and although it has not grown much was not at all as I remembered, even the road seemed to be in a differant place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia Posted September 28, 2008 Share Posted September 28, 2008 Bet it's not as long ago that I went rock climbing and abseiling! Have a great time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Bulgaria Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Just back from France, which included the Gorge du Verdon. No problem taking a 7 Metre low profile coachbuilt right around the gorge. One or two places where the road is cut into the hillside leaving an overhang over the road, and a couple of short tunnels, which might catch out a tall luton. Otherwise, the only need is to have good power steering as there is an awful lot of steeringwheel twirling. Incidentaly, on the very twisty parts my TomTom satnav was having a nervous breakdown working out which bit of road I was on, either that or its poor brain was getting overheated as I was a glorious day. Didn't stay at any local campsite (it made for a long day of 255 Kms) so can't advise. Personally, I thought the Gorge de l'Ardeche was more spectacular when we visited it a few years ago. Again, as I recall, the road, which is along the tp of the gorge was good. Happy wheel twirling. Richard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupert123 Posted September 29, 2008 Author Share Posted September 29, 2008 Uncle Bulgaria - 2008-09-29 11:34 AM Just back from France, which included the Gorge du Verdon. No problem taking a 7 Metre low profile coachbuilt right around the gorge. One or two places where the road is cut into the hillside leaving an overhang over the road, and a couple of short tunnels, which might catch out a tall luton. Otherwise, the only need is to have good power steering as there is an awful lot of steeringwheel twirling. Incidentaly, on the very twisty parts my TomTom satnav was having a nervous breakdown working out which bit of road I was on, either that or its poor brain was getting overheated as I was a glorious day. Didn't stay at any local campsite (it made for a long day of 255 Kms) so can't advise. Personally, I thought the Gorge de l'Ardeche was more spectacular when we visited it a few years ago. Again, as I recall, the road, which is along the tp of the gorge was good. Happy wheel twirling. Richard. That is good news our van is only 6mtrs, so although will probably do it on the bike nice to know it can be done just in case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianR Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 I have been along each side of the gorge in my 5.75M long coachbuilt without any problem or anxiety. The south side is the more spectacular. There is a very good aire at Castellane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wirralian Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 This thread brought back happy memories of our visit to the Verdon Gorge just 12 months ago. We stayed at the excellent aire at Castellane which is on hardstanding on the edge of the Verdon and just a minute or so walk into the town. There is a charge of 5 euros. Our van is 6 mtrs and we encountered no problems driving around the Gorge but we do have a tale to tell on our approach to Castellane from the south. We were using a sat nav via our laptop and found ourselves being guided down the D102. It was bearely wide enough for a small car let alone a m'van. Cyclists were have to dismount and press themselves hard against the rock face to allow us to pass! The article in MMM by Alan and Diane Mattews had inspired us to visit the Verdon Gorge. On reading the article again in more detail, guess what I read - on no account drive down the D102! John and Maureen Lewis *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coachman Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 :-D We done simular in our hymer and the TOM TOM was a laugh as it had'nt a clue, in fact on one bend it said turn right (into the cliff face?)but other than that the whole trip was without any memories of being hairy, even when the lorris came by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupert123 Posted October 1, 2008 Author Share Posted October 1, 2008 Thanks for this D102 noted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron. Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 We've visited the gorge a couple of times, once in a 27' tag axle, and although tight in a couple of places found it no problem to speak off. We stayed at 'Camping Manaysse' (43.84494N 06.21552E) on the D952 which has superb views overlooking Moustiers-Ste-Marie a ten minute walk away. Another decent campsite is 'Le Vieux Colombier', approx 1 mile south, also on the D952. Moustiers is a really nice small town in it's own right with good views, walks,restaurants, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron. Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 A postcard view of Moustiers from 'Manaysee'. The star suspended above the village was installed at the time of the crusades. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupert123 Posted October 3, 2008 Author Share Posted October 3, 2008 Nice picture, we are leaveing around Wednesday and have taken note of all suggestions. We know some sites will be closed but information will all be filed. Many thanks to all Henry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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