France/Italy roadtrip – Valensole | alison richards

The drive from the lavender fields of Sault to Valensole passed through several pretty little French towns, and I stopped in one called Aurel to have a look around. It was one of those old creamy-coloured stone towns that have a few houses, maybe a restaurant or two and a church. This one also had a post office and a convenience store that doubled as an information centre as well. It was a pretty little place and I had a wander around for a little bit then hopped back in the camper to Valensole.

Valensole and the plateau nearby is well known on Instagram for its lavender. I was really happy that I had walked the Chemin des lavandes, as the road to Valensole was a lot less calm and a lot more chaotic, with cars just abandoned only slightly off the road (even ON the road in some cases!) while their passengers took photos in the fields. Its one of the most awful displays I've seen so far - people walking through fields and picking the lavender in order to just take photos with it.

Yes, the lavender was amazing, but yes I also made sure that I did not follow these bad examples, pulling off the road where it was safe, and taking photos from outside the fields. I think the photos are just as pretty!

Drove down a dirt road off the main road to pull off safely. Safety first!

My camera couldn’t focus properly because of all the of bees! They were everywhere!

After enjoying the lavender, I drove off to the town of Valensole, where I lucked out and got a free park really easily! Winning! I walked up to the Chateau du Grand Jardin to see its garden, but it didn't look like you could just walk in and poke around... So instead I walked a little way into the town, which was really cute but also really busy. People everywhere! So I went for a wander to escape, and found some pretty little streets and houses.

The chateau, not looking particularly open to visitors to the garden…

Some good “accidentally Wes Anderson” vibes here

The chateau again, because I looped back to see if anything had changed and it looked more welcoming… it didn’t. Even though the sign said it had a tearoom, I couldn’t see the way in, so I left.

I looked on my maps, in my camping books, on GPS and Google for a campsite nearby when I went back to the car. I was aiming for the Gorges du Verdon the next day so I wanted a campsite near to there. I found one at a place called Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, so that's where I went. I think this campsite and the town were the biggest shock of the entire trip. I was expecting some little village, but instead I was faced with one of the most beautiful places I think I've ever been! But you'll have to wait until next time for more....