Parcours de Sante (fitness circuits)

They've been doing a make-over at the lakes at Cornillon. More trees, parking bays, and more picnic benches. And a great adult outdoor fitness circuit, complete with little signs showing you how to use the equipment.

Personally, I'll stick to the swimming and the picnics. But it adds to the multi-generational activities that the lakes offer.

Any volunteers to construct a fitness circuit on the terraces and in the wood at Le Colombier?

First swim of the season

Pool at 15 degrees. So with a wetsuit, and upbeat music, I officially opened the swimming season. Managed 15 minutes. Can't be bad.

Green Gym

I read an article a while ago about a new credit crunch way to get fit. It seems you dump your expensive gym membership, and head out to your local potato farm. There you get to spend the morning picking potatoes; you get a healthy workout in the open air; and the farmer gives you a healthy lunch of soup and home made bread.

Somehow I'm not sure that you'll be back everyweek. However, start a vegetable patch to grow your own potates - and the rest - and you'll soon discover muscles you didn't know you had.

So if you fancy a workout - of the muscles during the day, and the tastebuds in the evening - come and try your hand at gardening in my green and blue gym!

Classical and ancient heritage

Vaison is your first stop for things Roman: its ampitheatre and its museums. Further afield you have Orange, Nimes, the Pont du Gard and Arles.

Going further back, how about visiting Le Pegue, the archeological museum dedicated to the celts and the greeks in Valreas. See http://museearcheoloepegue.com.

The collection comes from an archeological dig at Saint-Marcel from 1956 - 1985. The dig found the traces from 6000 years ago, and an abundance of remains from the Iron Age (725 bc). The museum is open saturday and sunday 14.00 - 18.00 the first weekend of each month in the winter; and everyday 14.00 - 18.00 except Wednesday June - September.

Markets

The Saturday Times last year declared Nyons market to be the best in France. Every Thursday morning. And there are often specialist Sunday markets - crafts, brocantes, books etc.

Look out also for the evening markets in the summer time in the villages around. And you'll find an abundance of "Vide-Grenier" (literally, empty the attics - what we'd call a car boot sale) village sales over the summer. It's worth getting there early for the bargains.

If you can't make the Thursday market, here are some of the other ones around.

Monday
La Motte Chalancon (july and august)

Tuesday
Crest, Grignan, Vaison

Wednesday
Buis les Baronnies, Remuzat

Friday
Dieulefit, Taulignan, Visan

Saturday
Buis les Baronnies, Montbrun les Bains

Flea Markets and Brocantes:
Art market 1st Sunday of the month (Vaison)
Brocantes 3rd Sunday of the month (Vaison)

And Isle Sur la Sorgue is well known for its 160+ antique shops and regular markets; plus an extended easter antiques market

Artisanat and local industrial heritage

This area of Provence has always had its local industries - as well as its food, wine and olives. It has become home to many individual artists and craftspeople. And over the summer months you'll find lots of them selling their crafts on the local markets. Look out for pottery, mohair, jewellery, wood working, soaps and lavender products, jams, honey and chutneys, leather goods and the rest.

There are also plenty of small museums that attest to the industrial heritage of the area - for example the Silk museum at Taulignan (www.musee-soie.fr), and the botanical museum at Buis les Baronnies which has an informative chronology of the developments of lavender and tilleul (linden flower) production (www.maisondesplantes.com).

Nyons has its own working lavender distillerie and shop (Distillerie Bleu Provence). And also in Nyons you can visit La Scourtinerie - hand crafted provencal rugs and baskets made from sisal / coir,

If you've got a sweet tooth - check out the Nougat at Montelimar - and its museum www.nougatsoubeyran.com. And Haribo has its factory - with visits - close to the Pont due Gard

Activities - useful information

It's raining, so rather than gardening I thought I'd prune the mountains of paperwork that accumulate over the months and years. So as I find useful information, I'll now put it on the blog and tag it ... and bin the paper.

Perhaps 2009 can be the year of the paperless chateau?

Quad bikes - from age 16; for hire at Aubres for 1, 2 or 3 hours. Costs (2008) 35 euros, 60 euros, 80 euros. Also day and overnight trips.

Reserve: tel 04 75 26 60; 06 88 86 31 58

Kayaks and canoeing; at Saillans on the river Drome (90 minutes drive from Le Colombier); see EVA www.eauxvivesaventure.com tel 04 75 21 55 71 or CapPlein Air www.cappleinair.com tel 04 75 40 60 60

Bring swim wear, sports shoes, hats, drinking water, picnic, sun screen and sun glasses. Age 7 and over; Open March to October

There's also great kayaking on the Ardeche.

Rock climbing (escalades); lots all around. Also Via Ferrata - the rock climbing routes

Hang gliding instruction at Mevouillon www.provence-parapente.com