Loire à Vélo Cycling Route

"Loire à vélo" has excellent information about cycle routes on the Loire as well as very reasonably priced organised trips, including a 3 day cycle tour of vineyards which sounds great ! It also has information about cycle friendly campsites and hotels which welcome cyclists and help with things like storage facilities.

http://www.cycling-loire.com/Default.aspx?base

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French Ortolan Songbirds

French ornithologists are fighting against the hunting of the ortolan, a songbird which is regarded by gastronomes – when eaten beak, bones and all – as the ultimate delicacy.

Over the next two weeks, bird lovers in south-west France will be springing "live" traps set to capture the tiny ortolan buntings as they migrate from northern Europe to Africa. Over 5,000 are caught each year.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/activists-ready-to-sabotage-french-birdhunters-2066149.html
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Cross Channel Ferry Services

Radio 4 You and Yours had an interesting piece about the Cross Channel Ferry market between the UK and France. Over-capacity on the Dover-Calais route, two new ferries from P&O etc were some of the topics discussed. To listen, click on this link and listen to the start of the programme as its one of the first items on the programme : http://beta.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00tfqvq/You_and_Yours_27_08_2010
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Hidden Lake Under Mont Blanc to be Drained !

I'd heard about the hidden lake that had accumulated under a glacier at Mont Blanc. The good news is that it sounds like they are going to try and drain it. Very interesting news if you are holidaying or planning to holiday in that area of the Alps. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11080827

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French Pronunciation

Here is a fantastic website which has pronunciations of what seems like every French word !
http://www.forvo.com/languages/fr/tag/learning_french/

http://www.forvo.com/languages/fr/

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French may be Cheesed Off !

The Swiss have won the right to keep the Gruyère label for their cheese, with the AOC (Appelation Origine Controlle) certification.

There had been an agreement since 2007 where the French could produce a Gruyère cheese but the two products were very different and now Switzerland has been granted exclusivity !
To read more : http://www.francesoir.fr/argent-etranger-social/pas-de-quartier-pour-le-gruyere-francais.7890 So if that was you favourite cheese you may have trouble finding it in "le supermarché" this year !

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Le Quinze Aout

The traditional month of French holidays ends today and is commonly known as "Le Quinze Aout" or Assumption Day. This religious festival finishes the tradional month long French holidays which start on Bastille Day, the 14th July.

To hear a little more of the history of this festival and how it is often celebrated with fireworks, please listen to Lisa Jardine's "Point of View" piece from Radio 4 which can be accessed from this webpage :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10963263

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Keycamp Celebrates 35th Birthday !

Keycamp are celebrating their 35th Birthday by allowing you to reserve your 2011 Holiday for only £35 !!

There may also be lots of last minute summer bargains as according to the Radio 4 news this morning holiday companies are reporting low bookings in Europe for this year.

Click here to book a last minute 2010 holiday or look at holidays with Keycamp for next year ! www.keycamp.co.uk

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The Seaside Still Favourite Destination for French holidaymakers

French holidaymakers still prefer to holiday at the seaside, with 60% choosing it as a destination this year. The next most popular destinations are towns (19%) and the countryside (15%). Only 8% choose the mountains as their holiday destination, possibly as people think this might be too energetic a holiday ! And only 1% go on a wild camping/walking holiday. However if you really want to get away from the crowds, the mountains could be an excellent choice of holiday destination. During the very hot summer weather, you can expect a cooler night high up in the mountains so you might actually enjoy a good nights sleep after all that walking !
http://www.francesoir.fr/vie-quotidienne/les-francais-plebiscitent-la-mer

There are some excellent campsites up in the mountains, with beautiful swimming pools with mountain views. We will be reviewing some of these mountain destinations on our website at www.bestfrenchcampsites.com or if you would like to look at campsites in the meantime please look at www.keycamp.co.uk

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