Situated in the south-east of France,and with a Mediterranean coastline,spring comes early to Provence,heralded by a veritable carpet of colourfulwild flowers. This is truly a region ofcontrasts, from the commercialisedcoastal fringe and the famous Camarguemarshlands in the delta of the Rhône, tothe high mountains of the Alps. Betweenthese extremes, there is another Provencethat is not so well known, an area awayfrom the main throng of tourists, wheresmall villages cling to craggy hilltops, andwhere one can be at peace with themagnificent scenery. This is the charmingcountryside of the Vaucluse, where thehump-backed range of the Montagne duLuberon rises up parallel to the coastalplain to the south. From here the views aremagnificent. To the north, across the highPlateau de Vaucluse, stands the mightyMont Ventoux, its dark wooded flanksrising to a barren white limestone summitat 1,909 metres; to the west lie the jaggedand spectacular rocky crags of theDentelles de Montmiral. During this 2-centre holiday we will bestaying at small, family-run hotels, set indelightful and picturesque village settings,and enjoying tasty local Provençal cuisine.From here we will make daily excursionsinto the surrounding countryside - asoften as possible on foot - in search offlowering plants, butterflies and birds. Ourcarefully chosen locations will give us theopportunity to sample many differenthabitats at varying altitudes, all within arelatively small area.This time of year is the peak floweringperiod for the extremely richMediterranean flora of southern France,with fragrant herbs being particularlynumerous in the maquis. Spurges,brooms, tree heathers, thymes, sages andcolourful Cistusare all characteristic ofthis habitat, while many orchids includeProvence, Lady, Elder-flowered, VioletLimodore, the very impressive GiantOrchid, and a bewildering variety of earlyflowering Ophrysspecies. Amongst thebirds of the area, such summer visitors asHoopoes, Golden Orioles, Bee-eaters,shrikes and warblers should have arrivedto join the resident species, and animpressive range of birds of prey ispresent. Amazingly, over 70 differentspecies of butterfly have also beenrecorded on the wing in April here. Theseinclude such colourful species asCleopatra, Southern and ScarceSwallowtail and Spanish Festoon, plusothers such as Rosy Grizzled Skipper,Chapman's Green Hairstreak andProvence Chalk-hill Blue which arerestricted in France just to this area.On Mont Ventoux, in effect the mostwesterly extension of the Alps, we will finda good mountain flora, including alpinesedges (Carex sp.), the rock jasminesAndrosace vitalianaand A. chaixii, theexquisite little blue Mount Cenis Violet, anAlpine poppy (Papaver aurantiacum) andthe endemic little white candytuft (Iberiscandolleana). Birds on these high slopesinclude Snowfinch, Alpine Accentor, RockThrush, Rock Bunting and, on the tree-line,Citril Finch. Lower down, Crossbill,Crested Tit, Siskin and even Hazelhen maybe found in the pine woods, whilstGoshawk, Redstart and Black Woodpeckerfavour the deciduous woodland.Through the limestone Plateau deVaucluse, rivers have carved their waythrough the soft rock to form spectaculargorges over the millennia. These provide nesting sites for many raptors,including Eagle Owl, Peregrine, andGolden, Short-toed, Booted and Bonelli'sEagle, together with Egyptian, Griffon and,occasionally, Black Vulture. The latter twospecies are starting to re-colonise thisarea from elsewhere, and at one particular spot we should be able to(unusually) observe them from above asthey glide effortlessly by below us. Theflora of these calcareous rocks is also very rich, with typical species includingMontpellier Milk Vetch, Martagon Lily,Nodding Star-of-Bethlehem, pink, yellowand white flaxes and various orchids,whilst nearby meadows hold sheets ofwhite Poet's Eye Narcissus and the littleyellow Narcissus requienii.Across the River Durance, les Alpilles,another lower range of limestone hills,rises up precipitously from the plain, withthe picturesque village of les Baux-de-Provence clinging precariously to itsflanks. These are also good for birds ofprey, Alpine Swift, Crag Martin and RockThrush, as well as being a well-known sitefor the elusive Wallcreeper. From oursecond base we will visit the Camargue,with its herds of white horses and blackbulls, to enjoy its rich selection of wetlandbird species and interesting coastal flora,including Sea Daffodil, Great Sea Stockand numerous colourful pea and orchidspecies. This holiday offers the chance for the all-round naturalist to enjoy a greatdiversity of species at a leisurely pace,whilst at the same time appreciating themagnificent architecture and scenery of one of the most beautiful and tranquil regions of France. 53Outline itineraryDay 1Fly Marseille and driveto the Luberon region ofProvence.Day 2/5Daily programme ofnatural history walksand excursions in theLuberon region ofProvence.Day 6/7Daily excursions in theCamargue.Day 8Fly London.Accommodation Two charming village hotels, withprivate facilities and servingexcellent local food.Food All included in the price.Grading Grade A/B. Easy to moderate walksonly.Focus Plants, birds and butterflies.LeaderMark Galliott or Phil Thompson.Single room supplement£160.ExtensionsAvailable on request.Web quick search: FRA10SPAINITALYSWITZERLANDGERMANYBELGIUMPARISSAULTTOULOUSEMARSEILLEST. GILLESMONTPELLIERBORDEAUXFRENCHALPSMONT VENTOUXSTRASBOURGENGLISH CHANNELATLANTIC OCEANMEDITERRANEANSEAFRANCEBook direct on 01962 733051or see page 280 for Booking InformationFrance - Provence in SpringAn 8-day holiday focusing on the wonderfully rich spring flora, butterfliesand birds found in Provence and the Camargue. Thursday 26th April - Thursday 3rd May Cost: £1,295 Scarce SwallowtailHoopoe

This holiday focuses on thehistory and natural history ofLanguedoc, a spectacularlandscape blessed with picturesque andcolourful villages, the heartland of theCathar movement during the Middle Ages.Here we will not only visit the magnificentcity of Carcassonne and some of the manyCathar villages and historical sites, but wewill also explore the wealth of habitatswithin this charming region. CoastalLanguedoc offers salt flats, marshlandsand lagoons, punctuated with rockyoutcrops, whilst inland lie ancientvineyards, Mediterranean garrigueand thefoothills of the Pyrenees, each habitatattracting numerous migratory birds at thisseason, and awash with colourful springflowers, amongst them many orchids. Catharism was a Gnostic movement thatbegan in the 10th century and wasconsidered heretical by the RomanCatholic church. Although it existedthroughout much of Western Europe, itshome was in Languedoc and thepersecution of the Cathars here wassevere, especially during the 20-yearmilitary crusade against them between1209 and 1229. During our tour we willexplore the cobbled streets of the medievalfortified city of Carcassonne, which wasbesieged during the early phase of thatcrusade. We will also visit the castle ofQuéribus, perched high upon a rockyoutcrop in the Pyrenean foothills. Thisstronghold served as a sanctuary toCathars, finally falling during the lastcrusade in 1255. Also included within ouritinerary are the picturesque medievalvillages of Minerve and Lagrasse. Theformer, overlooking the Cesse Gorge, wasthe scene of a massacre inflicted duringthe early crusades. The latter, reputedly themost beautiful village in France, lies in theCorbières massif and holds a 7th centuryBenedictine abbey which was of greatinfluence during the crusades. To concludeour lesson in Cathar history, a visit to theCistercian abbey of Fontfroide is essential.Founded in 1093, the abbey played apredominant role during the crusades andis a monastic estate miraculously preservedin its entirety.Between these cultural highlights, thisholiday will also be packed with naturalhistory excursions. At coastal wetlands wewill look for Flamingoes, Purple Gallinulesand Bitterns, plus a wide variety of egrets,ducks, waders, gulls and terns. On theLeucate plateau nearby, a hotspot formigrating birds, thousands of springmigrants may be seen during favourableconditions. Many vagrant birds of preyhave been observed here, but it is suchcommon species as harriers, Red andBlack Kites, Short-toed Eagles and HoneyBuzzards that we are likely to see, plusstorks, hirundines, flycatchers andwarblers. One of southern France's bestkept secrets is the Vendres Lake, a vastwetland area where Cattle Egret, Purpleand Squacco Heron, Glossy Ibis, Red-crested Pochard, Osprey, Little Gull,Whiskered and Black Tern and Fan-tailedWarbler may all be seen. To the north ofthe lake, wet meadows and steppesharbour Little Bustards, Great SpottedCuckoos, Woodchat Shrikes and, on arocky outcrop, nesting Eagle Owls in mostyears. On the banks of the River Aude, andin the surrounding meadows andvineyards, we will search for Rollers,Hoopoes, Bee-eaters, Ortolan Buntingsand the rare Lesser Grey Shrike. Moving inland, we will enjoy that typicallyMediterranean habitat, the garrigue,covered with fragrant thymes and sagesand, at this season, awash with floweringplants. Asphodels, rock roses and broomsare dominant, but a wealth of otherspecies will also be in full bloom, attractingan abundance of butterflies on sunny days,amongst them Green-underside Blue,Mazarine Blue, Chapman's GreenHairstreak, Western Marbled White andBath White. This habitat is also favoured bya wide variety of birds, includingMontagu's Harrier, Crag Martin, Woodlark,Tawny Pipit, Black-eared Wheatear, Red-rumped Swallow, Red-backed and Woodchat Shrikes, plus suchMediterranean warblers as Orphean,Spectacled, Subalpine, Sardinian, Bonelli'sand Dartford. In the Clape Hills we will lookfor one of the last remaining nesting pairsof Bonelli's Eagle, and also three rareorchids, Ophrys bombyliflora, O. ciliataand O. fusca. We will find more rich flora in the Pyreneanfoothills; the wild tulip, Tulipa australis,Pyrenean Fritillary (Fritillaria pyrenaica) andsome spectacular and rare orchids -including Ophrys corbariensis, O.lupercalis, O. tenthredinifera, O. scolopaxand Orchis olbiensis- being amongst thehighlights. As for birds, we will look forAlpine Swifts, Crag Martins and Blue RockThrushes in the Calamus Gorge,woodpeckers and Crested Tits amongstthe hillside forests and, on the FeuillaPass, a well-known observation point forraptor migration, we may see Rock Thrush,Rock Bunting or perhaps a Golden Eagleor Griffon Vultures overhead.The warm Mediterranean weather in earlyspring, a rich natural heritage, magnificentscenery and a touch of history makes thisregion a rich cocktail indeed!SPAINITALYSWITZERLANDGERMANYBELGIUMCALAISPARISTOULOUSEVINASSANBORDEAUXFRENCHALPSMASSIFCENTRALPYRENEESSTRASBOURGENGLISH CHANNELATLANTIC OCEANMEDITERRANEANSEAFRANCEMONTPELLIERRIVER LOTRIVER DORDOGNE54Call now or visit www.naturetrek.co.uk for your free Trip ItineraryOutline itineraryDay 1Fly Montpellier andtransfer to Vinassan.Day 2/7Natural historyexcursions fromVinassan.Day 8Fly London.AccommodationA pleasant and traditional villagehotel serving good local Frenchcuisine. All rooms have privatefacilities.FoodAll included in the price.GradingA. Day walks only.FocusBirds, plants and butterflies, plusCathar historical sites.LeaderIain Bray.Single room supplement£150.Web quick search: FRA07France - Carcassonne & Cathar CountryAn 8-day spring holiday focusing on Cathar history and the birds, butterflies and wild flowers (especiallyorchids) of the coastal wetlands, limestone garrigue and Pyrenean foothills of south-western France. Monday 30th April - Monday 7th May Cost: £1,295Glanville FritillaryOphrys tenthrediniferaMinerve