From the occasional walker looking to improve their fitness to the committed hiker, the terrain around Le Foulon offers something for all abilities and will reward you with the most breathtaking scenery. With a day's notice we can also prepare a picnic lunch to your needs, be it a simple sandwich and a carafe of rosé to a cold lobster and a bottle of champagne. Let us know and we'll have it ready for your departure in a cold bag.

Three paths lead away from our garden - one to Greolieres, one to Cipieres and one up to the road and across to a path that leads to the peak of St Jean and the villages beyond. Greolieres is four uphill kilometres, taking around an hour by boot, including breaks to lcatch your breath and take in the view. You are rewarded by a choice of restaurants and a snack bar, and if you come straight back the descent seems to be over in minutes even if the reality is about half an hour.

Cipieres is even closer, although the walk has little respite from the 300 metre climb to the village so it can seem a little harder to some. The views back to the Cheiron mountain really are quite stunning though, and at the last step into the village you are always rewarded by a cooling breeze that seems to appear from nowhere. The small village square offers a mini-market for snacks and refreshments (albeit closed between 12 and 2pm), a lovely little restaurant with a shaded terrace for a cold pression and a light lunch, and even a wood fired pizzeria offering a free bottle of Bordeaux with every 4 pizzas purchased.

The third path takes you round the side of a peak called St Jean, and there's an almost flat path that runs for 4kms down to Bramafan. This follows a huge drinking water pipeline that takes water upstream of the river Loup and all the way through the gorge. If you're afraid of the dark or have claustrophobia then this is not for you - there are three tunnels, two of which run for 300 metres and are about 6ft tall. They are wonderfully cool and quite an adventure.

The crown in the local area is Mount Cheiron, the tallest of the Alps that meet the Mediterranean. This mountain looms over the Foulon to the north and has a great little ski station on its northern face - quite unbelievable that the Cote d'Azur should have a ski resort so close to the sea and so accessible from the coast. 15-20 minutes drive is all it takes from the Foulon to the station at 1400 metres, and then a mere hour's walk along a green ski trail and you have a vista that takes in all of the Cote d'Azur and on a clear haze free day Corsica beckons on the horizon, some 240kms south.

Walking and Hiking Galleries

The following photos are just a small selection of from our walking and hiking photo galleries which can be viewed here.