Exciting Train Rides in France !

We have been finding out about some unusual train expeditions in France.

In South West France :
The Petit Train Jaune or "The Little Yellow Train" 
Travels into the high Pyrenees from Villefranche to Latour de Carol. The station it starts from is the highest mainline station in France and it then proceeds to climb higher into the mountains !
Possibly not for the faint hearted but watch this video to find out what the journey might be like !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NicKaeAuMoI  and this one as well with an open carriage.  The train has steep sections, which if it had been built 15 years earlier would have required a "rack and pinion" system, but instead the train has motors right along the train, spreading the driving force etc.  The starting station can be reached by train or car from Perpignan in Languedoc Roussillon, SW France.

Here is a link to a timetable and further information -

• http://telechargement.ter-sncf.com/Images/Languedoc_Roussillon/Tridion/FH06_PerpignanLatouV2_tcm-22-82326.pdf
• http://www.raileuropetrade.co.uk/Default.aspx?tabid=2329
• Click to Find out more.

In South East France :

Nîmes–Clermont-Ferrand
Nîmes is the starting point for this journey through the remote, wild country of the Cevennes. The line is 303km long, and features 106 tunnels and almost 1,300 bridges, including some of the most impressive viaducts on French railways, such as the 28-arch viaduct at Chapeauroux and the 41-arch near-semicircular Chamborigaud Viaduct.  There is also an impressive stretch of track on a ledge over the River Allier.  To find out more :

• http://www.raileuropetrade.co.uk/Default.aspx?tabid=2325

Other interesting trips include :
The Mont Blanc express :
From Chamonix (Gare de Chamonix-Mont-Blanc) to Vallorcine then from Vallorcine you change train to Martigny in Switzerland.  The trip to the Vallorcine (French/Swiss Border) is very picturesque, and you then change trains for the trip to Martigny in Switzerland,  This is a very scenic route through the mountains where you are perched on the side of the mountain !. The scenery is breathtaking and you can see for miles. You then you go through the mountain for the steep descent into Martigny. You almost feel like you are in an aeroplane as you cannot see much to the side.
If possible, try and sit on the left when going to Chamonix and on the right from Chamonix, assuming you want to get the best views.

Trains des pignes from Nice to Digne-es-Bains
http://www.trainprovence.com/
A steam train runs on this route on certain days, often on Sundays - http://www.gecp.asso.fr/

Train Corse 
Discover Corsica along an incredible journey between earth, sea and mountains.  Nicknamed "U Trinighellu" (the trembling), the train connects Bastia to Ajaccio, with stops in Ile Rousse, Calvi or Corte.  The train travels between land, sea and mountains, on an unforgettable journey through Corsica, through plains and valleys, streams, pine and beech forests and along the rugged coastline of the Mediterranean with views of incredible beaches and coves with white sand and turquoise waters.  The journey starts in the Baroque city of Bastia in Corsica then coninues via Cardo, the town of Ile Rousse with its beautiful bay, then via Calvi.  Then, finish your trip in Ajaccio. Surrounded by mountains and with one of the most beautiful shorelines. It is a great way to see the island of Corsica and en route you will spot such things as the traditional shepherds.

Of course these are just a few of the most spectacular journeys, there are numerous other train rides available, including steam trains and also the Petit Trains Touristiques. One good example of these runs from Collioure in the SW of France :
http://www.petit-train-touristique.com/en/intro/collioure-and-port-vendres/guided-tour

And for steam trains here is a listing of steam trains you can visit in the different regions in France :
http://trainvapeur.fr/13.html

With thanks to French train driver @Conducteur_SNCF on Twitter for some of these suggestions !

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National Parks in France (Parcs Nationaux)

There are currently six national parks in mainland France. These are the Vanoise, Port-Cros, the Pyrénées, the Cévennes, the Ecrins, and the Mercantour. A National Park is a territory which is protected and managed due to its biological diversity, scenic beauty, cultural interest and character. Every year they attract millions of visitors and each park offers spectacular views and incredible biodiversity to visitors.

Why not stay at the Airotel Pyrenees to vsiit the Pyrenees National Park ?

The Cevennes National Natural Park is located over parts of three départements – Lozère, Gard and Ardèche – and two regions, Languedoc-Roussillon and Rhône-Alpes. It is an area of great biodiversity, with more than 2250 species of flora and 2410 species of fauna. It has lower mountains than some of the other national parks, with the main peaks including Mont Lozère (1699m), Mont Aigoual (1567m) and the Causse Méjean. There are valleys with winding rivers of clear waters and hill slopes covered in forests of sweet chestnut and mulberry bushes. The summits of the Cevennes are made up of a succession of plateaux. There are many walking routes, including the "Tour of Cevennes" and it can make an interesting alternative to the more commonly visited areas such as Provence. If you plan to visit, there is an information centre at Florac.

We have attempted to draw a map showing the approximate locations of the different national parks relative to some of our campsites :

The Ecrins National Park is located between Grenoble, Gap and Briançon. It has 740 kilometres of walks and includes peaks like La Meije (3,983 m) and La Grave (3,946 m). You may see chamois, ibexes, marmots and golden eagles while walking ! The Ecrins National Park.

The Mercantour National Park is where you can explore the “Vallée des Merveilles” with its 40,000 prehistoric engravings as well as visiting the largest altitude lake in Europe. You may even catch a glimpse of a Wolf !

The Port-Cros national park stretches between Port-Cros and Bagaud islands and is the first marine European park. The small town of Port-Cros has a castle and an ancient harbour.

La Vanoise National Park was created in 1856 to protect ibexes against the hunters. The ibexes are now numerous but you can expect to see other wildlife like chamois and golden eagles.

The Pyrenees national nature park has high mountain peaks and many high altitude lakes and a rich variety of flora and fauna, including raptors, lynx and the last wild bears in France.  (Is that true ? - have any of you seen a bear there ? Maybe not a good place to pitch a tent !!)

If you like the sound of these areas and enjoy wildlife, walking or scenery then why not book one of our campsites near these areas.

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Spectators's Guide to the Tour de France

If you are lucky enough to be camping near the Tour de France cycle race route this year then here are some handy tips to help you sound like a knowledgable follower of Cycling !

We went along to watch the race two years ago as it left the small town of Auray in Brittany at the beginning of a stage (or etape as its called in French) and we had a great day out.

This year the Tour runs from Saturday July 2rd to Sunday July 24th 2011, it will be made up of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,430.5 kilometres. The route varies each year but always includes some short flat sprint sections and some mountainous sections before culminating in Paris with a sprint. This year the "Grand Start" is in the Vendee and then it continues through Brittany, Normandy and Central France before heading south to the Pyrenees then across to the Alps before heading back for a final finish in Paris.

If you are able to catch the tour then go along to watch about two hours before when you will catch the "Caravane" which is a series of mad looking vehicles and characters who throw lots of freebies to the crowd - great fun !"

Then the race itself will flash past - we nearly missed it after all the waiting !  Either our watches were wrong or they set off two minutes early.

Watch out for the following jerseys - they all have a meaning !
The YELLOW Jersey is awarded to the overall leader of the race.

The GREEN Jersey is the next most prestigious and is given to the leader of the sprint sections.

The red POLKA-DOT Jersey is awarded to the rider who earns most of the points on the mountainous sections of the race. The wearer of the jersey is known as the "King of the Mountains". Scotland's Robert Millar was King of the Mountains in 1984.
The WHITE Jersey is the newest of the jerseys and was introduced in 1975. It is given to the best young rider (i.e. under 25).

To impress your friends and family as you are spectating, why not casually mention some of the more famous recent winners of the race !  These include 7 times winner and surely you must have heard of him, Lance Armstrong from USA who won between 1999 to 2005.

Then there was five time winner Miguel Indurain from Spain who won between 1991 and 1995

There were two recent major French winners, Jacques Anquetil, who won five time, in 1957 and from 1961 to 1964 and Bernard Hinault who won five times in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985
And there was 5 times winner Eddy Merckx from Belgium who won between 1969 to 1972 and in 1974.

Some possible British and Irish competitors who may be competing and who you can look out for are :

• Mark Cavendish, from the Isle of Man (I think he is in blue in the photograph above),
• Bradley Wiggins, the three time Olympic Champion,
• David Millar, a Scot who is one of only four British competitors to have worn the yellow jersey (the others were Tom Simpson, Sean Yates and Chris Boardman),
• Geraint Thomas, who has been an Olympic Team pursuit champion, and,
• Nicolas Roche, son of the Irish 1987 winner Stephen Roche 

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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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Snow Problems in South France Around Nimes

Extreme snowfall fell on the Languedoc-Roussillon, Provence, southern Rhone Valley and the Midi-Pyrenees in the night from Sunday 7th to Monday 8th March, causing power outages and traffic disruptions. There were 30 inches of snow in the old Roman City of Nîmes which has never been seen since 1974! In total, eight departments were still on Orange Alert on Monday evening 8th March : Aude, Ariege, Haute-Garonne , Pyrenees-Orientales and Corsica as well as Andorra.

Also nearly 3,000 homes, mainly in the outskirts of Nimes, were without power earlier and 250 people were stranded on roads. Train services in the Gard and Herault have been affected and the TGV from Languedoc-Roussillon delayed. Flights were also affected. Perpignan airport has been closed and Nimes Garon diverted Sunday landings to the nearby airport of Montpellier but had no flights scheduled on Monday morning. Flights to Montpellier and Toulouse-Blagnac functioned normally but recorded some delays.

http://france.meteofrance.com/vigilance/Accueil

Pyreneen Hautacam Ski Resort Damaged by High Winds

The Ski Resort of Hautacam has had an early end to its season this year as a result of the destruction caused by the 200km/hr winds at the weekend.
Other Pyreneen resorts have also sustained some damage.

http://videos.tf1.fr/jt-20h/dans-les-pyrenees-des-stations-de-ski-detruites-5752056.html

Garonne Communities Concerned about future Flood Risks

Communities around the Tarn river which comes from the Pyrenees down to the Mediterranean are concerned about future possible flood risks. This map identifies possible areas. The Tarn river is notorious for rising very quickly when it is flooding. Toulouse itself has flood barriers or levees but in fact there has even been some concerns about these.
http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2010/03/04/789071-Garonne-la-peur-de-la-crue-du-siecle.html