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A fine introduction to travelling with a pack donkey! The outings, with no major technical difficulty, are simple and well signposted. You'll enjoy exploring the hilltop villages ("villages perchés") of the Drôme Valley. No grand monuments here, rather a series of modest architectural heirlooms which give particular charm to their surroundings... a "calade" (cobbled path) which climbs up to the heart of the village, a drystone wall built with craftsman's skill, a chapel of discrete charm, or a fountain with cool drinking water.
You'll stay in a fine working farm with family accommodation. Your hosts rear a handsome herd of goats which the children will love to see on their return from the day's walk. Time drifts peacefully by here and you're sure to enjoy the fresh farm produce. Your second residence faces the hilltop village of La Roche sur Grane.
And once immersed in this countryside with a Mediterranean feel, you'll no doubt appreciate a dip in the superb pool if it gets just a little too warm...
Itineraries (please click for details)
7 days / 6 nights 
4 days / 3 nights 3 days / 2 nights
Characteristics of circuits
Walking holiday with a donkey suitable for families
Difficulty: 2/5.
Daily stages between 9.5 and 13.5 km (3 to 5 hours walking).
Uphill - between 200 and 400 metres per day.
Altitudes between 250 and 550 metres
Season: from late March to early November.
Please note: in July and August start dates are every three days from 1st July.
(Short stays are not available in July and August.)
What's included?
Half board in 3 "epis" guest houses.
Detailed roadbook and maps.
Logistical and technical assistance.
Baggage and vehicular transfer from Auriples to La Roche sur Grane.
Reservation request
Booking form
Once you've filled in the form, Safran will suggest a made-to-measure holiday adapted to your personally chosen dates during the week or at the weekend.
Tariffs 2012
| Price per person, on the basis of two people sharing same room | Additional services | ||||||
| Duration | July - August | Low Season | Child 6 - 11 | Child 2 - 5 | Child under 2 | Donkey hire | Baggage Transport |
| 7d/6n | € 460 | € 425 | -30% | -40% | € 70 | € 225 | included |
| 4d/3n | - | € 220 | -30% | -40% | € 35 | € 155 | included |
| 3d/2n | - | € 150 | -30% | -40% | € 25 | € 125 | included |
| Reductions if children share room with parents | Picnic: €10 per adults, reductions for children | ||||||
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Why perch on top of a hill?
 Throughout the Roman empire, people lived in dwellings scattered here and there in the countryside, with at least one large “villa” (country house) within each of what have become today’s “communes” (parishes).The first Christian sanctuaries were established on the sites of the larger “villae”. In time these became the mother churches of future parishes. In the XI and XII centuries, the villages themselves came to "perch” at the foot of the local castle. It was long thought that this was to protect the inhabitants from attack by invading Saracens, but history has shown that such fortress villages were often overrun or destroyed in feudal wars, proving quite incapable of resisting any serious offensive. Today another explanation is suggested: the local lords wished, it would seem, to gather the inhabitants around them (by force if necessary) both to facilitate taxation in a booming agricultural economy and to establish monopolies in certain domains such as the milling of flour and the making of bread… |
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Agence Safran - Les Cascades - F. 26400 Mirabel et Blacons
Tel. +33 (0)4 75 25 78 78 - Fax +33 (0)4 75 25 78 79
info@safrantours.com - Agence de voyages LI.026.99.0001